Hockey Settles for 2-2 Tie with Vermont

10/23/2010 12:00:00 AM

Postgame audio: Bates / Cannata / Dennehy

BURLINGTON, VT – The Merrimack hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with the University of Vermont Saturday night in the Hockey East opener at the Gutterson Fieldhouse.

Merrimack (1-0-2, 0-0-1 HEA) will take on #1 and the defending National Champion Boston College next Friday at 7 p.m. at Conte Forum and next Saturday at 7 p.m. at Lawler Arena.

"I tell our guys there is no difference between home and road, it's all the same ice," said head coach Mark Dennehy. "But at the end of the day it's good to go out and get Hockey East points, especially on the road."

Merrimack came out strong, outshooting Vermont 7-1 early but surrendered an unassisted shorthanded goal as Jack Downing stole the puck from a Warrior defender and fired a wrister on a breakaway at 11:36.

On the same power play, Chris Barton (Calgary, AB) evened the score with his second of the year, taking feeds from Karl Stollery (Camrose, AB) and Stephane Da Costa (Paris, France) and beating Rob Madore at 12:09.

Shawn Bates (Fort Saskatchewan, AB) gave the Warriors the lead at 5:27 of the second, as Tom McCarthy (Maple Grove, MN) sent him in on a breakaway, and the freshman backhanded it between the legs of Madore for his first collegiate marker.

"It's sort of my move," Bates said. "I faked to the blocker and tried to open up his five hole and it worked on that play and I was able to slide it in."

Vermont evened the game at two at 10:48 as Ben Albertson beat Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) on a wrap around attempt for his first career goal.

Merrimack ramped up the pressure in the third, outshooting Vermont 10-2 in the first 10 minutes of the period and 14-7 for the entire third, including point-blank shots from Brendan Ellis (Kelowna, BC), Brandon Brodhag (Brooklyn Park, MN) and Mike Collins (Boston, MA), that were stopped by Madore. The Warriors had two third-period man advantages but failed to push one past the junior netminder.

Collins was sent off for a delay of game penalty with 2:42 to play in regulation but the visitors killed the penalty with solid shot blocking from Adam Ross (Red Deer, AB) and a couple stops from their junior goaltender.

The teams traded chances early in overtime as a shot from Kyle Bigos (Upland, CA) nearly snuck through the pads of Madore. Merrimack went back on the power play with 3:43 left, but failed to convert as shots from Barton, Stollery, Brodhag and Elliott Sheen (Lethbridge, AB) were turned back by Madore.

Cannata stopped 38 shots in the tie, including 17 in the second, while Madore turned aside thirty-six.