Hockey Opens with 4-4 Tie at Niagara

10/9/2010 12:00:00 AM

AUDIO : Dennehy Season Preview / Dennehy on Rules Changes / Collins pre-game / Dennehy post game

LEWISTON, NY – The Merrimack hockey team netted three goals in a 2:48 span late in the second period but settled for the 4-4 tie in the season opener at Niagara University Saturday night.

Merrimack (0-0-1) returns home to open the newly renovated Lawler Rink next Saturday at 7 p.m. against the University of Connecticut. Limited tickets remain available for the home opener at merrimackathletics.com, with pregame festivities scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Volpe Complex as part of Homecoming Weekend.

After Paul Zanette gave the Purple Eagles the 3-1 lead 5:55 into the second with a short-handed goal after an apparent Merrimack power-play goal was disallowed, the Warriors took over as Jeff Velleca (Waterbury, CT), John Heffernan (Scituate, MA) and Brandon Brodhag (Brooklyn Park, MN) scored in a 2:48 span late in the period to give the visitors the 4-3 lead after two.

Nine different players factored in the three unanswered goals as Velleca gathered a deflected pass from Stephane Da Costa (Paris, France) and snipped it home at 14:11. Jordan Heywood (Regina, SK) also assisted on the goal, his first collegiate helper.

Forty-four seconds later, Heffernan tied it as he buried a rebound off a Bobby Kramer (New York, NY) wrister after John Jamieson (Billerica, MA) forced a turnover in the Niagara zone.

Brodhag rounded out the second period scoring at 16:59, backhanding a loose puck in front of Chris Noonan, with Jesse Todd (Camrose, AB) and Joe Cucci (Melrose Park, IL) notching assists, as Merrimack outshot the hosts 16-14 in the second.

But the Purple Knights responded just 1:04 into the third, as Ryan Rashid tied it with the game-tying goal, giving Niagara goals within the first 2:13 of each period.

"I did like our resiliency," said head coach Mark Dennehy. "I thought we did a good job of overcoming their hard-working game. Niagara was skating downhill early and we were unsure of ourselves, but we righted the ship, at times. I thought we played well for long stretches but then we'd disappear."

The hosts received the lone power play in overtime as Heywood was sent off for elbowing with 2:21 to play, but Merrimack's penalty kill was strong, not allowing a shot and preserving the tie.

After Ryan Annesley gave the hosts the early 1-0 lead, Da Costa registered the first goal of the Warriors' season on the team's first power play at 9:07. Da Costa, last season's NCAA and Hockey East Rookie of the Year, skated down the right side and fired a slapper from just outside the faceoff circle that beat Noonan over his glove. Karl Stollery (Camrose, AB) and goaltender Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) assisted on the power-play marker in a first period that saw Merrimack outshot 11-8 by the Purple Eagles.

Eleven Merrimack players picked up points, as Da Costa registered a goal and an assist for the lone multi-point game from the visitors.

The Warriors killed off all seven of Niagara's power plays and finished 1-for-3 on their own man-advantage.

"I thought our penalty kill was very good and it starts with Joe Cannata. He made some great saves on the penalty kill," said Dennehy.

Cannata stopped 38 shots in the tie while Noonan turned aside 33.

The tie was Merrimack's first season-opening tie since it tied Union to open the 2002-03 season.