Hockey Ties #1 Boston University 1-1; Rematch is Saturday at Lawler
Video Highlights / Postgame Audio: Dennehy / Collins / Allan
BOSTON, MA – Behind 32 saves from Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) and the first collegiate goal from Mike Collins (Boston, MA), Merrimack played top-ranked and unbeaten Boston University to a 1-1 tie at Agganis Arena Friday night.
Merrimack (2-2-3, 1-2-2 HEA) and Boston University (6-0-3, 4-0-3 HEA) will take the ice again Saturday at Lawler Rink at 7 p.m. where the Warriors are 2-0 this season and 17-5-2 in their last 24 games. Limited tickets remain for sale at merrimackathletics.com and at the Merrimack Box Office.
The tie marks the first time Merrimack earned a point against the top team in the country since defeating BU in the Hockey East Quarterfinals in March of 1998. The Warriors have now taken points from the top-ranked and second-ranked team (BC on 10/30) in the country in their first five Hockey East games.
"Any point in Hockey East is tough," said Cannata. "Now we get to go home tomorrow and we've had a lot of success there. They're a real good team. We played hard compared to last weekend. We were all over them for large stretches."
The teams played to a scoreless first period despite 26 total shots, 14 by Merrimack, including a breakaway on the first shift from Chris Barton (Calgary, AB) that was stopped by Kieran Millan.
The Terriers finally broke through at 8:04 of the second as Ross Gaudet knocked in a loose puck in front of Cannata for his first of the year.
Moments later, the Warriors tied it as Collins evened the score with his first collegiate goal, taking feeds from classmates Shawn Bates (Ft. Saskatchewan, AB) and Rhett Bly (Regina, SK) at 9:13. For Bates and Bly, they both notched their first career helpers.
The Warriors killed three minors in the third, including two in the first five minutes and had plenty of chances of their own including a wrister off the post from Stephane Da Costa (Paris, France) on a power play, and a late chance from Ryan Flanigan (Rochester, NY) that Millan just got a piece of.
Cannata came up with three saves in overtime as BU outshot Merrimack 3-0.
Just one minute into the extra frame, the junior goaltender overcame a Warrior turnover to make a great save on Alex Chiasson. He also turned back shots from Chris Connolly and Joe Pereira to preserve the tie.
Millan stopped 35 shots, 13 on the power play, as Merrimack outshot the Terriers 36-33.
In a game that featured the nation's top two penalty kills, neither team disappointed, killing a combined 17 power plays, ten by Merrimack and seven from BU.
Barton and Da Costa led the Warriors with six shots each, as the top line combined for 15 total shots.
The tie was just the second time in 13 games that Merrimack picked up a point at Agganis Arena with the other being game two of last year's Hockey East Quarterfinals.
