#4/6 Hockey Heads to #16 Boston University Friday at 7 p.m.
MERRIMACK COLLEGE HOCKEY
Friday, November 11, 2011, 7 p.m. Agganis Arena at #16 Boston University
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Tonight's Matchup: Off to its best start in 25 years and the only unbeaten team in the country, Merrimack opens its season series with Boston University.
Lifetime vs. BU: Merrimack is 14-73-6 lifetime, but is 2-1-2 in its last five.
Last Season vs. BU (MC won series 1-0-2):
Merrimack won its first-ever season series against BU with a 3-2 win at Lawler in January. The teams tied in consecutive nights in November when BU was #1 nationally.
And Now There Was One
With a 7-0-1 record, Merrimack is the nation's only undefeated team. The Warriors received three first-place votes and is ranked 4th in the USA Today poll, tied for their highest ranking ever. This is the first time they received more than one first-place vote.
Flanigan's Shorthanded OT Goal Gives Merrimack Season Series over NU
Ryan Flanigan scored short-handed 1:57 into overtime to give Merrimack the 3-2 win and the season series over Northeastern. The Warriors trailed 2-0 but tied it behind two power play goals from Mike Collins and outstanding penalty killing.
Penalty Kill the Difference in the Win
Merrimack's penalty kill, ranked first in the league and third nationally, was the difference in the win at Northeastern. The Warriors killed off a two-man advantage for 1:45, a five-minute major with 5:44 to play, and a minor to start overtime.
Cannata Tops HEA Goaltenders; Earns HEA Defensive Player of the Week
The HEA Defensive Player of the Month for October and last week's HEA Defensive Player of the Week, Joe Cannata leads HEA in goals-against (1.41), save percentage (.939) and win percentage (.929). He ranks 3rd, 5th and 1st nationally in those categories.
Shots, Shots, Shots
Merrimack has outshot its opponent in all eight games this season.
Top Defense in the Country
Merrimack's defense leads the country, allowing 1.25 goals per game and no more than two goals in any game. Merrimack's defense has combined for six goals and 20 points.
Power Play Full of Power
The power play, second in HEA and 12th nationally, has scored at least a goal in all seven wins. Mike Collins and Ryan Flanigan are tied for the league lead in power play points, while Collins is tied for the lead in power play goals.
Flanigan Has Points in Every Game This Year, 15 Straight Overall
Ryan Flanigan, who leads the team in goals, assists, points, plus/minus, and shots, has points in every game +-this year and points in 15 straight dating back to last year. After registering 21 points in his first 72 career games, he has 39 points in his last 31 games.
There's No Place Like Home
Merrimack is 11-0-1 at Lawler in its last 12 dating back to last year and is 29-5-3 at home since the start of the 2009-10 season.
Collins Finding the Net
After leading HEA in scoring among rookies last year, Mike Collins is back at it, tying for the team lead with five goals, four on the power play.
Sudden Death Success
Merrimack is now 5-0-5 in the extra frame in its last ten regular season OT games, which dates back to the beginning of last season. They have won their last two games at Matthews Arena, both of which went to overtime.
Sellout Streak Hits Nine
Merrimack has sold out nine straight at Lawler dating back to Feb. 12, 2011
100 for Madsen, Sheen Next
Carter Madsen will play in his 100th career game tonight, while his linemate Elliott Sheen will reach the milestone in his next game (likely 11/23).
First-Ever Weekend Sweep in Vermont
Merrimack swept Vermont in Burlington for the first time ever. The Warriors are 6-0-2 against UVM over the last three seasons.
Bigos Records Big Weekend
Kyle Bigos has emerged as a force on the blueline. The junior is tied for second on the team with four assists after a three-assist weekend at Vermont.
Flanigan-Madsen-Sheen Line Dominates in Weekend Sweep
The senior line of Ryan Flanigan, Carter Madsen, and Elliott Sheen led the way against Vermont, combining for six points and a +9 rating in two games.
National Team Statistics Leader
Nationally, Merrimack is first in defense, third on penalty kill and sixth in combined special teams. Within Hockey East, they rank first in defense, second on the power play, first on the penalty kill, and sixth in goals for.
Marotta Earns Shutout, Player of the Week Honors in First Start
In his first career start, Sam Marotta, the HEA Defensive Player of the Week (10/24), made 25 saves for his first career shutout and added an assist.
Warriors Conclude Homecoming with 5-0 Blanking of UConn
Behind multi-point efforts from Elliott Sheen, Jeff Velleca and Brendan Ellis, three power-play goals, and a shutout from Marotta, Merrimack blanked UConn 5-0 to stay perfect.
Dennehy Ties School Division I Wins Record
Merrimack's 3-2 win over Northeastern was the 78th for Mark Dennehy, which ties him with Chris Serino for the school's all-time D1 mark among coaches.
Todd and Flanigan Lead Warriors to 4-1 Win in Vermont
Jess Todd notched a career-high three points, including the game-winner, and Ryan Flanigan added a goal and an assist to propel the Warriors to a 4-1 win over Vermont on October 28.
Stewart Promoted to Associate Head Coach
Glenn Stewart has been promoted to Associate Head Coach. Stewart is in his third season at Merrimack.
Non-Conference Success
The Warriors are 11-0 in their last 11 non-conference home games, 8-0-1 in their last nine non-conference games, and 21-6-3 in their last 30.
Merrimack Wins Home Opener over Army
Energized by a sellout crowd, Merrimack defeated Army 3-2 behind multi-point efforts from Rhett Bly and John Heffernan. Ryan Flanigan and Karl Stollery also scored in the win as the Warriors outshot Army 40-21, including 19-2 in the second period.
Brodhag-Bly-Heffernan Led the Way Against Army
The line of Brandon Brodhag, Rhett Bly and John Heffernan led the way in the win over Army, combining for 5 points and the game-winner. For Bly, it was his first career two assist and two point game, while Heffernan tallied his second multi-point game.
Warriors Own the Army
Merrimack has won all 13 meetings with Army since becoming a Division I school and all 11 lifetime in North Andover.
Merrimack Opens Season with Rare Road Win at Maine
Behind goals from Jeff Velleca and Jesse Todd and 22 saves from Joe Cannata, the Warriors opened the season with a victory, defeating #16/15 Maine 2-1 in Orono.
Just How Rare Was It?
The win at Maine snapped a 22-game winless streak (0-20-2) in Orono and was just the sixth win lifetime in Maine, two of which were Maine forfeits due to NCAA rules violations.
Three Straight over the Black Bears
Merrimack has defeated Maine in 3 straight meetings for the first time ever.
Todd Remains Clutch
After ranking second in Hockey East with six game-winners last season, Jesse Todd is tied for the league lead this year with two game-winners.
Quick Glance at an Historical 2010-11
Last season was a magical one for the Warriors. Merrimack won a Division I school-record 25 games, reached its first-ever Hockey East Championship and was selected to its first NCAA Tournament since 1988.
Cannata Looks to Finish Strong
After starting all 39 games in 2010-11 and winning a Division I school-record 25 games, Joe Cannata returns for his senior season. A semifinalist for the Walter Brown Award, presented each year to the top American-born college player in New England, Cannata has 48 career wins, tops in school history.
Strong Combined Special Teams
After tying for first in 2009-10, Merrimack finished last year ranked 6th nationally and 2nd in HEA in combined special teams.
Seven Freshmen Debut
While seven of Merrimack's newcomers have debuted, incredibly none has registered a point yets.
Flanigan Topped HEA Players in Postseason Scoring
Ryan Flanigan led all HEA players with 6 goals, 11 points in the postseason. Flanigan finished last season on fire with 14 points in his final seven games.
64% of Offense Returns
While Merrimack loses its top three scorers from last season (Da Costa, Barton, Cucci), 64% of its offense returns, including all players ranked from 4-14 on the 2010-11 team in scoring. Jesse Todd, who led the Warriors with 17 goals and was second in the league with six game-winners, is back for his senior season.
Warriors Feature Talented Freshman Class
Forwards Josh Myers and Connor Toomey headline Merrimack's nine-member freshman class. Other forwards include Justin Mansfield, Clayton Jardine, Kyle Singleton and Quinn Gould, while Mike Wills and Dan Kolomatis headline the defenders. Finnish goaltender Rasmus Tirronen rounds out the squad. Singleton and Gould, along with Brendan Ellis, played for former Merrimack associate head coach Darren Yopyk at Westside of the BCHL.
Merrimack Reached Garden for First Time Since 1998
Merrimack reached the TD Garden for the first time since 1998. The Warriors swept Maine 2-0 and beat UNH 4-1 in the semis.
Division I Hockey East Record 25 Wins, 35 HEA Points
Merrimack set a Division I HEA school record for wins with 25 and for points with 35 in 2010-11.
Nine Straight on the Road is a School Record
Merrimack won nine straight road games from 11/30/10 to 2/18/11, most in program history.
MC Posts Best Month since Joining HEA with UVM Sweep
The Warriors went 7-1 in January 2011 with their first-ever weekend sweep of Vermont. The seven wins are the most in a month since MC joined HEA.
Strong on Opening Night
Merrimack is 7-2-2 in its last 11 home openers.
NHL Draftees
For the first time since 2002, Merrimack had two players selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Kyle Bigos was picked in the fourth round (99th overall) by Edmonton, while Joe Cannata was picked in the sixth round (173rd overall) by Vancouver.
Merrimack in 40+ Save Performances
Incredibly, over the last three seasons, Merrimack is 4-1-2 when its goaltender stops 40 or more shots. Joe Cannata stopped 40+ shots in the 2009-10 season with his 42-save shutout effort at UMass. He stopped 40+ shots in the 2008-09 season when he recorded 44 saves at Army.
Flanigan Named a Lowe's Senior Class Candidate
Ryan Flanigan is one of 20 candidates for the Lowe's Senior Class award. The finalists will be named in February.
Merrimack and WBIN Team Up
Merrimack and WBIN-TV have reached an agreement to broadcast four hockey games live from Lawler Rink during the 2011-12 season beginning December 17 against Union. Merrimack's three game agreement with WBIN marks the first time in school history that the College has inked its own television package.
2011-12 Captains
Senior defenseman Karl Stollery will serve as this year's captain, while senior forward Ryan Flanigan and sophomore defensman Jordan Heywood will be the alternate captains.
Merrimack Ranked Fifth in HEA Preseason Poll
The Warriors were ranked fifth in the Hockey East Preseason Poll, its highest HEA preseason ranking ever.
Rank Team (1st place votes) Pts
1. Boston College (7) 88
2. Boston University (3) 83
3. New Hampshire 72
4. Maine 64
5. Merrimack 61
6. Vermont 44
7. Massachusetts 42
8. Northeastern 33
9. UMass Lowell 27
10. Providence 26
Ranked Fourth in HEBWA Preseason Poll
The Warriors earned the #4 preseason ranking in the Hockey East Broadcast and Writers Media poll.
Rank Team (1st place votes) Pts
1. Boston University (16) 184
2. Boston College (2) 169
3. New Hampshire (1) 141
4. Merrimack 133
5. Maine 126
6. Vermont 88
7. Northeastern 71
8. Massachusetts 64
9. Providence 37
10. UMass Lowell 32
Machnik Honored with Concannon Award
Merrimack radio broadcaster Mike Machnik was named the 2011 winner of the Hockey East Concannon Media Award. Machnik is the first recipient of the award with a Merrimack connection.
