Cucci's OT Goal, Hat Trick Gives #12 Merrimack Thrilling Win at Northeastern
Cucci's 1st goal / Cucci's 2nd Goal / Dennehy & Cucci Postgame
BOSTON, MA – After scoring two power-play goals in the third period, Joe Cucci (Melrose Park, IL) scored the game-winner in overtime with 28.3 seconds left for his second career hat trick, giving #12 Merrimack the come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Northeastern University Friday night at Matthews Arena.
Merrimack (16-5-4, 10-5-3 HEA) returns home Saturday, looking to claim third place in Hockey East, against the University of Massachusetts at 7 p.m. Tickets remain available online at merrimackathletics.com or by calling the ticket office at 978-837-5324. Northeastern (8-11-6, 7-8-5 HEA) is idle Saturday before taking on Harvard in the first game of the Beanpot Monday.
The victory gives Merrimack seven straight road wins, setting a school record since the Warriors joined Hockey East. It's also the Warriors' 16th win of the year, tying last year's program's best.
The win also gives Merrimack the season-series victory over Northeastern, marking five season-series triumphs through five completed series in Hockey East.
Cucci, the former Husky, has eight points in his last two games. Senior captain Chris Barton (Calgary, AB), who became the first Warrior since 2002 to reach 100 career points last Saturday, picked up a career-high four assists in the victory.
Trailing 2-1 entering the third, Cucci tied the game on the power play, getting the rebound off a Barton shot and burying it at 2:29 for his sixth of the season.
But just 55 seconds later, with Northeastern back on the power play, Steve Silva picked up his fifth of the year, putting the hosts right back in front with their second man-advantage marker of the evening.
Cucci answered right back, getting his second power-play marker of the period, taking pretty touch passes from Barton and Mike Collins (Boston, MA) and once again tying the game, this time at three with 10:24 left in regulation.
The teams traded chances and hits throughout the third, combining for 68 penalty minutes in one sequence, which resulted in the end of the night for three players on each team, and 108 total penalty minutes in the game.
That set the stage for Cucci in overtime, who took a feed from Barton and fired a shot on goal that deflected off the right shoulder of Chris Rawlings and into the net for the game-winner with 28.3 seconds left.
"I didn't even realize it went in at first," said Cucci. "I saw Barton jump up and got pretty excited. I started my career here, and this was probably my last time playing in this building. It was definitely special."
The Warriors were whistled for the game's first five minors, all in the first period, and killed off four of them, including a 5-on-3 for 1:57 in the game's first five minutes. But Tyler McNeely gave the Huskies the lead with his ninth of the year at 11:50, redirecting an Anthony Bitetto shot on NU's fourth power play of the period.
The Warriors failed to score on two early second-period power plays, and Northeastern immediately made them pay, as Drew Daniels buried a nifty pass from Steve Quailer for his first of the season at 4:47.
But Merrimack responded immediately, as Jeff Velleca (Waterbury, CT) took a pretty cross-ice pass from Cucci and one-timed it past Chris Rawlings for his third of the season at 5:45.
Merrimack outshot the Huskies 39-26 in the game and 31-11 following the first period.
Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) finished with 23 saves, while Rawlings turned aside 35 shots.
Merrimack's power play was 2-for-6 in the victory, compared to 2-for-7 for the Huskies.
