#7 Merrimack Stunned by #9 Notre Dame 4-3 in Overtime
Photos From Merrimack's NCAA Tournament Game
Video From Merrimack's Postgame Press Conference
Complete Media Clips / Intermission Interview with Steve Buckley from Boston Herald
MANCHESTER, NH – Anders Lee scored 5:18 into overtime as #9 Notre Dame ended #7 Merrimack's historic season with a 4-3 victory in front of 7,608 fans at the Verizon Wireless Arena in the first round of the Northeast Regional.
Merrimack concludes its season with a 25-10-4 record. The Warriors set Division I school records for wins, points, road wins, and home wins, while advancing to their first-ever Hockey East Championship and earning its first NCAA Tournament bid since joining Hockey East.
The Warriors dominated the overtime session, getting the period's first six shots. But the first time the Irish moved the puck into Merrimack's zone, Lee hit a puck off a Warrior defender and right into the net for the game-winner at 5:18, ending Merrimack's season.
"It's about the people we surround ourselves with," said head coach Mark Dennehy. "You only see tidbits but these student-athletes are so special. You see how hard, determined and disciplined they are. Even winning the national championship, I would've been sad to see these senior go. The school's in debt to them and the sacrifices they made. We were excited to make the National Tournament, but I knew deep in my heart that it would end, and I would be done coaching the 2010-11 team and it's hard to take."
Merrimack led 3-1 before Notre Dame rallied, outshooting the Warriors 16-4 in the third while eventually becoming the first team to defeat Merrimack this season after the Warriors led by two goals.
Behind a power play goal from Kyle Bigos (Upland, CA) and a short-handed marker from Ryan Flanigan (Rochester, NY), the Warriors led 2-1 at the end of the first.
At 13:23, Bigos knocked in a rebound off a Jordan Heywood (Regina, SK) slap shot for his first man-advantage marker of the year. Heywood's shot was stopped by Mike Johnson, but Flanigan got the rebound and threw it back in the crease where Bigos knocked it in.
Just 2:37 later, Flanigan notched his 16th of the season and second short-handed goal in three games, as he and Stephane Da Costa (Paris, France) executed a 2-on-1 perfectly to make it 2-0. Da Costa came down the left side and fed Flanigan in the middle, who beat Johnson blocker side for his eighth goal in the last seven games and 11th point in five playoff games.
On the same power play, Calle Ridderwall took feeds from Billy Maday and T.J. Tynan and beat Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) on a one-timer to cut the Warriors' lead in half at 16:27 of the first.
Merrimack made it 3-1 at 2:58 of the second as Shawn Bates (Fort Sasketechwan, AB) stole the puck in the Irish zone and fed it to Rhett Bly (Regina, SK) in front of the goal, who buried it for his fourth of the year and first since January 15.
After Johnson made a great save on a short-handed breakaway on Jeff Velleca (Waterbury, CT), Notre Dame cut the lead back to one at 13:29 as Lee notched his 23rd of the year beating Cannata glove side.
But the third period was all Notre Dame as the Irish outshot Merrimack 17-4 and tied at 5:32 as Billy Maday was credited with the goal after it glanced off a Merrimack defender and behind Cannata, after the junior goaltender made three point-blank stops during the same shift.
Notre Dame has two power plays in the final 9:28 of regulation, but Merrimack killed them both as Cannata made huge stops on Ben Ryan and Riley Sheahan.
Da Costa and Bates had excellent chances in overtime before Lee ended it with his 24th of the season.
Notre Dame outshot Merrimack 37-35 with Cannata making 33 saves in the game, compared to 32 for Johnson.
While the season ended on a sour note, Merrimack reached new heights this season in front of a school record 10 sellout crowds at a renovated Lawler Arena. The Warriors were virtually unbeatable at home, going 13-2-1 while earning home ice in the playoffs for just the second time ever behind a school record 25 wins, which included season-series victories in the regular season over every Hockey East team except Providence and Maine. They then swept Maine in the HEA Quarterfinals before downing UNH 4-1 in the semifinals to reach their first-ever Hockey East Championship behind the largest fan base inside the TD Garden. Merrimack was one of three Hockey East teams to earn a NCAA Tournament bid, making the postseason tournament for the first time since 1988 and the first time since joining Hockey East.
Notre Dame advances to play UNH in the regional finals Sunday at 8 p.m.
