Hockey Takes on Fairbanks, Anchorage at Alaska Goal Rush This weekend
MERRIMACK COLLEGE HOCKEY
Game #3 at Alaska-Fairbanks, Friday, October 19, 2012 (12 am Saturday eastern)
Game #4 vs. Alaska-Anchorage, Saturday, October 20, 2012 (8 pm Saturday eastern)
Watch / Listen / Game Notes (.pdf)
Tonight's Matchup: Merrimack heads to Alaska for the first time since 2006 to take part in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush this weekend.
Lifetime vs. Alaska-Fairbanks: Merrimack is 3-2-0 lifetime against Alaska-Fairbanks and is 3-1 all-time in Fairbanks. The Warriors last played in Fairbanks in 1995, sweeping a pair of games.
Lifetime vs. Alaska-Anchorage: Merrimack is 3-4-0 against Alaska-Anchorage, 1-3 all-time in Alaska. Merrimack lost to UAA 6-2 in 2006 at the Frontier Classic in Anchorage.
Merrimack Suffers First Loss in Conference Opener; 4-2 at Northeastern
Following a season-opening 4-1 win at #5 Union, Merrimack suffered its first setback of the season, falling to Northeastern 4-2 in the conference opener. The Warriors gave up three first-period goals en route to seeing their four-game unbeaten streak against the Huskies snapped. Quinn Gould and Justin Mansfield scored second-period goals in the loss.
Sophomores Lead the Way
Merrimack's sophomore class has accounted for five of six goals. Josh Myers leads the team in scoring with three points in two games.
All-Time in Alaska
Under head coach Mark Dennehy, Merrimack lost to Alaska-Anchorage and Colorado College in Alaska in 2006. Lifetime in Alaska, Merrimack is 4-5-0 but 3-1 all-time in Fairbanks.
First October Loss Since 2010
Merrimack's loss to Northeastern snapped its eight-game October winning streak that dated back to October 29, 2010. Merrimack went 6-0 last October and started 9-0-1 overall.
Hussar Tallies First Point for Freshman Class
Justin Hussar became the first freshman to notch a point, assisting on Quinn Gould's tally at Northeastern. Hussar has appeared in both games played this season, while Ben Bahe, Sean Robertson and Brian Christie each cracked the lineup against Northeastern.
Tirronen Makes 30 Saves in Debut
Sophomore Rasmus Tirronen stopped 30 shots in his collegiate debut Wednesday at Northeastern. Tirronen was ineligible as a freshman.
Marotta, Myers Lead Merrimack to Season-Opening 4-1 Win at Union
Behind 33 saves from Sam Marotta and two goals from Josh Myers, Merrimack opened its season with a win, upsetting #5 Union 4-1. In his second career start, Marotta made 16 first-period stops, while Myers picked up his first career two-goal game. Myers was named the Hockey East Player of the Week, while Marotta was honored as the HEA Defensive Player of the Week.
First Top-5 Road Win Under Dennehy
Merrimack's 4-1 win over Union was the first on the road against a team ranked in the top five nationally under Mark Dennehy and was the first since they beat UNH in Durham on December 13, 2003. Merrimack's last win against a team ranked in the top five was against then second- ranked BC at Lawler Arena on October 30, 2010. Merrimack's win snapped Union's 11-game unbeaten streak at home (9-0-2) dating back to November 12, 2011 against Yale.
Non-Conference Recap
Merrimack went 4-1-2 in non-conference games last year, losing only to Union. Dating back to the start of 2010-11, they are 11-1-3 and 24-7-5 in their last 36 games.
Back in the Polls
Following the win at Union, Merrimack was ranked 19th nationally but dropped out after losing to Northeastern. The Warriors were ranked for the entire 2011-12 season.
Heffernan-Bates-Myers Line Leads the Way
The line of John Heffernan, Shawn Bates and Josh Myers led Merrimack to victory at Union, combining for six points in the third period. Against Northeastern, Myers and Heffernan each had an assist.
Bly Picks Up Where He Left Off
After netting his first career two-goal game in game two of the 2011-12 HEA Quarterfinals at Maine, Rhett Bly picked up where he left off, scoring the first goal of the season, 4:04 into the first at Union. Bly was also dominant in the circle, winning 15 of 23 faceoffs.
Defensemen Stay Offensive
Merrimack's defense chipped in with four assists at Union as Brendan Ellis, Jordan Heywood, Dan Kolomatis and Tom McCarthy each picked up a helper. Last year, Merrimack's defense ranked among the nation's best in scoring.
90 for Dennehy
The win at Union was the 90th of head coach Mark Dennehy's career.
For Openers
Merrimack improved to 8-2-2 in its last 12 openers. In last season's opener, Merrimack earned its first win in Orono in 12 years, defeating Maine 2-1. The Warriors are 3-1-1 in their last five openers.
Putting the Huskies Down Early
For the second straight year, Merrimack and Northeastern will finish their season series in the first week of November. Merrimack went 2-0-1 last year against NU.
Quick Glance at 2011-12
Merrimack started the season 9-0-1, earning a #1 ranking for the first time ever for two weeks in November. They were the last team to lose in the country and the first to enter December unbeaten in 15 years. However, they struggled to score all year (8th in Hockey East) and finished the season 9-12-6 after the hot start, losing to Maine in the Hockey East Quarterfinals in three games as the fifth seed. Merrimack was ranked all season for the first time in school history.
Young but Seasoned, Hussar Debuts
Of Merrimack's 27 players, 16 are freshmen or sophomores, while only four are seniors. Only one senior (John Heffernan) was in uniform against Northeastern.
Goal Scorers Wanted
Not only did Merrimack struggle to score last season (they were 18-2-4 when scoring two or more goals), four of last season's top five scorers graduated. Merrimack returns Mike Collins (10 goals, 25 points), Jordan Heywood (15 assists, 19 points), Shawn Bates (6 goals, 17 points), Connor Toomey (7 goals, 16 points) and Josh Myers (8 points in 20 games) to lead the way up front. Four of Merrimack's top five defenders from last year return.
The Goaltending Dilemma
The Warriors will hand the goaltending duties to Sam Marotta and Rasmus Tirronen this year after All-American goaltender Joe Cannata graduated. Marotta, a junior, entered this season with one career start, a 5-0 shutout against UConn last year, while Tironnen, a sophomore who hails from Finland, did not play last year due to an eligibility issue. Marotta stopped 86 of 88 shots in his first two years.
Collins Looked Upon as a Junior
Mike Collins is Merrimack's leading returning scorer after tallying 10 goals and 25 points last year, but just 3 were even-strength goals. Collins will be looked upon to return to his freshman form where he led the league in points among freshmen and was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie team for his efforts.
Number Changes
Three Merrimack forwards changed numbers this season. John Heffernan switched from 8 to 16. Shawn Bates went from 17 to 9 and Connor Toomey went from 25 to 11.
First of Two with Union
Strangely, Merrimack will play Union twice this season in different venues, marking the first time they will play a non-conference team twice in separate venues in the same season since playing Dartmouth on 12/15/01 and 12/28/01. The Warriors will next battle the Dutchmen at the Catamount Cup on December 29 at Vermont.
12 Games Televised; 7 Nationally, Most in Hockey East
Merrimack will have 12 games, one-third of its schedule, televised this year, most in school history. The Warriors will have eight home games televised and seven nationally televised games, most in Hockey East. Merrimack has teamed up with WBIN locally and Fox College Sports nationally to televise four games live from Lawler beginning November 9 against BU. Merrimack will be on NESN twice at home and on CBS Sports Network three times for the first time ever. Eight of the final 11 regular season games will be televised.
Seven Newcomers
The Warriors welcome seven freshmen to the roster, five forwards and two defensemen. Ben Bahe and Brian Christie played together for Topeka (NAHL), while Justin Hussar, John Gustafsson, Matt Cronin, Vinny Scotti and Sean Robertson round out the talented and deep class of 2016.
Heywood 78-for-78
Jordan Heywood has played in all 78 games in his three seasons at Merrimack.
Bigos Big Penalty Numbers
Kyle Bigos enters this season with 346 career penalty minutes after picking up 125 last season. Bigos needs 54 more for the program's all-time record of 400, set by Tom Costa from 1992-96.
Senior Class Needs 9 Wins to be Most Successful Class in D1 History
The senior class of Kyle Bigos, Nick Drew, Brandon Brodhag and John Heffernan needs nine wins to supplant last year's class as the winningest class in Merrimack's Division I history. The class of 2013 could become the first class to make the playoffs in each of its four seasons since Hockey East expanded from eight teams. They were a part of a team that won a school-record 25 games, advanced to its first-ever HEA Championship, was selected to its first-ever NCAA Tournament since joining HEA and earned the program's first-ever #1 ranking.
2012-13 Schedule at a Glance
Merrimack's 2012-13 schedule is highlighted by 19 home games, beginning October 26 and 27 against Vermont following four games away from Lawler. The Warriors travel to Alaska on 10/19-20 for the Alaska Goal Rush. Colgate and Harvard headline the non-conference home schedule. Due to television coverage, Merrimack will play on three consecutive Sunday afternoons from February 17-March 3 and will actually have four straight weekend afternoon games from 2/9-3/3. They will also take on UNH at the Verizon Wireless Arena on January 26 at 5 p.m.
Three Straight with Maine
Merrimack and Maine will renew their rivalry with three games in an eight-day span, beginning 1/12 at Lawler and ending 1/18-19 at Alfond. The teams have met in each of the last two Hockey East Quarterfinals, with each team winning once.
Western Canada Pipeline
Nine of Merrimack's players hail from Western Canada.
Smallest Division I School in College Hockey
With an enrollment of 2,312, Merrimack has the smallest enrollment of any Division I college hockey school.
2011-12 Trends: Strong on Saturdays
Merrimack was 9-3-4 on Saturdays and 8-2-3 in the 2nd game of back-to-backs.
2011-12 Trends: First Period Normally Dictates Result
Merrimack was 14-2-5 when scoring first and 9-1-4 when leading after one.
2011-12 Trends: First to Three?
Merrimack scored more than two goals in 7 games since Jan. 1 and was 7-0 in those games. In the other 13, they were 0-9-4. They were 18-2-4 when scoring two or more goals.
2011-12 Trends: There's No Place Like Home
With a 9-5-3 record at home last year, Merrimack is 35-10-5 since the start of 2009-10 at Lawler.
2011-12 Trends: Lawler Sellouts
Merrimack sold out 20 of its last 22 home games.
Sudden Death Success
Merrimack is 7-1-11 in OT in its last 19 regular season OT games dating back to the start of 2010-11.
Smallest School Reached the Top
Merrimack, the smallest school in Div. I hockey, ascended to the top of the polls for the first time ever on November 21, 2011 and held that spot for two weeks.
First Team Unbeaten Entering December in 15 Years
Last season, Merrimack was the nation's last remaining undefeated team and the first team to enter December without a loss since the 1992-93 Maine team that went 42-1-2.
Captains
Merrimack will have three defenders wear letters this season, with junior Jordan Heywood serving as captain, and senior Kyle Bigos and junior Brendan Ellis as the assistant captains.
Merrimack in 40+ Save Performances
Incredibly, over the last four seasons, Merrimack is 4-2-3 when its goaltender stops 40 or more shots. Joe Cannata had two 40+ save performances in 2011-12.
Merrimack and WBIN Team Up
Merrimack, Pack Network, and WBIN-TV reached an agreement to broadcast four hockey games live from Lawler Rink for the second straight season. Fox College Sports will also broadcast these four games nationally. All home games not televised by NESN or CBS will air online at merrimackathletics.com with Pack Network producing the games in high definition and providing postgame highlights.
Merrimack Inks Radio Deal with WGAM
Merrimack has teamed up with WGAM the Game, an ESPN radio affliate to broadcast all games live on 900 and 1250 AM and online at wgamradio.com. WGAM will have weekly Merrimack features during its 4-6 pm time slot, interviewing players and coaches of the team. Fans should download the free WGAM app to listen on their phone. John Leahy and Mike Machnik return to call all Merrimack games live.
Volpe Athletic Center Expansion Project Underway
Construction on the 83,000 square foot Volpe Athletic Center Expansion is underway. As part of the project, Merrimack will add a second ice sheet, four new luxury boxes, a 5,000 square foot Center for Sports Medicine, a 8,000 square foot weight room, new locker rooms and offices, and a new lobby, ticket office and pro shop. The expansion project is expected to be completed before the 2013-14 academic year.
Merrimack Ranked Eighth in HEA Preseason Poll
The Warriors were ranked eighth in the Hockey East Preseason Poll.
Rank Team (1st place votes) Pts
1. Boston College (9) 90
2. UMass Lowell 74
3. Boston University 73
4. New Hampshire (1) 63
5. Maine 56
6. Northeastern 44
Providence 44
8. Merrimack 38
9. Massachusetts 35
10. Vermont 23
Ranked Seventh in HEWBA Preseason Poll
The Warriors earned the #7 preseason ranking in the Hockey East Broadcasters and Writers Media poll.
Rank Team (1st place votes) Pts
1. Boston College (21) 243
2. UMass Lowell (3) 219
3. Boston University 189
4. New Hampshire 166
5. Providence 141
6. Maine (1) 137
7. Merrimack 96
8. Northeastern 87
9. Massachusetts 70
10. Vermont 27
