Men's Ice Hockey Opens 2013-14 at No. 17 Denver for Weekend Doubleheader
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MERRIMACK HOCKEY OPENS 2013-14 AT NO. 17 DENVER FOR FRIDAY, SATURDAY SHOWDOWNS
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's ice hockey team officially opens up the 2013-14 campaign this weekend when it heads west to the Centennial State to do battle with National Collegiate Hockey Conference foe Denver University for a two-game set at Magness Arena. Puck drop on Friday is set for 9:30 p.m. (Eastern) and 9 p.m. Saturday.
The Basics
Date/Time: Friday/Saturday, Oct. 11/12, 2013 | 9:30 p.m. (Friday) / 9 p.m. (Saturday)
Records: Merrimack (0-0) | No. 17 Denver (0-0)
Location: Magness Arena | Denver, Colo.
Last Time Out
Junior defenseman Dan Kolomatis scored late in the first period while senior goaltender Sam Marotta turned in 12 saves over 30 minutes, as Merrimack skated to a 1-1 draw with McGill University last Sunday (Oct. 6) at Lawler Rink. Merrimack controlled the pace of play for the majority of the contest and had its chances, finishing 0-for-5 on the man advantage, but McGill forced overtime with a goal late in the third period. Neither side would capitalize in the sudden-death session, resulting in the draw after the final buzzer sounded.
Recapping The 2012-13 Campaign
Merrimack posted its first non-winning season in three years after finishing 15-17-6 overall at the end of the 2012-13 campaign. The Warriors, however, did finish 13-11-3 in Hockey East play and caught fire in the second half. At one point in mid-February, Merrimack sat atop the league standings, the latest into a season that the Warriors were in first place in the program's Division I history. But that hot streak would cool off in the form of Merrimack going just 1-7 over its final eight games before suffering a sweep against Boston University in the Hockey East Quarterfinals.
Lifetime vs. Denver
Merrimack and Denver have never met before in either side's all-time history, meaning that Friday night's showdown will be the first-ever contest played between the two programs.
The Warriors:
- Return all top-10 point-scorers from a year ago, when they qualified for the Hockey East Tournament for the fourth consecutive season en route to a 15-17-6 campaign
- Finished sixth in the Hockey East standings at the conclusion of the regular season, but sat only three points out of a three-way tie for third, four points from second and just five points out of first place in a jam-packed top-half of the league standings
- Boast the return of senior forward Mike Collins (Boston, Mass.), a Second-Team All-American and First-Team Hockey-East All-Star who ranked second among league scorers with a 38-point campaign last winter, as well as classmate and defenseman Jordan Heywood (Regina, Saskatchewan), a Second-Team Hockey East All-Star who ranked fifth in scoring among all league defensemen in 2012-13
- Are led by ninth-year head coach Mark Dennehy, who eclipsed the 100-win milestone last winter while guiding the Navy and Gold back to the Hockey East Tournament for the fourth straight year
The Pioneers:
- Return 16 letterwinners and welcomes a total of 10 freshmen following a campaign that saw the Pioneers register 20 wins for the 12th consecutive season
- Earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the sixth consecutive season, where they fell to New Hampshire, 5-2, in the opening round
- Boast a young squad that features 10 freshmen but are missing some key early departures from last year's squad, such as the prolific scoring touch of forward Nick Shore and goaltender Juho Olkinuora
- Are coached by Jim Montgomery, who takes over the reigns for his first season behind the DU bench this winter
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