Third-Period Rally Paces Men's Ice Hockey to 2-2 Draw vs. St Francis Xavier in Sunday Exhibition
Third-Period Rally Paces Men's Ice Hockey to 2-2 Draw vs. St Francis Xavier in Sunday Exhibition
Links: Box Score | Dennehy Postgame Interview
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Junior Vinny Scotti (Vineland, N.J.) and freshman Marc Biega (Point-Claire, Quebec) scored less than a minute apart late in the third period, helping the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team to a 2-2 draw in its exhibition opener on Sunday against St. Francis Xavier.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 2, St. Francis Xavier 2
Location: Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
Despite dominating the shot chart, Merrimack found itself trailing by a 2-0 margin in the final four minutes of regulation.
With his team down by two, Scotti put the Warriors on the board after burying a rebound in the right side of the net after classmate Ben Bahe (Stillwater, Minn.) set him up. Fellow junior Justin Hussar (Lancaster, N.Y.) earned the secondary assist on the scoring play at the 16:07 mark of the third period.
Less than a minute later, Merrimack was the beneficiary of a turnover after freshman Hampus Gustafsson (Ljungby, Sweden) picked off an errant pass. He fed senior Quinn Gould (Fort McMurray, Alberta), who drew in 2-on-1 with Biega; after a give-and-go feed, Biega tapped in the equalizer at 17:05 to send it to overtime.
In the sudden-victory session, Merrimack generated the majority of chances but was held in check, as both sides settled for the 2-all draw.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack dominated the scoring chance department, holding a 49-20 edge in shots on goal, including a 20-2 advantage in the first period alone
- Senior Rasmus Tirronen (Espoo, Finland) played the first two periods and totaled 10 saves over that span; freshman Collin Delia (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) played the third period and overtime and also stopped 20 shots
- Both sides came up empty on the power play, with Merrimack finishing 0-for-4 on the night
- Merrimack won 46-of-85 (54.1%) of the draws
Up Next
Merrimack opens the regular season on Friday, Oct. 10, with a short trip to Worcester, Massachusetts, to meet Atlantic Hockey foe Holy Cross at 7 p.m. The Warriors then welcome the Crusaders back to Lawler Rink the following night for the 2014 home opener.
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