#19 Men's Ice Hockey Drops 4-1 Decision at #10 UMass Lowell Saturday Night
Links: Box Score | Dennehy Postgame Comments
LOWELL, Mass. – The No. 19 Merrimack College men's ice hockey team was forced to settle for a weekend split with 10th-ranked UMass Lowell, as the Warriors dropped a 4-1 decision on the road on Saturday night at the Tsongas Center.
The Basics
Score: #10 UMass Lowell 4, #19 Merrimack 1
Records: #19 Merrimack (14-9-3, 5-7-2 HEA) | #10 UMass Lowell (16-8-3, 9-5-2 HEA)
Location: Tsongas Center | Lowell, Mass.
How It Happened
Seeking its first win at the Tsongas Center in over four years and first road win against a Hockey East foe this year, the Warriors were forced to play catch-up early on after surrendering a goal in the opening 30 seconds.
With the visitors trailing by two, junior Ben Bahe (Stillwater, Minn.) found the back of the twine in the second period to get the Warriors on the board, but that was the only goal River Hawks netminder Kevin Boyle would allow; the junior finished with 22 saves while improving to 13-5-3 on the year.
A night after turning away a career-high 51 shots, senior Rasmus Tirronen (Espoo, Finland) took the loss on Saturday after coming up with 20 saves. He moved to 10-5-2 on the season with the result.
Right out of the gate, Saturday's game immediately took as opposite of a theme as last night's defensive battle, as Lowell needed only 23 seconds to light the lamp. Zack Kamrass fired a one-timer from the top of the left circle less than 30 seconds in to put the hosts up, 1-0, on assists from Michael Kapla and C.J. Smith.
That score would hold through the remainder of the first period, during which Merrimack would come up empty on its only power play while keeping Lowell in check on a pair of man advantages.
The Warriors came out firing in the second despite surrendering the game's second goal at the 4:19 mark against Joe Gambardello, which gave the River Hawks lead. Just over three minutes after that, Bahe buried a behind-the-net feed from classmate Brian Christie (West Chester, Pa.) from the near dot to get the visitors to within one, with freshman Jace Hennig (Port Moody, British Columbia) also assisting on the play.
On the ensuing forecheck, Merrimack nearly had the equalizer after a shot banked off Boyle's shoulders and rolled precariously toward the goal line but somehow just missed wide. And while the Warriors appeared to steal even more momentum after drawing a penalty in that same sequence, it quickly went by the wayside after a turnover in front of Tirronen led to a shorthanded goal for Adam Chapie to restore Lowell's two-goal lead (3-1) after two periods of play.
Lowell capitalized on another turnover in the defensive zone, as C.J. Smith stole the puck and beat Tirronen 1-on-1 to push the River Hawks in front by three (4-1) for their largest lead of the night.
That score would go unchanged the rest of the way despite Merrimack opting for the extra attacker in the waning minutes, as the River Hawks kept Merrimack winless on the road against conference competition for the sixth time in six tries this year.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack was outshot by a 24-23 margin on the night, a far cry in terms of improvement from yesterday's 52-17 lopsided shot differential in favor of the River Hawks
- Merrimack has now been outshot 14 of the last 16 games, including both from this weekend's affair
- Both sides came up empty on the power play, with the Warriors going 0-for-4 while UMass Lowell was kept in check on both of its man advantages
- Christie led the Warriors with four shots on target, tying Smith for the game lead
Notes and Notables
Merrimack is still winless on the road in Hockey East league games this season; in six conference games away from Lawler Rink, the Warriors are 0-6-0 and have been outscored 20-8 in those games compared to a 5-1-2 record and a +10 goal differential (19-9) at home.
Up Next
Merrimack will take on No. 14/15 Boston College next Friday (Feb. 6) night at Lawler Rink to round out the season series. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
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