Déjà vu for #19 Men's Ice Hockey; Warriors Tie with #7/8 UMass Lowell, 1-1, for Second Straight Night
Links: Box Score | Highlights | Dennehy Postgame Comments
LOWELL, Mass. – For the second night in a row, the No. 19 Merrimack College men's ice hockey team outshot No. 7/8 UMass Lowell and had its chances to win it, but the Warriors and River Hawks were fit to be tied yet again, as both sides skated to a 1-1 draw for the second time in as many days to cap off a two-point weekend in league play.
The Basics
Score: #19/RV Merrimack 1, #7/8 UMass Lowell 1 (F/OT)
Records: Merrimack (2-0-2, 0-0-2 HEA) | UMass Lowell (3-0-2, 0-0-2 HEA)
Location: Tsongas Center | Lowell, Mass.
How It Happened
Similar to Friday night's tie, Saturday's affair featured little in terms of Grade-A scoring chances for either team, as physical play and very little room to work in open ice was the theme throughout the evening.
After withholding an initial barrage by the River Hawks in the game's opening minutes, the remainder of the first went by with relatively few scoring chances for either side. The hosts had two power plays, albeit an abbreviated second one, but both teams skated to the locker room scoreless after 20 minutes.
Then, following a more-than-33-minute stretch without a goal from either side, both teams would light the lamp with a 44-second span midway through the second.
First, senior Brian Christie (West Chester, Pa.) tipped in a shot from the point from junior Jonathan Lashyn (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead at 13:45 of the middle frame. But 44 seconds later, Michael Kapla finished off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence that started from behind the net and ended with a one-timer from the near circle into a wide-open net to level the contest at a goal each.
The Warriors had over 50 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage later in the period, but would come up empty, as the game headed to the third still even at 1-1.
Only six combined shots were recorded in the third period for both squads; Lowell enjoyed an early power play less than five minutes into the frame, but the Warrior penalty kill stayed perfect on the season after turning away the River Hawks' fourth man advantage of the night.
Yet again, 60 minutes weren't enough, as overtime ensued with teams hoping to scrape three points out of the night. UMass Lowell had the majority of attempts and put three shots in net, but sophomore Collin Delia (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) stopped all three to preserve the point and the tie.
Inside The Numbers
- For the second straight night, Merrimack held the advantage in shots on goal, albeit by a slimmer margin (23-18)
- Both teams finished 0-for-4 on the man advantage
- Senior Justin Hussar (Lancaster, N.Y.) also assisted on the lone Warrior goal, upping his total to three on the year
- On the other end, Kevin Boyle turned away 22 shots for the River Hawks compared to 17 for Delia
- This weekend marked the first time since November of 2010 that the Warriors tied in back-to-back games against
Up Next
Merrimack returns home for a two-game set against league opponents next weekend starting on Friday (Oct. 30) against reigning league champion Boston University. Puck drop at Lawler Rink is set for 7 p.m.
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