Power Play Helps #19 Men's Ice Hockey Erase Deficit, Skate to 3-3 Tie at UConn Friday Night
Links: Box Score
HARTFORD, Conn. – Senior forward Justin Hussar (Lancaster, N.Y.) scored his first goal in over a month to cap off a third-period surge, as the No. 19 Merrimack College men's ice hockey team erased a late deficit and settled for a 3-3 draw and a point in the league standings against the University of Connecticut on Friday night at the XL Center.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 3, Connecticut 3 (F/OT)
Records: #19 Merrimack (6-4-5, 2-3-5 HEA) | Connecticut (5-10-1, 3-7-1 HEA)
Location: XL Center | Hartford, Conn.
How It Happened
Seeking its first win in nearly a month and an end to a three-game losing streak, Merrimack made its second-ever trip to the XL Center in program history for its first meeting of the season against UConn.
Merrimack put 12 shots on net in the opening frame and benefitted from an early power play, but neither side lit the lamp to keep it a 0-0 affair after 20 minutes.
UConn hopped ahead off a turnover early in the second period, as Jesse Schwartz's second marker of the year at 3:55 of the frame put the hosts ahead. Schwartz would factor in on the Huskies' second goal midway through the period, as his deflected shot wound up on the stick of Jeff Wight, who would eventually bury his first collegiate tally while on the power play to give Connecticut a 2-0 lead that it carried through the break.
Merrimack would finally snap a stretch of 145:45 since its last goal in the first half of the third period, as freshman Ludvig Larsson (Malmo, Sweden) tickled the twine for the first goal of his young career to get the Warriors to within one at the 7:10 mark of the frame. Larsson also drew a penalty beforehand, but the Warriors came up empty on the ensuing power play to keep the Huskies on top with just over 10 minutes to go.
The tide of the game changed after back-to-back UConn penalties at 13:41 and 14:52, respectively, giving Merrimack a 5-on-3 opportunity with about five minutes to play. And finally, after going over a month without a power-play goal, the Warriors netted two in less than a minute, as sophomore Marc Biega (Pointe-Claire, Quebec) and senior Justin Hussar (Lancaster, N.Y.), scored in succession to put the Warriors on top, 3-2, with just under four to play.
But a late hooking call against Merrimack gave the Huskies a fifth man advantage, and Joseph Masonius would make it count, scoring his fourth of the year to send the game to overtime.
Needing the sudden-victory extra session for the fifth time this season, Merrimack would put three shots in net in overtime but would eventually settle for its fifth tie of the season to secure at least one point in the league standings.
How They Scored
UC #1 | P2 3:55 – An errant Merrimack clearing pass in the defensive zone found the stick of Jesse Schwartz in the high slot; Schwartz unloaded a wrist shot from the top of the near circle that beat sophomore Collin Delia (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) low on his blocker side to give the Huskies the first goal of the night.
UC #2 | P2 11:18 – After a shot from Jesse Schwartz was blocked, the puck hopped right to the stick of Jeff Wight in the near circle , whose one-timer into a wide-open net gave the Huskies a 2-0 lead on a power-play goal.
MC #1 | P3 7:10 – Ludvig Larsson threw a wrist shot on net from near the half boards on the right-wing side while drawing an interference penalty; junior Chris LeBlanc (Winthrop, Mass.) would retrieve the puck from behind the net before quickly dishing it back to Larsson, who put it over the blocker of Rob Nichols from close range to get the Warriors on the board.
MC #2 | P3 15:35 – While cycling on the 5-on-3, Marc Biega and Jared Kolquist (Hermantown, Minn.) went D-to-D across the dots before Biega fired a wrist shot from the edge of the far circle through traffic and over Nichols' shoulder and in for the equalizer.
MC #3 | P3 16:23 – Justin Hussar beat Nichols on a wrister from the slot after receiving a feed from the near corner by classmate Brian Christie (West Chester, Pa.) for the temporary go-ahead goal.
UC #3 | 18:41 – Joseph Masonius scored UConn's second power-play goal on a shot from the dot in the near circle to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Inside The Numbers
- Before scoring in the third period, Merrimack had endured a stretch of 145:45 (since early in the second period of last Friday's 2-1 loss against Providence) without finding the back of the net. That stretch marked the longest without a goal since a 140:18 scoreless mark during the 2013-14 season (from Jan. 31 at UMass Lowell to Feb. 7 vs. BC)
- Merrimack also snapped a stretch of 16 straight power plays without a goal, dating six games back to the team's 3-2 win at Canisius on Nov. 7
- Merrimack improved to 8-0-2 when scoring at least three goals in a game this season
- The Warriors outshot UConn by a 34-29 margin, while eight different skaters recorded points, including Larsson's first career goal and Biega's first goal of the season
- Merrimack finished 2-for-4 on the power play, while UConn went 2-for-5 with the man advantage
Up Next
Merrimack concludes the first half with a home tilt against Canisius next Sunday (Dec. 20) afternoon. Puck drop from Lawler Rink on Star Wars Night is set for 4 p .m., with a postgame Santa Skate scheduled to follow.
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