Late Goal Lifts UConn over Men's Ice Hockey, 1-0, Tuesday Night in Hartford
Links: Box Score | Dennehy Postgame Comments
HARTFORD, Conn. – After going nearly 55 minutes without either side lighting the lamp, Spencer Naas finally found the back of the net to lift the University of Connecticut past the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team, 1-0, on Tuesday night at the XL Center.
The Basics
Score: Connecticut 1, Merrimack 0
Records: Merrimack (14-11-3, 5-9-2 HEA) | Connecticut (9-13-7, 6-7-4 HEA)
Location: XL Center | Hartford, Conn.
How It Happened
After playing twice in 13 days back in October, Merrimack and UConn finally concluded their two-game regular-season series on Tuesday night at the XL Center, where the Warriors were playing for the first time in program history.
Given how tight the previous two games were between the two sides – Merrimack rallied from a late deficit before winning in overtime first before skating to a 2-2 tie in the second contest – it was no surprise to see the game enter the third period without a goal on the board.
Both senior goaltender Rasmus Tirronen (Espoo, Finland) and UConn junior Rob Nichols were sensational through 40 minutes, with the former turning away all 26 shots he had seen up until that point, including several of the stellar variety.
The Warrior penalty kill also helped out monumentally in the first period after fending off over a minute's worth of 5-on-3 time against the Huskies, who had tallied a nation-low 12 power-play goals coming into Tuesday night's matchup.
But just like the last two games, the contest wouldn't be decided until the third period, but unlike the last two games, it was UConn that had the last laugh. With just over five minutes to play, Corey Ronan thread a lateral pass from the corner of the Merrimack zone near the crease, where Brent Norris continued the centering sequence all the way to Naas at the back-end of the crease. The latter would bury the Huskies' best scoring opportunity of the game to put the hosts up by a goal late in regulation.
Tirronen would head to the bench for the extra skater with about 90 seconds to play, and the Warriors still had a few last-gasp chances to tie it, but the UConn defense stood tall before the final horn sounded to give the Huskies a pivotal two points in the league standings.
With six games left in the regular season, Merrimack has its work cut out for it should it hope for a home ice spot in the opening round of the Hockey East Tournament. UConn is four points ahead in eighth place, while the Warriors sit in a tie for ninth place with Maine, making this weekend's two-game home series that much more important.
Inside The Numbers
- Tirronen would finish the night with 35 saves, while Nichols completed his shutout bid with a 32-save performance
- Both power plays came up empty, as the Warriors went 0-for-2 compared to an 0-for-4 outing by the UConn man advantage
- Merrimack won just under 50 percent of its faceoffs, going 31-for-66 (46.9 percent) on the night; sophomore Hampus Gustafsson (Ljungby, Sweden) led the way with 10 wins in 18 attempts
- UConn finished with a 36-32 edge in shot attempts, outshooting the Warriors by a 25-20 margin in the final two periods
Notes and Notables
Tuesday's loss is only the third-ever for Merrimack against Connecticut, with the previous two coming on Nov. 10, 2012 (3-1 at Merrimack) and Oct. 22, 2005 (2-1 at Merrimack) … The Warriors have never lost to UConn on the road, as all four previous away games against UConn were played on campus in Storrs, Connecticut … This marks Merrimack's first losing streak of the season, as the Warriors were undefeated after losses (6-0-2) before last Friday's 4-1 setback against Boston College … Merrimack remains winless in league road games, falling to 0-7-0 while watching its Hockey East road game goal differential drop to -13 … Merrimack was shut out for the first time this season and first time since a 2-0 setback at Maine in the opening round of the Hockey East Tournament last March 8, 2014 … The Warriors were blanked seven times total last season.
Up Next
Merrimack welcomes rival Maine to town this Friday (Feb. 13) for the first of a two-game weekend series at Lawler Rink. The games are Merrimack's last two regular-season home tilts of the season, and on Saturday, the Athletic Department will honor the Class of 2015 on Senior Night.
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