Men's Ice Hockey's Season Comes to Close as #4 Providence Sweeps HEA Quarterfinals
Links: Box Score // Dennehy Postgame Comments
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Fourth-ranked Providence broke a scoreless tie halfway through the third period and held on to end the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team's season, as the Warriors dropped a 2-0 decision in Game 2 of the two teams' Hockey East Quarterfinal series on Saturday night at Schneider Arena, giving the Friars a series sweep to send them to the league semifinals.
The Basics
Score: Providence 2, Merrimack 0
Records: Merrimack (13-19-7, 5-10-7 HEA) | #4 Providence (27-5-4, 16-3-3 HEA)
Location: Schneider Arena | Providence, R.I.
How It Happened
Playing in an elimination game for the third time this postseason, Merrimack returned to the ice at Schneider Arena looking to even up the series with a win against the Friars.
Providence had most of the scoring chances in the opening stanza, but the Merrimack defense and freshman goaltender Drew Vogler (Florissant, Mo.) turned away all 10 shots that the Friars sent at them. The best opportunity for the Friars came at the tail end of a late power play; Vogler had made an initial save but in doing so vacated the crease, giving a Providence skater a practically empty net to shoot at. His bid would clank off the cross bar and stay out, keeping it scoreless at the end of one.
Merrimack had its best chance to take a lead early in the second thanks to a five-minute major power play, but the Friars' penalty kill was up to the task and eventually drew a power play halfway through the period. Vogler and the Warriors stood tall in both situations, sending the game to the third scoreless.
Providence, however, would break through just past the midpoint of the final frame, as Garrett Gamez tipped in a shot from the left half wall right in front of the crease for the game-winner. The Friars would add a late empty-netter to seal the decision.
How They Scored
PC #1 (Gamez/McKenzie) | P3 10:39 – Shot from the right wing half wall tipped near the edge of the crease, through the pads and over the line.
PC #2 (Rooney/Tanev/Monk) | P3 19:21 – Tipped into empty net off behind-the-net feed.
Notes and Numbers
- Merrimack finished the season seventh in the league standings, its highest placement since earning a sixth-place finish in 2012-13
- The Warriors fell to 1-15 in the Hockey East Tournament in best-of-three series when dropping the first game of that series
- The Warriors also finished 1-17-5 when allowing the opposition to score first, as well as 2-12-4 when being held to two or fewer goals; it was also the team's sixth shutout loss
- Goaltenders: L – Drew Vogler (32 saves, 5-7-1) // W – Nick Ellis (20 saves, 25-5-4)
- Power Plays: Merrimack (0-4) // Providence (0-4)
- SOG (MC-PC): 4-10 // 10-14 // 6-10 // 20-34
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