Links: Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's ice hockey team dropped the first game of its weekend home-and-home series against No. 16/RV Massachusetts on Friday at the Mullins Center, falling by a 5-1 score.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 1, Massachusetts, 5
Records: Merrimack (2-4-0, 1-1-0 HEA) | #16/RV Massachusetts (4-1-0, 1-0-0 HEA)
Location: Mullins Center | Amherst, Mass.
How It Happened
- The Minutemen struck twice in the opening frame to build a 2-0 lead. Jacob Pritchard got the hosts on the board while on the power play at the 6:30 mark of the game before Brett Boeing did likewise with less than 90 seconds left in the period.
- UMass added another goal late in the second, as John Leonard found the back of the net at 16:22 of the middle stanza to push the Minutemen lead to 3-0 after 40 minutes.
- Marc Del Gaizo made it 4-0 less than two minutes into the third before graduate student Matt McArdle netted his first goal as a Warrior with just over 13 minutes to play. But Boeing's second of the night came with the Mintuemen shorthanded at the 12:08 mark, and that stood as the last tally of the evening to give UMass the series opener.
Highlights
- McArdle's goal was his first as a Warrior and just the second of his career; his last goal came on Dec. 11, 2015, against Michigan Tech when he was skating for Lake Superior State.
- Both sophomore Laine McKay and junior Tyler Irvine assisted on the McArdle goal; Irvine now has points in five out of six games, while McKay has registered at least a point in back-to-back games.
Notes & Numbers
- Since winning 9-of-10 games over the Minutemen from 2010 through 2013, UMass is now 6-4-2 against Merrimack since the 2014-15 season.
- Merrimack's power play came up empty on six opportunities.
- Merrimack's defense allowed more than two goals for only the second time since the season opener.
- Goaltenders: Craig Pantano (24 saves, 2-3-0) // Matt Murray (26 saves, 3-0-0)
- Power Plays (MC/UMASS): 0-6 | 2-5
- Shots on Goal: 13-10 // 5-9 // 9-10 – 27-29
- Faceoffs: 26 // 42
Merrimack Lineup
Forwards
Gresock | Coomes | Tavernier
McKay | Babcock | Irvine
Petti | T. Drevitch | Bales
L. Drevitch | Kramer | Seyfert
Defense
Cook | McArdle
Heidt | Carle
Dockery | Kovacevic
Lööf
Goaltenders
Pantano | Vogler
Up Next
Merrimack and UMass conclude the series tomorrow night in North Andover to wrap up Homecoming Weekend. Puck drop from Lawler Rink is set for 7 p.m.
