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Box Score //
Highlights
BURLINGTON, Vt. – The Merrimack College men's ice hockey team took an early lead, but host Vermont scored the next five goals to give the Catamounts the opening round of both teams' weekend series on Friday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse. Freshman
Chase Gresock added another goal to his team-leading total, netting his eighth of the year.
The Basics
Score: Vermont 5,
Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (7-18-1, 4-12-0 HEA) | Vermont (9-13-1, 2-10-1 HEA)
Location: Gutterson Fieldhouse | Burlington, Vt.
Game Duration: 2:25
How It Happened
- After the two teams felt each other out through the opening minutes with very few scoring chances, Gresock put the Warriors on the board with his eighth of the season after a faceoff win. Junior Sami Tavernier won the draw and eventually got it to Gresock, who finished it off with a wrist shot from the right circle. Vermont would mount pressure late and drew a pair of penalties in the waning seconds of the frame, allowing the hosts to start the second period with an extended 5-on-3 power play.
- The Catamounts would level the game with a two-man advantage early in the second and then took the lead on another power play strike just past the midpoint. Merrimack's best opportunity came when it had an extended man advantage on a major penalty late in the second, one that carried over to start the third, but came up empty and still found itself trailing by a goal with 18 minutes remaining.
- Vermont extended its lead with two more goals in a three-minute span. The first marker at 8:55 was initially waved off but overturned after a review before the second strike came just past the 12-minute mark. Merrimack would get no closer from there on out while the Catamounts got one more to go late in regulation before the final horn sounded.
Notes & Numbers
- Gresock extended his team lead with his eighth goal of the season, the most by a freshman since current junior Sami Tavernier had eight in his rookie year in 2016-17.
- Merrimack was held to only 21 shots on goal, its third-lowest total of the year.
- Vermont finished with two power play goals on four tries, marking the 10th time on the season that the opposition has recorded multiple power play goals.
- After winning a season-high three straight games from Jan. 5-12, Merrimack has now lost three straight has been outscored by 14 goals (17-3) in that stretch.
- Merrimack suffered its third straight loss to Vermont and dipped to 17-18-7 all-time against the Catamounts. Its last win was on Feb. 25, 2017, in Burlington.
- Goaltenders: Craig Pantano (33 saves, 6-12-1) // Stefanos Lekkas (19 saves, 9-13-1)
- Power Plays: 0-4 | 2-4
- Shots on Goal: 7-10 // 6-14 // 8-15 – 21-39
- Faceoffs: 31 // 27
- Blocks: 12 // 20
Merrimack Lineup
Forwards
Coomes | Babcock | Irvine
Gresock | Petti | Tavernier
L. Drevitch | Kramer | Seyfert
Simeone | Bales | McKay
T. Drevitch
Defense
Cook | McArdle
Heidt | Kovacevic
Dockery | Carle
Goaltenders
Pantano | Vogler | Halladay
Up Next
Merrimack wraps up the two-game series against the Catamounts back at Gutterson Fieldhouse tomorrow night, with puck drop set for 7 p.m.
