Men’s Ice Hockey Set for Rivalry Series with New Hampshire

Date	Friday, Dec. 6, 2019 // 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 // 7 p.m.
Matchup	Merrimack (3-9-2, 1-4-2 HEA) New Hampshire (7-6-1, 3-4-0 HEA)
Location	Whittemore Center // Durham, N.H. Lawler Rink // North Andover, Mass. (Tickets)
Links (Fri.)	Live Stats // Watch // Listen
Links (Sat.)	Live Stats // Watch // Listen
Social	Twitter // Instagram

 
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's ice hockey team gets back to Hockey East play this weekend with an important home-and-home series against the University of New Hampshire. The teams take to the Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H. Friday night for a 7 p.m. tilt, before they head to North Andover Saturday night for another 7 p.m. start at Lawler Rink. The Wildcats took the first meeting of the season when they tripped up the Warriors 3-2 in overtime Oct. 25.
 
PARKING ADVISORY 
Due to enhanced security regulations in place on campus, fans are encouraged to arrive to Lawler Rink EARLY on game days.  
Please note the following parking restrictions for all games: 

• Lot F (MAC) is a reserved parking area.

• Lot G (Deegan/Fenton Road) is reserved for GAME DAY STAFF ONLY. 
• Fans are encouraged to park in Lot H (Sakowich) or Lot M (Athletics District)! 

Click here to view campus map. 
Ticket Prices:
Non-Gameday 
Reserved: $20
Military/First Responder/Youth (U-12)/Senior (65+): $15 
Faculty/Staff: $10 
Merrimack Students w/ valid Mack Card: FREE while supplies last! 

Gameday
Reserved: $23
Military/First Responder/Youth (U-12)/Senior (65+): $17
Faculty/Staff: $10 
Merrimack Students w/ valid Mack Card: FREE while supplies last! 

Five Things To Know

• Sophomore Chase Gresock made history Nov. 30 when he scored the first hat trick by a Warrior since 2/10/17 when Hampus Gustafsson did it at Boston College. Gresock nearly had the first natural hat trick in modern history, but RPI's lone goal interrupted his string of three.
• Freshman Ben Brar had the icebreaker Saturday night for the Warriors against RPI just 22 seconds in after a tough loss to Penn State the night before. Brar's goal on a cross-ice pass from Tyler Irvine marked the first-year player's first collegiate goal. Brar is now one of nine freshmen that have scored their first collegiate goals during the 2019-20 season.
• Freshman Zach Vinnell notched his first two career assists Saturday night, which also marked his first collegiate multi-point game. The Warrior backend has played a hefty role in scoring so far, as a defenseman has factored into 35% of the team's scoring up to this point in the campaign.
• After Troy Kobryn made three consecutive starts, Jere Huhtamaa returned to the Warrior net against RPI. The freshman responded with 28 saves on 29 shots to earn his second win of the year.
• The Wildcats return to the United States after they played in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Ireland. UNH lost 4-0 to eventual champion Northeastern in the opening round, then came back in the third period to top Princeton 3-2 in the third-place game. Max Gildon, Charlie Kelleher and Jackson Pierson are all averaging a point per game or better to pace the offense through the team's first 14 games.

 
Inside the Matchup:

Merrimack (3-9-2, 1-4-2 HEA)	Category	New Hampshire (7-6-1, 3-4-0 HEA)
11/30 vs RPI (W, 5-1)	Last Time Out	11/30 vs Princeton in Belfast, Northern Ireland (W, 3-2)
2.21	Scoring Offense	2.36
3.64	Scoring Defense	2.57
26.0	Shots/Game	28.1
26.4	Shots Allowed/Game	25.2
8-56	PPG-Chances	11-51
14.3%	PP%	21.6%
49-60	PK-Chances	40-51
81.7%	PK%	78.4%
77-203	Penalties-PIM	56-112
14.5	PIM/Game	8.0
403-451	Faceoffs (W-L)	378-451
47.2%	Faceoff %	45.6%

 
Up Next
The Warriors finish up their pre-Christmas slate Friday, Dec. 13 when they head to Schenectady, N.Y. to face Union. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. from Messa Rink.
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