| Matchup |
Merrimack (4-12-2, 1-10-2 HEAW)
vs. New Hampshire (7-7-2, 5-6-1 HEAW) |
| Date/Time |
Friday, December 6 (6:00 PM)
Saturday, December 7 (3:00 PM) |
| Venue |
Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.
Whittemore Center | Durham, NH |
| Multimedia |
Friday Video | Friday Live Stats
Saturday Video | Saturday Live Stats |
| Social |
Twitter | Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Merrimack returns to Lawler Rink on Friday as the first half of the team's home-and-home series against New Hampshire for the final games of 2019.
The Warriors last took to the ice at home on Sunday, falling 1-0 to Holy Cross after the team earned a win at home on November 27 earning a 4-3 victory in a non-conference contest over Brown. Senior
Mikyla Grant-Mentis scored a hat trick, and
Courtney Maud added her fourth goal of the season on the power play.
Saturday's game at New Hampshire will be Merrimack's final game of 2019. The team returns to action in the New Year, heading to Belfast, Northern Ireland for the Friendship Series against Quinnipiac University on Jan. 4 and 5.
Five Things to Know:
• Merrimack outshot Holy Cross 12-6 in the first period and 30-29 on the afternoon, with each shot matched with a save by the Crusaders netminder.
• Senior
Mikyla Grant-Mentis remains the Hockey East goal scoring leader after her hat trick last Wednesday with 16 goals in 18 games. The senior captain is tied for third on the national goal scoring leaderboards.
• Merrimack ended November with two wins in the books. The first came on Nov. 8 when the Warriors came back to defeat Maine in overtime, as Grant-Mentis had a pair of goals including the game-winner in overtime for her 100
th career point as finished the contest with four points. The team took another 4-3 victory in a non-conference game against Brown on Nov. 27, when Grant-Mentis scored a hat trick.
• Merrimack and New Hampshire last faced off on Feb. 9, 2019 at the Whittemore Center, where the Warriors earned a 2-1 win with goals from
Chloe Cook and Keisha DiCaire.
• All time, the Warriors have earned two of their three wins against the Wildcats at Lawler Rink.
A Look at the Wildcats:
The Wildcats enter the weekend in a three-way tie for third place in the Hockey East standings, thanks in large part to a hot start to the year. In its last five, UNH has gone 2-3-0, with an overtime victory at home against Vermont, a loss to Vermont and a pair of losses to Northeastern. In their last game out, UNH took a 3-1 victory at Harvard due in large part to goaltender Ava Boutilier's 45 save effort.
Boutilier has taken the bulk of the action, seeing time in all 16 of New Hampshire's games this season. The junior hast turned a 2.06 GAA and .931 save percentage for seven wins and three shutouts in net.
New Hampshire's offense is led by a trio of seniors. Meghara McManus leads the team in goals with eight, and is tied for the points lead with Taylor Wenczkowski at 13. Wenczkowski has had four goals and nine assist through 16 games this season. Rounding out the offensive group is Carlee Turner, who is second on the team in goals with five and holds 12 points so far this season.
The Wildcats have earned important wins in conference play through the first half of the year, taking wins against UConn, Boston University, Providence, Holy Cross, and Vermont.
Inside the Matchup
| Merrimack (4-12-2, 1-10-2 HEAW) |
Category |
New Hampshire (7-7-2, 5-6-1 HEAW) |
| 1-0 L, (12/1 vs Holy Cross) |
Last Game |
3-1 W (11/23 at Harvard) |
| 2.11 |
Scoring Offense |
2.44 |
| 3.17 |
Scoring Defense |
2.31 |
| 27.1 |
Shots/Game |
30.0 |
| 30.7 |
Shots Allowed/Game |
29.9 |
| 17-75 |
PPG-Chances |
13-78 |
| 22.7% |
PP% |
16.7% |
| 58-70 |
PK-Chances |
66-72 |
| 82.9% |
PK% |
91.7% |
| 73-160 |
Penalties-PIM |
74-148 |
| 8.9 |
PIM/Game |
9.2 |
Up Next
Merrimack will take its winter break before the team heads to Belfast, Northern Ireland to represent Hockey East in the
Friendship Series against Quinnipiac University on Jan. 4 and Jan. 5, 2020.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
