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Box Score
HARTFORD, Conn. – The Merrimack College men's ice hockey team settled for a season series split with the University of Connecticut after dropping a 5-0 decision to the Huskies on Saturday night at the XL Center.
UConn scored at least a goal in every period, with three coming in the middle stanza. Meanwhile, Thomas Vomacka turned in a 29-save shutout on the other end, as the Warriors were blanked for the fourth time this season and will look to right the ship when they return home to face Maine this Friday night.
The Basics
Score: UConn 5,
Merrimack 0
Records: Merrimack (7-20-1, 4-14-0 HEA) | UConn (9-17-2, 4-12-2 HEA)
Location: XL Center | Hartford, Conn.
Attendance: 8,012
Game Duration: 2:21
How It Happened
- The Huskies drew first blood less than two minutes into the contest on Ruslan Iskhavov's fifth goal of the year, but sophomore Logan Halladay would turn away the next 17 shots he saw over the remainder of the opening frame to keep the Warriors within a goal heading to the second.
- UConn doubled the lead near the midpoint of the second stanza, as Zac Robbins buried a backdoor feed glove side to put the Huskies up 2-0. Less than a minute later, UConn added on the power play off the stick of Benjamin Freeman before Jonny Evans punched in an even strength tally at 14:25 to increase the Huskies' edge to four goals.
- Evans added another five minutes into the third, and Vomacka would take over from there, holding on for the shutout to earn the Huskies the season series split.
Notes & Numbers
- Merrimack was blanked for the fourth time this year; its last shutout was against New Hampshire on Jan. 18.
- After winning a season-high three straight games from Jan. 5-12, Merrimack has now lost five straight and has been outscored by 20 goals (26-6) in that stretch.
- UConn won just its fourth game all-time against Merrimack and snapped a seven-game unbeaten streak for the Warriors, who were 3-0-4 dating back to December of 2015. The Huskies' last win came by a 1-0 score at the XL Center on Feb. 20, 2015.
- Goaltenders: Logan Halladay (32 saves, 0-3-0) // Tomas Vomacka (27 saves, 4-5-0)
- Power Plays: 0-1 | 1-3
- Shots on Goal: 7-18 // 15-10 // 7-9 – 29-37
- Faceoffs: 23 // 33
- Blocks: 5 // 5
Merrimack Lineup
Forwards
Coomes | Babcock | Irvine
L. Drevitch | Kramer | Bales
Gresock | Petti | Tavernier
von Ungern-Sternberg | T. Drevitch | McKay
McBride
Defense
Cook | McArdle
Heidt | Kovacevic
Dockery | Carle
Goaltenders
Halladay | Pantano | Vogler
Up Next
Merrimack will return to Lawler Rink for the first time in nearly a month when it hosts Maine for a two-game series next Friday, Feb. 15, at 7 p.m.
