| Matchup |
Merrimack Warriors (4-18-3, 1-14-3 HEAW)
vs. Providence Friars (14-10-2, 11-8-0 HEAW) |
| Date/Time |
Friday, January 31, 2020 (6:00 PM) |
| Venue |
Schneider Arena | Providence, RI |
| Multimedia |
Video | Live Stats |
| Social |
Twitter | Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack women's ice hockey team will finish the month of January on the road at Providence College to finish the series against the Friars on Friday, January 31.
The Warriors travel to Rhode Island after strong play against the No. 7/8 Boston University Terriers last weekend. In the first game, Merrimack rallied late to find the equalizer, as
Courtney Maud tied the game on the power play with 5:45 remaining in the contest. Senior goaltender
Léa-Kristine Demers turned aside 36 shots, with 23 coming in the first two periods. The tie was Merrimack's fourth of the year.
Back on home ice Saturday, the Warriors marked Terriers' starting goalie Corinne Schroeder for three on the night, tying Merrimack for the second most a BU opponent has scored against them this season. Coming into the series the Terriers held a 1.60 team goals against.
In the previous two games against Providence, both contests ended with one goal finals. In the first game on Nov. 22, two periods of scoreless play came to a halt in the third. The Friars took a lead, which was quickly responded to by
Mack Emery's first career goal. In the second contest at Schneider Arena, the Warriors lost in overtime after holding a 2-0 lead.
Five Things to Know:
• Junior
Courtney Maud has scored three goals since 2020 began, with tallies in both games against Boston University and a goal in the Friendship Series against Quinnipiac on January 4 to take over second on the team in goals.
• Senior netminder
Léa-Kristine Demers had a combined 74-save effort in the weekend series against the Terriers.
• In the series against the Friars,
Emma Gorski made a combined 62 saves across both games.
• Merrimack's power play is fifth in Hockey East in conference contests, with the Warriors converting at a 16.2% rate, with 19 goals on the advantage this year.
• One of the seven overtime games the Warriors have played this season came against the Friars in Providence on Nov. 23, which Providence took in OT.
A Look at the Friars:
Providence enters the weekend looking to capture home ice in the Hockey East playoffs, as the team sits in fifth, one point off of the UConn Huskies for fourth. The Friars split their last weekend series with Boston College, taking a 2-1 overtime loss on Jan. 24 before rebounding at home for a 5-2 win.
Offensively, the points have come from across the board for Providence, with nine players in double digit points. Leading the pack are Sara Hjalmarsson with 15 goals and 24 points, followed by Whitney Dove with 15 assists and 21 points.
The Friars have had goaltenders sharing time this season, with senior Clare Minnerath taking 16 starts, earning a 2.22 goals against average and an 8-5-2 record, while sophomore Sandra Abstreiter has made 12 appearances, with a 6-5-0 record and 1.72 goals against. Minnerath made both starts against the Warriors in November, making 30 total saves.
Inside the Matchup
| Merrimack (4-19-4, 1-15-4 HEAW) |
Category |
Providence (14-10-2, 11-8-0 HEAW) |
| 6-3 L, (1/25 vs Boston University) |
Last Game |
5-2 W, (1/25 vs Boston College) |
| 1.89 |
Scoring Offense |
2.54 |
| 3.26 |
Scoring Defense |
2.08 |
| 26.0 |
Shots/Game |
26.6 |
| 32.7 |
Shots Allowed/Game |
27.0 |
| 19-117 |
PPG-Chances |
15-93 |
| 16.2% |
PP% |
16.1% |
| 84-101 |
PK-Chances |
69-83 |
| 82.7% |
PK% |
83.1% |
| 116-257 |
Penalties-PIM |
93-208 |
| 9.5 |
PIM/Game |
8.0 |
Up Next
Merrimack will be home for a pair of games, hosting the Northeastern Huskies for the first time this season for the team's Skating Strides Against Cancer game on Friday, Feb. 7, before welcoming in the UNH Wildcats and the Bertagna Trophy Tour on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.
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For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit
MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on
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