North Andover, MA—The Merrimack College Men's Ice Hockey team hung tough and scored late but were defeated by the Maine Black Bears by a score of 2-1 on Friday night at Lawler Arena.
The Basics
Merrimack (3-3-0, 1-1-0): 1, Maine Black Bears (4-1-0, 1-0-0): 2
Attendance: 2,437
A fast-paced first period saw both teams enter the locker room scoreless after the opening 20 minutes, with Maine holding the slight shot advantage at 7-5.
Maine would score the second period's lone goal just over a minute in as a stretch pass and breakaway beat Merrimack goaltender Hugo Ollas. Maine would double the lead with just under ten minutes to play in the third.
In the third, Merrimack would continue to push, and with the goalie pulled would convert on a late powerplay as Matt Copponi made it five games with at least one point, as he tipped in a Zach Bookman shot from the point with 51 seconds left. The Warriors were unable to tie the game despite holding the puck for almost the entire final minute of play.
Notes and Numbers
· Hugo Ollas made 20 saves in the loss.
· Matt Copponi scored the lone goal for the Warriors
· Liam Dennison blocked a team high four shots as Merrimack blocked 20+ shots for the second consecutive game.
UP NEXT:
Merrimack looks for the split as they once again host the University of Maine Black Bears Saturday night (11/4/23) puck drop is set for 7:00 PM.
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.
