SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Merrimack men's hockey team faced a mere one-goal deficit against North Dakota, and despite a strong second-period push, ultimately fell 3-0 in the Sioux Falls Regional at Denny Sanford Premier Center on Thursday night.
The Flying Hawks took a two-goal lead in the opening four minutes of the third period before netting an empty-netter with 45 seconds left.
"That's been a hallmark of our team this year," Merrimack head coach
Scott Borek said of the team's relentless pursuit of the puck. "When you have a team as close as this team is, able to pick each other up when things go in the wrong direction, you have a chance to come back. Until they scored the third goal, I thought that game was going to be ours. I believed it. I thought we were pushing really hard."
Merrimack tilted the ice in the second period with a flurry of strong scoring chances, but ultimately couldn't slide one past North Dakota goaltender Jan Spunar, who finished with 31 saves. The Warriors had what would have been a game-tying goal waved off in the second period after officials blew the play dead on what appeared to be a questionable call.Â
"I did, but honestly – and I will say this, I'm the hardest guy on the guys in stripes. But I don't think they felt very good that the whistle blew themselves," Borek said of the decision. "I'm not going to say he made a mistake, I think he thought it was covered. And that was what he said to me. He has to go with that. Unfortunately, it didn't go our way and I actually felt he might have felt bad saying that to me. It was a big point in the game, though. Obviously."
Warriors goaltender
Max Lundgren finished with 25 saves.
The Warriors conclude their Hockey East title-winning season 21-16-2.
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