NO. ANDOVER, Mass. - In front of the second straight sellout crowd at Lawler Arena, Merrimack played Boston University, the top-ranked team in the country, to a second straight tie, 3-3 in Hockey East action Saturday night.
Merrimack (2-2-4, 1-2-3 HEA) will take on UMass Lowell in a home-and-home series next weekend beginning Friday at the Tsongas Arena. The Terriers (6-0-4, 4-0-4 HEA) take on UNH for a pair of games Friday night at the Whittemore Center.
After tying BU Friday night, the Warriors picked up points in consecutive games against the Terriers for the first time since 2000. They also earned points against the top-ranked team in the country for the first time since 1998.
Behind goals from Mike Collins (Boston, MA), Joe Cucci (Melrose Park, IL) and Jesse Todd (Camrose, AB), the Warriors led 3-1 with 8:54 remaining in the third, but Chris Connolly and Corey Trivino evened the score for the visitors, with Trivino's goal coming with 4:42 left in the period.
The Terriers ramped up the pressure, creating a 3-on-1 just 32 seconds after Trivino's tying marker, but Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) made a big save on Wade Megan, sending the game to overtime.
Merrimack outshot the Terriers 4-2 in the extra frame, with Carter Madsen (Okotoks, AB) getting the best chance on a one-timer in the slot, but his shot was gloved by Kieran Millan.
The Warriors outshot BU 37-29 in the game, including 11-4 in the second, forcing Millan to make 34 saves.
After going 0-for-10 on the power play Friday night, Merrimack's power play netted two goals on two chances, and its only chances in the game, in the first period.
Just 1:15 into the game, Collins tallied his second career goal and second in as many nights, redirecting a Brendan Ellis (Kelowna, BC) shot past Millan.
With 1:04 left in the first, Cucci put home a rebound off a Karl Stollery (Camrose, AB) shot for his third of the year.
But the Terriers answered right back as Megan backhanded a shot past Cannata with 30 seconds left in the first, sending the teams to the locker room with a 2-1 lead for the hosts.
Todd matched Megan's late-period goal, taking a great feed from captain Chris Barton (Camrose, AB) and backhanding a open shot past Millan at 19:47 of the second, giving the Warriors a two-goal lead heading into the third.
Stollery, the game's second star, led Merrimack with a pair of assists.
Now the nation's top penalty kill, the Warriors killed off all six BU power plays and were a perfect 13-for-13 on the weekend.
Merrimack's power-play was 2-for-2 in the tie, which was the Warriors' fourth draw of the season.
Cannata turned aside 26 shots, including eight in the third and two in overtime.