| Prd | Time | Team | Score | Type | Scored By | Assists |
| 3rd | 1:52 | MER | 1-0 | PP GW | Ludvig Larsson (7) | Brett Seney/14, Jace Hennig/12 |
| 3rd | 2:39 | MER | 2-0 | EV | Tyler Drevitch (1) | Laine McKay/3, Alfred Larsson/4 |
| 3rd | 17:28 | MER | 3-0 | EV EN | Cole McBride (4) | Derek Petti/5 |
| Scoring | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| UConn | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Merrimack | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Shots on Goal | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | SOG |
| UConn | 1 | 7 | 8 | 16 |
| Merrimack | 15 | 15 | 8 | 38 |
| Team Stats and Records | PP | PIM | SHGF |
| UConn (8-15-2) | 0/1 | 3/6 | 0 |
| Merrimack (7-11-4) | 1/3 | 1/2 | 0 |
| UConn Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Adam Huska (L, 8-14-2) | 59:29 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 5 | 35 |
| Empty Net | 0:31 | 1 |
| Merrimack Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Craig Pantano (W, 7-6-2) | 60:00 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 16 |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Despite outshooting the visitors by a wide margin through two periods, the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team still found itself deadlocked in a scoreless tie entering the third. Fortunately, the Warriors would break through with two early markers and held on for a 3-0 shutout win against visiting Connecticut on Friday night at Lawler Rink to sweep the season series against the Huskies.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 3, Connecticut 0
Records: Merrimack (7-11-4, 4-7-2 HEA) | Connecticut (8-15-2, 5-10-1 HEA)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Lawler Rink
Attendance: 2087
Game Duration: 2:00
Rapid Recap
- Merrimack did just about everything besides light the lamp in a first period that it dominated; the hosts outshot UConn by a 15-1 margin in the opening frame, had a power play opportunity, hit a post and had a few odd-man rushes, but Huskies goaltender Adam Huska had an impressive period in net to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes.
- That theme continued in the second period, as Merrimack piled up another 15 shots on goal (compared to UConn's seven) and also had another power play opportunity, but Huska stayed perfect on the night to keep the game knotted at 0-0 after 40 minutes. At one point in the period, both sides skated for 12:08 without a stoppage in play from the 15:08 mark to the 3:00 mark.
- The Warriors would finally break through early in the third with a pair of goals coming in a 47-second span, first by junior Ludvig Larsson before sophomore Tyler Drevitch lit the lamp for the first time in his career. The Huskies would leave Huska on the bench in the final minutes of regulation, prompting an empty-netter from sophomore Cole McBride to wrap it up the final margin of victory.
Scoring Summaries
- Goal #1 (MC, 1-0): Larsson gave the Warriors the lead on their third power play of the night just 1:52 into the third period. He received the puck from senior Brett Seney at the right circle, skated toward the dot and beat Huska with a wrister from the hash to make it 1-0. Senior Jace Hennig also assisted on the play.
- Goal #2 (MC, 2-0): Drevitch's first career tally helped pushed the hosts' lead to 2-0 just 47 seconds after their first goal at 2:39 of the third. Senior Alfred Larsson jumped on a loose puck in the neutral zone and skated it over the blue line and threw it up toward the slot. The puck glanced off a UConn skater's stick to freshman Laine McKay, who fed a wide-open Drevitch in the slot for a one-timer that found the twine.
- Goal #3 (MC, 3-0): McBride wrapped up the scoring on an empty-netter; he forced a turnover at the blue line and went down 2-on-1 with junior Derek Petti, who gave the puck back to McBride inside the UConn zone for the final tally of the night.
Notes and Notables
- Merrimack saw its all-time record against UConn impove to 26-3-5 with a 21-2-2 mark at Lawler Rink. The game snapped five straight contests that had went to overtime in the series prior to tonight. Merrimack is now 3-1-5 against UConn since the Huskies joined Hockey East in 2014-15.
- Merrimack improved to 7-0-2 when scoring three-plus goals in a game compared to 0-11-2 when being held to fewer than three goals.
- Junior Craig Pantano picked up his first career shutout on 16 saves; for the team, it marked the Warriors' first shutout win of the season and first since a 4-0 victory over UNH in Game 1 of the Hockey East Tournament Opening Round last March 3, 2017.
- The 16 shots that the Warriors held Connecticut to were the fewest for an opponent since Northern Michigan was held to 14 in a 4-2 Merrimack win in last year's Florida College Hockey Classic on Dec. 29.
Goaltenders: Craig Pantano (16 saves, 7-6-2) // Adam Huska (35 saves, 8-14-2)
Power Plays: Merrimack (1-3) | UConn (0-1)
Shots on Goal (MC-PC): 15-1 // 15-7 // 8-8 -- 38-16
Merrimack Lineup
Hennig | Seney | Irvine
Petti | L. Larsson | McBride
Babcock | Kramer | Tavernier
A. Larsson | Drevitch | McKay
Kolquist | Titcomb
Biega | Carle
Dockery | Kovacevic
Pantano
Vogler
Halladay
Up Next
Merrimack will continue league play with a home-and-home against Boston University next weekend starting on Friday (Jan. 19) at Lawler Rink at 7 p.m.