Morey Sends Merrimack Past Vermont in Overtime, 2-1
Sophomore forward Madison Morey scores game-winning goal at 54 seconds of overtime for Warriors

Sophomore forward Madison Morey scored the game-winning goal for the Warriors
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 6:46  MER1-0 EV Annie Boeckers (5)Paige Voight/5, Jessica Kuhlman/2
2nd 13:34  VER1-1 EV Ève-Audrey Picard (7)Mackenzie MacNeil/3, Taylor Willard/8
OT 0:54  MER2-1 EV GW Madison Morey (1)Meghan Martin/4
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd OT Final
Vermont  01001
Merrimack  10012
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd OT SOG
Vermont  1088026
Merrimack  986326
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Vermont (8-7-5)  0/3 2/4 0
Merrimack (7-13-2)  0/2 3/6 0
Vermont Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 OT Saves
Melissa Black (L, 3-4-2)60:542 886224
Merrimack Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 OT Saves
Samantha Ridgewell (W, 2-4-2)60:541 1078025

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Propelled by the first goal of the season and game-winner from sophomore Madison Morey (Fairbanks, Alaska), the Merrimack College women's ice hockey team kicked off 2017 with a 2-1 overtime win over Vermont on Tuesday night in Hockey East action at Lawler Rink.

The Basics

Final (OT): Merrimack 2, Vermont 1
Records: Merrimack (7-13-2, 3-10-0 HEA) | Vermont (8-7-5, 4-3-3 HEA)
Location: Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.

How It Happened

- The Warriors got out ahead of Vermont early on in their first matchup of the season wth the Catamounts, as sophomore Annie Boeckers (Otsego, Minn.) would net her the first goal of the game and her fifth of the season just under seven minutes into the game. The goal developed after a forced turnover in Vermont's end from sophomore Jessica Kuhlman (Severna Park, Md.) sent the puck right on the stick of classmate Paige Voight (St. Michael, Minn.). Voight then carried the puck in and found Boeckers streaking to the net on a 2-on-1 who put it in the back of the net for the score.

- The remaining 13 minutes of the period saw a fair amount of special teams action from both sides. The Warriors would draw the first penalty of the game, but an aggressive penalty kill out of the gate would cause Vermont to draw a penalty of their own. After a brief 4-on-4, the Warriors would get shortened power play, followed immediately by another full power play chance, but were denied on both opportunities by solid defending from the Catamounts.

- Merrimack got an early wave of momentum to start the second as sophomore goaltender Samantha Ridgewell (Outlook, Saskatchewan) would make a tremendous glove save on a odd-man rush for Vermont to hold the 1-0 lead. Bookers would look to capitalize on that momentum with back-to-back scoring chances from close range, but strong goaltending from the Catamounts on the chances would any Boeckers her second goal of the game.

- Vermont would even the game in the latter half of the second period with their first goal of the game to knot it at 1-1. The goal would come as a result of some clean and quality passing in Merrimack's end, as the Catamounts moved the puck from each side of the zone, keeping Ridgewell moving and eventually catching her out of position to tie the game at one all.

- The third period would see a handful of shots for each side, including a chance set up by freshman Mikyla Grant-Mentis (Brampton, Ontario) on a beautiful feed out front that no Warrior was able to finish. The third period would end up going by scoreless thanks to some stout goaltending from both sides, sending Merrimack's first game of 2017 into overtime.

- Merrimack would need less than a minute to nab the overtime win on Tuesday, as Morey would win an offensive-zone face-off back to the point to sophomore Meghan Martin (Newport, Vt.). Martin would fire a quick shot on net that would be stopped, but after heading right to the net off the face-off, Morey would be in perfect position for the rebound and was able to slide the puck five-hole for the win.

Inside The Numbers

- With the win over the Catamounts on Tuesday, the Warriors remain undefeated all-time against Vermont as Merrimack posted a unbeaten record of 2-0-1 in three games against Vermont last year during the inaugural season.

- After losing its first overtime game in program history last year, Merrimack is undefeated in its last seven games that reached overtime, posting a record of 2-0-5.

- After posting a stat line of 3g-7a-10p during her freshman campaign, Morey's first goal of the season improves her 2016-17 stats to 1g-4a-5p. The sophomore continues to be a key contributor to the Warriors on both ends of the ice in non-statistical areas.

- Goaltenders: W - Ridgewell (2-4-2, 25 saves) | L - Black (3-4-2, 24 saves)

- Power Plays: Merrimack (0-3) | UVM (0-2)

- SOG: MC - 26 | UVM - 26

Up Next

The Warriors are back in action this weekend for a home-and-home series with Connecticut, with Friday's game at UConn and Saturday's game at Lawler Rink. Friday's puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., while Saturday at home will begin at 2:00 p.m.