New Hampshire Tops Merrimack College, 4-1
Senior forward Matt Willows scores game-winning goal for Wildcats

Senior forward Matt Willows scored the game-winning goal for the Wildcats
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 10:44  UNH1-0 PP Andrew Poturalski (12)Matias Cleland/10, Tyler Kelleher/21
2nd 5:28  MER1-1 EV Mathieu Tibbet (5)Dan Kolomatis/13, Jace Hennig/5
2nd 13:19  UNH2-1 EV GW Matt Willows (18)Cameron Marks/9, Dan Correale/11
2nd 15:13  UNH3-1 EV Jay Camper (3)Warren Foegele/10
3rd 19:48  UNH4-1 EV EN Casey Thrush (6)Shane Eiserman/9, Grayson Downing/14
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Merrimack  0101
New Hampshire  1214
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Merrimack  49417
New Hampshire  1113731
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Merrimack (14-15-4)  0/2 5/10 0
New Hampshire (14-17-2)  1/5 2/4 0
Merrimack Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Rasmus Tirronen (L, 10-11-3)59:123 1011627
Empty Net0:481     
New Hampshire Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Daniel Tirone (W, 9-4-0)59:551 48416
Empty Net0:050     

DURHAM, N.H. - Eleven different University of New Hampshire men's hockey players recorded points and Danny Tirone (Trumbull, Conn.) made 16 stops as the Wildcats extended their season-high winning streak to four games by virtue of Friday night's 4-1 victory over Merrimack College at the Whittemore Center.

UNH improved to 14-17-2, 9-11-1 in the Hockey East Association and took over sole possession of eighth place in the conference by one point over the University of Maine. The Wildcats will clinch home ice advantage for next weekend's opening round of the playoffs if they post another win against Merrimack (14-15-4, 5-13-3) on Saturday.

Andrew Poturalski (Williamsville, N.Y.), Matt Willows (Congers, N.Y.), Jay Camper (Rocky River, Ohio) and Casey Thrush (Easton, Md.) lit the lamp for New Hampshire, which has its first four-game winning streak since Dec. 29, 2013-Jan. 11, 2014.

Tirone upped his record to 9-4-0, while MC netminder Rasmus Tirronen (27 saves) slipped to 10-11-3 on the season.

Poturalski staked the Wildcats to a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal, his 12th, at 10:44 of the first period by snapping in a one-timer from between the circles. Matias Cleland (Longmont, Colo.) and Tyler Kelleher (Longmeadow, Mass.) assisted on the goal.

UNH controlled the first period with an 11-4 shot advantage.

The Warriors knotted the score, 1-1, at 5:28 of the second period when Mathieu Tibbet found a bouncing puck right in front, spun to his forehand and deposited a shot past Tirone. Dan Kolomatis and Jace Hennig assisted on the goal.

The Wildcats reclaimed a 2-1 lead at 13:19 of the second when a slap shot from Cameron Marks (North Vancouver, British Columbia) was redirected and tipped home by Willows for his team-leading 18th goal of the season. Marks and Dan Correale (Prince George, British Columbia) were credited with the assists.

New Hampshire's lead increased to 3-1 at 15:13 of the middle stanza. Warren Foegele (Unionville, Ontario) stole the puck just outside the Merrimack blue line and fired a shot that was initially stopped by Tirronen. Camper seized the rebound at the bottom of the right circle, and his rebound bid found the back of the net for his third goal of the season and his third marker in the last four games. Foegele tacked on the assist.

New Hampshire outshot Merrimack, 13-9, in the second period.

The Wildcats iced the game with an empty-net goal from Thrush, his sixth, assisted by Shane Eiserman (Newburyport, Mass.) and Grayson Downing (Abbotsford, British Columbia) at 19:48 of the third.

The 'Cats posted a 7-4 shot advantage in the third and outshot the Warriors, 31-17, in the game.

UNH went 1-for-5 on the power play, and Merrimack went 0-for-2 with the man advantage.

UNH and Merrimack wrap up the Hockey East regular season Saturday, Feb. 28, in the Battle for the RiverStone Cup XIV and Senior Day at the Whittemore Center. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. For more information about the UNH men's ice hockey program, visit www.unhwildcats.com.