Merrimack Skates to 5-5 Draw at Minnesota Duluth

Senior defenseman Jared Kolquist scored a goal and three assists for Warriors
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 8:05  MER1-0 PP Sami Tavernier (2)Derek Petti/1, Jace Hennig/2
1st 17:51  MER2-0 PP Brett Seney (1)Jared Kolquist/2, Jace Hennig/3
1st 19:35  MND1-2 PP Joey Anderson (2)Scott Perunovich/2, Riley Tufte/1
2nd 7:38  MND2-2 PP Nick Swaney (1)Dylan Samberg/1, Mikey Anderson/2
2nd 16:11  MND3-2 PP Mikey Anderson (2)Dylan Samberg/2, Nick Swaney/4
3rd 12:12  MND4-2 EV Riley Tufte (3) -
3rd 14:52  MER3-4 PP Jared Kolquist (1)Sami Tavernier/1, Brett Seney/1
3rd 15:37  MER4-4 PP Jace Hennig (1)Sami Tavernier/2, Jared Kolquist/3
3rd 16:51  MER5-4 EV Brett Seney (2)Jared Kolquist/4, Johnathan Kovacevic/2
3rd 18:45  MND5-5 EV GT Peter Krieger (1)Riley Tufte/2, Dylan Samberg/3
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd OT Final
Merrimack  20305
Minnesota Duluth  12205
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd OT SOG
Merrimack  879226
Minnesota Duluth  131314343
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Merrimack (0-2-2)  4/6 5/10 0
Minnesota Duluth (1-2-2)  3/5 6/12 0
Merrimack Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 OT Saves
Drew Vogler (T, 0-2-2)65:005 121112338
Minnesota Duluth Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 OT Saves
Nick Deery (T, 0-1-2)64:215 676221
Empty Net0:390      

DULUTH, Minn. - Two third-period goals less than a minute apart helped the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team rally for a 5-5 tie at No. 9/13 Minnesota Duluth, 5-5, on Friday night at AMSOIL Arena. The Warriors scored three times in under two minutes to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead before UMD

The Basics

Score: Merrimack 5, Minnesota Duluth 5 (F/OT)
Records: Merrimack (0-2-2, 0-0-0 HEA) | #9/13 Minnesota Duluth (1-2-2, 0-0-0 NCHC)
Location: AMSOIL Arena | Duluth, Minn.
Attendance: 5152
Game Duration: 2:45

Rapid Recap

- Merrimack, which had converted just one of its first 16 power plays through three games, used the man advantage to build a 2-0 lead in the first period of Friday night's affair. But Minnesota Duluth would convert on its first power play with 25 seconds left in the opening frame to trim the deficit to one.

- The Bulldogs would get three more man advantages in the second period and cashed in on two of them, turning a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead while holding the Warriors to only 15 shots on goal through two periods.

- Minnesota Duluth added one more while even strength, but the Warriors would go off for three goals in a span of 1:59, lighting the lamp at 14:52, 15:37 and 16:51, respectively, to turn that two-goal deficit into a one-goal lead. But the Bulldogs assured the dramatics would continue with an equalizer at 18:45, sending the game to overtime.

- Both sides combined for five shots in the sudden death session, but neither side would find the back of the net, resulting in an official tie.

Scoring Summaries

- While skating on its first power play of the night, freshman Sami Tavernier (Morzine, France) beat UMD goaltender Nick Deery with a wrist shot from the right hash. Senior Jace Hennig (Port Moody, British Columbia) got the scoring play started after digging the puck out of the far corner, and junior Derek Petti (Tewksbury, Mass.) thread a pass through the slot to Tavernier, who finished it off for his second goal of the year at 8:05 of the first.

- Nearly 10 minutes later, and while equipped with a 5-on-3 power play, senior Brett Seney (London, Ontario) picked up his first goal of the year thanks to a perfectly placed wrist shot from the right circle that went through a screen and into the upper-right corner of the net. Hennig and senior Jared Kolquist (Hermantown, Minn.) each assisted on the play.

- UMD got on the board with only 25 seconds left in the first period while skating on a late power play of its own. Joey Anderson took a feed from Scott Perunovich at the back post and waited out goaltender Drew Vogler (Florrisant, Mo.) for the Bulldogs' first goal.

- The hosts got even thanks to another power play goal at the 7:38 mark of the second period. Nick Swaney netted his first of the year from close range with Dylan Samberg and Mikey Anderson assisting.

- Duluth went ahead for the first time with yet another power play goal, its third of the night. Mikey Anderson scored his second of the season on a one-timer from just inside the blue line with just under four minutes left in the second period.

- Riley Tufte added another goal for UMD at 12:12 of the third, forcing a turnover deep in the Merrimack zone and dumping it into an essentially open net to push the lead to 4-2.

- The Warriors got the comeback started at 14:52; while on the power play, senior Jared Kolquist (Hermantown, Minn.) threaded a puck from atop the far circle through traffic and into the twine with assists coming from Tavernier and Seney.

- Hennig's first of the season tied the contest at 4-all; Tavernier dished the puck to him into the slot area, where Hennig turned and put a backhander through traffic and in at 15:37.

- Seney's second of the night was arguably the prettiest goal of the game, as the senior used his speed to burn down the right-wing side before maneuvering behind his defender and putting a backhander home at the far post to give the Warriors a 5-4 lead at 16:51.

- With UMD scrambling to draw even late in regulation, Tufte tried for his second goal of the period but was denied by Vogler. Peter Krieger, however, put home the rebound to draw the hosts level with only 1:15 left in the game.

Notes and Notables

- Four players recorded multi-point nights for Merrimack on Friday; the last time that scenario occurred was in a 4-2 win over Northern Michigan on Dec. 29, 2016.

- Kolquist, appropriately enough, had a storybook night; the nearby Hermantown, Minnesota, native set a new career-high with four points on a goal and three helpers; his only other three-assist night came against BU on Jan. 24, 2017.

- Hennig, (1g, 2a), Tavernier (1g, 2a) and fellow freshman Johnathan Kovacevic (Grimsby, Ontario) (3a) all set a new career-high with their three-point nights, while Seney posted a career-high-tying three-point night for the fourth time in his career (last: at BC, Feb. 20, 2017).

- Both sides combined for seven power play goals, with Merrimack converting 4-of-6. The last time Merrimack scored exactly four power play goals was in an 11-2 win over UMass on Feb. 5, 2011.

- Minnesota Duluth finished with three power play goals on Friday. The last time Merrimack allowed three or more power play goals in a game was against Northeastern in a 4-2 loss at home on Jan. 21, 2017.

- Merrimack and Minnesota Duluth were meeting for only the second time ever on Friday night; the Warriors still hold the edge in the all-time series at 1-0-1.

Merrimack Lineup

Seney | Petti | Tavernier
Hennig | L. Larsson | Irvine
Babcock | A. Larsson | Tibbet
Coomes | Bales | McKay
Kolquist | Kovacevic
Biega | Carle
Dockery | Titcomb
Vogler
Pantano
Halladay

Up Next

Merrimack and Minnesota Duluth round out the weekend series back at AMSOIL Arena on Saturday night. Puck drop is once again set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern.