LOWELL, Mass. - The Merrimack men's hockey team clinched a home playoff game and a first round bye in the Hockey East Playoffs as they defeated the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks by a score 5-3 at the Tsongas on Friday night.
The Basics
Score: #17/16 Merrimack: 5 #19/20 UMass Lowell: 3 Records: #17/16 Merrimack (19-12-1, 14-8-0) | #19/20 UMass Lowell: (16-12-3, 10-8-3)
Matt Copponi led off the game with an early tally as the Warriors led just under two minutes into the contest, Merrimack would double the lead midway through the period when Mike Brown's long range effort found the net after a fantastic Merrimack shift.
Lowell would on the board late in the period, and tie the game early in the second. The Warriors jump back in front on the powerplay when Ben Brar tallied his 13th of the season on a backhand tuck near the crease.
In the third, the Riverhawks continued to hang around as they scored on a powerplay of their own to tie the game at three.
The Warriors however would strike for the game winning goal with 11 minutes to go as Mac Welsher added his sixth goal of the season, and with the Warriors adding another powerplay goal in the final minutes as Will Calverley put the finishing touches on a Warriors victory.
Facts and Numbers:
- Matt Copponi, Mike Brown, Ben Brar, Mac Welsher, and Will Calverley all scored for the Warriors.
- Zach Bookman, Ottoville Leppanen, Alex Jefferies and Filip Forsmark all had assists, Brown and Calverley also had an assist to go along with their goals.
- Christian Felton had four blocks on the night.
- Zachary Borgiel made 29 saves in the victory.
This is Merrimack's seventh victory of the season when they scored five goals or more.
NEXT:
The Warriors celebrate Senior Day tomorrow in a return matchup with UMass Lowell with puck drop at 7 PM.
