North Andover, Mass. - The UConn men's hockey team bounced back to secure the weekend sweep with a 4-3 win over Merrimack Saturday evening. Senior Andrew Lucas scored the game winner with 48 seconds remaining in regulation.
For the second straight game the Huskies gave up the first goal of the game. A penalty on sophomore Ryan Tattle, put the Huskies on the penalty kill, and with the man advantage, Merrimack scored to take the early 1-0 lead. It didn't take the Huskies long to respond as a Merrimack penalty put the Huskies on the power play. With time running down on the power play, Ryan Mahshie found Nick Capone who fired a one timer to tie the game at one. Shortly after, another Merrimack penalty gave the Huskies the man advantage and on their second power play, sophomore Samu Salminen fired to puck past Merrimack's Zachary Borgiel to take the lead, and head into the period break leading by one.
The Huskies were able to extend their lead early in the second period when Ryan Mahshie took a cross ice pass from Nick Capone and snuck the puck past the netminder for the goal. Following the Mahshie goal, the Warriors were able to score two unanswered goals to enter the period break all tied at three.
The third period was a defensive battle, as both teams looked to end the game in regulation. Late in the period, a Merrimack looked to net the game winner on an odd man rush, but a diving save by goaltender Ethan Haider kept the Warriors at bay. The Huskies continued to pressure and attack the Merrimack defense, until with 48 seconds left in the game, Andrew Lucas circled the net and fired the shot over the shoulder of Borgiel for the goal and the game winner.
Up Next
The Huskies will turn their attention to a matchup against the Boston College Eagles. UConn will travel to Boston College Friday November 17 before welcoming the eagles to the Toscano Family Ice Forum on Saturday November 18. Both games can be streamed live on ESPN+.
