In under a half an hour, the #2 UMass-Lowell Chiefs will host the
#7 Merrimack Warriors in the first Hockey East quarterfinal of this
playoff season. Ironically, this matchup was in part sealed by Lowell's
5-2 victory over Merrimack in North Andover last week.  Lowell broke the
game open in the third period with five straight goals, overcoming a 2-0
deficit.
 
Although Lowell and Merrimack were fierce rivals when both were ECAC
division 2 teams, they have never competed against each other in Hockey
East postseason play.
 
The last time the two teams met in the postseason, Lowell beat Merrimack
5-1 in the ECAC playoffs and 4-3 in the NC$$ playoffs.  That was in
'81-'82.
 
The last time the Warriors defeated Lowell in postseason play was a 4-0
shutout in the '79-'80 ECAC playoffs.  However, they lost to Lowell 8-7
that year in the NC$$s.
 
Merrimack has not won any postseason game since its inaugural season in
Hockey East, when the Warriors pushed regular season and playoff champion
Boston College to a third game by winning the second 6-3 on the strength
of Andy Heinze's pure hat trick.  Heinze is now an assistant coach for
the Warriors.
 
Since that time, Merrimack lost 3-5 and 2-9 in a two-game elimination
last season to UNH, was shut out 7-0 by eventual champion Maine in
'91-'92, and  soundly defeated 7-1 by eventual champion BU in '90-'91
 
Lowell fared better, making it to the semifinal round last season after
falling in two straight series to Maine in previous seasons: a 5-3 loss
in 1991, and 7-3 and 16-0 losses in 1990.Lowell has made it to the
semifianl round five times since the league's inception.  Merrimack has
never advanced.
 
Head to head this year Lowell won the series witha 2-0-1 record.
 
Hopefully, now that there is hockey to watch Maine will yield center
stage.. if only for a moment.
 
David M. Josselyn
[log in to unmask]
 
GO MERRIMACK!  GO ARGUS!  /\
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