(forgive the repeat of the box RonC posted...I usually try to include
this for my own records.)
 
Sunday, February 5, 1995 at Schneider Arena, Providence, RI
HOCKEY EAST GAME
Merrimack Warriors (11-13-5, 4-8-5 [3] HE 7th)  1     0     1     0  -  2
Providence Friars (9-15-4, 4-10-4 [2] HE 8th)   1     1     0     0  -  2
(Providence wins shootout, 2-0)
FIRST PERIOD                                                          MC-PC
1. MC1, Daryl Krauss 6 (Martin Laroche, Mark Goble), 7:40.             1-0
2. PC1, Chad Quenneville 13 (Brady Kramer, Hal Gill), 17:32.           1-1
SECOND PERIOD
3. PC2, Stefan Brannare 14 (Quenneville, Kramer), 14:21.               1-2
THIRD PERIOD
4. MC2, Mark Cornforth 8 (Eric Weichselbaumer, Matt Adams), 10:53. PPG 2-2
OVERTIME
No scoring.
SHOOTOUT
MC: 1 Beck, 2 Cornforth, 3 Goble, 4 Poirier
PC: 1 Quenneville (goal), 2 Kramer, 3 LaVarre, 4 Burke (goal)
SHOTS ON GOAL: Merrimack    9-14-10--6 = 39
               Providence  10--9--9--1 = 29
SAVES: MC, Martin Legault (T, 65:00, 6-11-4, 29 sh-27 sv).
       PC, Bob Bell (T, 65:00, 2-4-1, 39 sh-37 sv).
POWER PLAYS: MC 1 for 6.  PC 0 for 5.
PENALTIES: MC 5/10.  PC 6/12.
REFEREES: Jim Fitzgerald, Bob Fowkes. LINESMAN: Bill Jones.
ATTENDANCE: 874 (capacity 3,000).
THREE STARS: 1. LW Chad Quenneville, PC (1-1--2, SO goal).
             2. G Bob Bell, PC (39 sh-37 sv, 4 sh-4 sv in SO).
             3. G Martin Legault, MC (29 sh-27 sv, 4 sh-2 sv in SO).
 
Mark Cornforth's power play goal with 9:07 left in the third period
enabled Merrimack to tie Providence, 2-2.  The teams played a scoreless
overtime before the Friars won the shootout after four rounds, 2-0,
on the strength of shootout goals by Chad Quenneville and Dennis Burke.
 
Quenneville, one of the more exciting players in Hockey East, also
figured in both of the Friars' regulation goals with a goal and an
assist to earn the number one star.  Linemate Brady Kramer contributed
two assists, and goaltender Bob Bell came up with his second strong
performance of the weekend to pick up the second star (37 saves).
Bell also appeared in relief of Dan Dennis Friday night against Maine
and stopped all ten shots he faced in PC's 5-2 loss.  That showing
is likely what earned him the start tonight, and he made the most of it.
 
Merrimack was led by the defensive play of Dan Hodge and Steve McKenna,
as well as goalie Martin Legault who has now made three straight starts
without allowing more than two goals.  The competition Eric Thibeault
has provided seems to have Legault on top of his game.
 
However, despite the low score, both teams were rather snakebitten much
of the night.  But you can credit the defensive play of both teams for
that too.  And despite the close score and the shootout, it was actually
quite a boring game to watch until midway through the third.  These
are two evenly matched teams (two ties in three meetings) who are also
both struggling to move up from the bottom of the league.
 
A plus for Merrimack was that it remained unbeaten in overtime over the
last three years, now 8-0-9.  This may be the longest such streak in
DivI.  The Warriors are also 8-1-7 in league OT games since joining HE.
 
FIRST PERIOD
PC's first line of Quenneville-Brannare-Kramer would be the most
impressive for either team, constantly getting great chances right from
the start.  But Merrimack got on the board first at 7:40 when Daryl
Krauss and Martin Laroche worked a nice 2x1 that Bell had no chance
on.  Laroche drew Bell out and fed Krauss for the goal - a nice move
by the talented freshman.
 
Soon after the goal, PC suffered a setback when Erik Sundquist was
hammered by Claudio Peca on a play that drew Peca an interference
call, and Sundquist had to be helped off the ice.  It appeared that
he was hit in the same shoulder that has been giving him trouble this
year and kept him out of the lineup for 13 of PC's 28 games.  I don't
believe Sundquist returned.
 
The Friars tied the score at 17:32 on a rebound goal by Quenneville.
Gill's shot from the point was stopped, and after Legault made another
save off of Kramer, Quenneville was able to deposit the puck for his
13th goal of the year.
 
SECOND
Bell had to make several big stops to keep the game tied early on,
and PC effectively killed off a pair of MC power plays.  Then while
Merrimack was killing a penalty, a golden 3x1 shorthanded attempt
went nowhere when the Warriors did not even get a shot off.
 
PC scored just 17 seconds after the penalty expired to go up 2-1.
Merrimack had three defensemen on the ice as a result of the penalty's
expiration and continued pressure by PC, but no one could get to
Brannare as he waited at the opposite side of the net, took a cross
slot feed from Quenneville and easily beat Legault.
 
The most exciting part of the game may have come during the intermission
when a kid won a plane ticket to Florida during the shootout promotion.
 
THIRD
Halfway through the period, good pressure by Merrimack led to a Friar
penalty and a power play on which the Warriors would score the game-tying
goal.  Cornforth's shot from the blueline sailed past Bell to tie
it at 2-2 with 9:07 left.
 
PC had a man advantage soon afterward and the top unit, including
Quenneville and Kramer, were swarming but the MC D did a good job of
clearing the rebounds and killing it off.  Then with under six minutes
left, Brannare had a great chance to give PC the lead, but he could
not get off a solid shot from ten feet out and Legault covered it.
 
OVERTIME
Not much here, except that Quenneville's line was working hard to
try to win it but the bigger Merrimack D would not allow them more
than one shot in the extra session.  Merrimack outshot the Friars
6-1, with two shots coming off the stick of Cornforth with seconds
left.
 
SHOOTOUT
Bell stopped all four Merrimack shooters he faced - quite easily, too.
Quenneville scored on PC's first shot, and then Dennis Burke's goal
on the fourth round ended it with PC ahead 2-0.  Merrimack's best
chance came when Gaetan Poirier appeared to have beaten Bell on a low
shot that the Merrimack bench felt had deflected off of Bell and gone
in, but referee Jim Fitzgerald quickly (and correctly) ruled that
Poirier had taken a second whack at the puck and so the goal did not
count.
 
POSTGAME
It was almost imperative that PC come away with some points, because
they are currently in 8th just behind Merrimack and also had lost
their last 5 at home.  Bell's performance has to give him confidence,
and the play of the defense was superb in front of him.  Brannare has
really developed into a solid first line center working with Kramer
and Quenneville, and they had most of PC's better chances tonight.
 
Merrimack also needed some points, and they got two, so the weekend
was not totally a lost cause although the players seemed disappointed
with the tie.  Only 7 games remain, and it is going to take a lot for
the Warriors to make a significant jump in the standings.  They
pretty much needed a sweep to still have a hope at home ice, but now
it appears the only way that will happen is if they finish 8th and
host the 8 vs 9 game - something they certainly do not want to do.
 
Senior D Dan Hodge's leadership was impressive in the final few
minutes.  First he skated by the bench yelling, "Enough!" when some
teammates tossed some negative comments the way of the referees
after an icing call they disagreed with.  Then he twice got back
to break up rushes and also fired several good, hard shots from
the point as Merrimack pressed during the final minutes of the third.
If the best way to lead is by example, Hodge certainly did that
this evening.
 
Ron Anderson's utilization of his players was interesting tonight.
First, Poirier was moved from center, where he has been struggling
on faceoffs, to wing and put with Laroche - who has looked better
and better each game.  Some lines were juggled throughout the game
with fourth liners Krauss and Marszalek used in place of players
from the top three lines on a regular basis right from the start.
 
He clearly seems to be looking for a combination that can produce
goals, an area in which the Warriors have had severe difficulties.
Eric Weichselbaumer dressed as a seventh D and through the first
two periods, he tended to only appear on the power play manning
the point with Cornforth.  But in the third, Anderson moved big D
John Jakopin to forward with Poirier and Laroche in an attempt to get
some size up there and had Weichselbaumer take a regular shift at D
in Jakopin's place.  The result seemed to be more chances, but still
the only goal came on the power play.
 
One way or another, the Warriors need to find a way to score some
goals down the stretch.
 
NEXT
PC plays at Beanpot participant NU Friday night in their only game
of next weekend.
 
Merrimack hosts Mass Amherst Friday night, then will play at Maine
Sunday evening.
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93