ctron's connection to the outside world seems to be hosed, so I am
using this other account.
Friday, February 3, 1995 at Matthews Arena, Boston, MA
HOCKEY EAST GAME
Merrimack Warriors (11-13-4, 4-8-4 [3] HE 7th) 0 0 3 - 3
Northeastern Huskies (12-10-4, 8-6-4 [4] HE 3rd) 3 1 3 - 7
FIRST PERIOD NU-MC
1. NU1, Mike Collett 5 (Francois Bouchard, J.F. Aube), 0:55. 1-0
2. NU2, Jordon Shields 15 (unassisted), 5:57. 2-0
3. NU3, Bouchard 4 (Dan McGillis), 12:52. PPG 3-0
SECOND PERIOD
4. NU4, McGillis 8 (Collett), 10:11. 4x4 GWG 4-0
THIRD PERIOD
5. NU5, Aube 17 (McGillis, Jason Kelly), 1:17. PPG 5-0
6. NU6, Geoff Lucas 5 (unassisted), 2:09. 6-0
7. NU7, Shields 16 (Jason Melong, Dan Lupo), 2:32. 7-0
8. MC1, Tom Johnson 5 (Claudio Peca, Gaetan Poirier), 5:08. PPG 7-1
9. MC2, Mark Goble 5 (unassisted), 6:05. 7-2
10. MC3, Martin Laroche 7 (Matt Adams, Daryl Krauss), 10:41. PPG 7-3
SHOTS ON GOAL: Merrimack 12-11-13 = 36
Northeastern 8-17--9 = 34
SAVES: MC, Eric Thibeault (L, 5-2-1, 60:00, 34 sh-27 sv).
NU, Mike Veisor (W, 8-2-2, 60:00, 36 sh-33 sv).
POWER PLAYS: MC 2 for 9. NU 2 for 6.
PENALTIES: MC 10/20. NU 12/24.
REFEREES: Jeff Bunyon, Jim Fitzgerald. LINESMAN: Michael Watson.
ATTENDANCE: 1,332 (capacity 6,000).
THREE STARS: 1. D Dan McGillis, Northeastern (1-2--3, GWG).
2. LW Jordon Shields, Northeastern (2-0--2).
3. G Mike Veisor, Northeastern (36 sh-33 sv).
Northeastern built a 3-0 lead after one and 4-0 after two, and rolled
to an easy 7-3 win over visiting Merrimack. Jordon Shields led the
way with two goals, while defenseman Dan McGillis chipped in with a
goal and two assists. Goalie Mike Veisor returned to action for the
first time since January 7th and stopped 33 of 36 shots to earn the
win.
This was an odd game, as Merrimack would outshoot the Huskies in the
first 12-8 but went down 3-0. Merrimack outshot NU in two of the
three periods and 36-34 for the game. Three goals in 1:15 early in
the third turned the game into a blowout at 7-0 before Merrimack
responded with the game's last three goals.
In completing its demolition of the Merrimack Valley teams (MC and
UML), Northeastern has won three straight and outscored the opponents
21-4 in those three games. Quite a way to tune up for Monday's
Beanpot matchup with Boston University. The three game win streak
comes after the Huskies had gone 1-6-2 in their 9 games prior to
sweeping Lowell last weekend.
FIRST PERIOD
NU won this game in the first period with three goals on 8 shots,
although the Huskies weren't particularly dominating in the stanza.
But Merrimack goalie Eric Thibeault had a rough night and his defense
did not play well in front of him when it counted.
NU started the rout just 55 seconds in when Mike Collett was uncovered
in the slot and took a feed from J.F. Aube, burying it upstairs. The
Huskies made it 2-0 at 5:57 on Shields' first of the night, an unassisted
goal. Shields stole the puck in the zone, skated to the top of the
circle and let go a shot that beat Thibeault through the five-hole.
Despite being on the short end of the shot totals, NU had much better
offensive chances and could have had a few more goals. On a give and
go, Collett fed Tom Parlon who had the net wide open but hit the pipe.
Then a bad giveaway by Merrimack resulted in Parlon feeding Scott
Campbell with Thibeault down and out, but Campbell was not able to get
off a good shot and Thibeault dove and covered the puck.
NU was working hard and muscling the puck away from the Warriors even
on the occasions that they would lose the draw, meaning that it tended
to be the smaller but faster and more skilled Huskies who carried the
play. Merrimack wasn't able to play its usual physical style,
especially in front of Thibeault - perhaps because NU kept moving
the puck quickly and the Warriors were not able to keep up.
NU scored a power play goal at 12:52 to put Merrimack in a deep hole
when Francois Bouchard took a pass from McGillis and scored on a
shot from the point. Thibeault appeared to see the puck, but Bouchard
may have one of the best shots in HE.
Most of Merrimack's shots came near the tail end of the period on
golden chances that could have gotten them back in the game, but Veisor
came up big. First, he made a nice glove save off of Matt Adams
when the speedy winger broke up the left side off a faceoff in the
MC end. Then with MC on the power play, Veisor first caught a break
when Claudio Peca hit the post, but when Tom Johnson found himself
with the rebound and most of the net to shoot at, Veisor got his glove
up and was able to snare it on Johnson's bid.
The Warriors had a lot of trouble for the most part creating plays
when they had the puck. NU played strong defense in front of Veisor
and Merrimack wasn't able to create a presence around the net. They
were also guilty of standing still when one of their own had the puck,
like when Casey Kesselring was wheeling and dealing in the zone,
looking for someone to pass to, but all of the other four guys just
watched him.
SECOND PERIOD
Merrimack regrouped to have a better second. They were outshot 17-11,
but defensively they played much better and hung in there. Again,
however, chances were squandered - like when Mark Goble had a rebound
and an open net but misfired. NU had its chances, too; Shields shot
a rebound wide with Thibeault down.
The next goal in the game was bound to be big. It was still relatively
evenly played, and if Merrimack could have gotten the momentum to
switch to its side, it might have been a whole new game. But that
next goal went to NU on a 4x4 that should have been a Merrimack power
play. A delayed penalty was being called on NU, but as the whistle
blew, MC D Dan Hodge leveled a man and also went off for charging.
On the 4x4, Collett passed the puck out of the corner to McGillis
at the point, and he wristed a bullet just inside the top corner for his
8th of the year and a 4-0 lead.
Merrimack had a 5x3 late in the period after Veisor tied the puck up
behind the net and was called for delay of game, but despite moving the
puck well, they weren't able to score.
THIRD PERIOD
The score was still respectable when the final period started, but
by the 2:32 mark, it was suddenly 7-0 and the rout was on. The
Huskies picked up goal number 5 at 1:17 on the power play as Aube's
slow roller from the side of the net found its way in. Then at 2:09,
Geoff Lucas made it 6-0 when he picked up a loose puck and beat
Thibeault upstairs. 23 seconds later, Shields scored his second
of the night on a bang-bang play involving Jason Melong and Dan Lupo
where the Huskies moved the puck down low quickly and as Merrimack
scrambled to cover them, Shields became open and received the pass
from Melong, easily converting.
It would be too little too late, but Merrimack played its best hockey
of the game the rest of the way, scoring three times and finally
hitting hard and often - perhaps out of frustration, but either way,
it could have been a different game if they had come out of the blocks
with that kind of determination. Of course, NU also knew it had the
game in the bag at 7-0.
The Warriors broke a 7 period HE scoreless streak at 5:08 when Johnson's
roller beat Veisor through the pads. Less than a minute later, Goble
was credited with the goal that made it 7-2 when a centering pass from
behind the net was inadvertently knocked in either by Veisor or a
defender. And at 10:41, the Warriors picked up their second PPG of
the night as Martin Laroche poked in a feed from Adams. The goal came
on a delayed call as well, and since it wiped out the previous penalty
and resulted in a new 2:00 being put on the board, Merrimack could
have made it interesting again with another goal. But halfway through
the next power play, Merrimack took a penalty of their own and that
was just about it.
NU would be outshot 13-9 in the period, but after the 3rd Merrimack
goal, the Huskies buckled down and shut the door the rest of the way.
POSTGAME
A disappointing first 2 periods plus by Merrimack, especially since
this was their return to HE play and a win would have helped them
keep pace with BC and UML. But NU dictated the play through the
first two periods, taking advantage of their skill and playmaking to
neutralize the Merrimack defense.
Thibeault got his second straight start in the Merrimack net, a
surprise since it appeared that we'd at least see a rotation of
Legault and then him - but he did not have a good night in giving
up his highest goals-against total of the year. Several of the goals
appeared stoppable, although others like the one from McGillis were
just rockets. Still, he played well in the second in keeping MC
in the game until the quick 3 goals to start the third put it out
of reach.
It is no secret that Merrimack cannot win games if they give up a
lot of goals. The defense was much too passive in the first when
they might have prevented some of the goals by playing tough with
the Huskie forwards as they swarmed around the net.
NU seems to be gearing up for a stretch run as well as the Beanpot,
as they have posted three straight impressive wins. The key biscuit-
buriers like Shields and Aube have begun to do their thing, and
Bouchard and McGillis have anchored the defense well at both ends.
McGillis was a deserving first star, both for his three points and
for the way he wouldn't let opposing forwards get near Veisor. The
Huskies relaxed a bit once it got to 7-0, but that's understandable.
Merrimack needs to regroup and carry over its play in the last 15
minutes of the third to Saturday's key matchup at Providence. A
loss would drop MC to 8th, but a win would keep them four points
behind BC and possibly 2 points behind UML depending on what UML
does vs Maine Saturday.
At this point, it would only take a losing streak of several games
for the Warriors to find themselves mired in 8th and headed towards
a meeting with UMass-Amherst - and a longer losing streak could
mean a road trip to UMA for the 8 vs 9 game on March 7th.
NEXT
Northeastern is off until Monday, when they meet BU in the opening
round of the Beanpot at Boston Garden at 6 pm. The Huskies host
PC on 2/10.
Merrimack is scheduled to play at PC Sat night at 7 pm, but storm
warnings for the Boston area could wreak havoc with the HE schedule.
Stay tuned.
--- ---
Mike Machnik [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc. *HMM* 11/13/93
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