Saturday, March 6, 1993 at Tully Forum, Billerica, MA
HOCKEY EAST GAME
Merrimack Warriors (14-18-2, 8-16-0 HE 6th) 1 2 1 1 - 5
UMass-Lowell Chiefs (18-16-1, 10-13-1 HE 4th) 1 1 2 0 - 4
FIRST PERIOD MC-ML
1. MC1, Wayde McMillan 16 (unassisted), 1:17. 1-0
2. ML1, Christian Sbrocca 7 (Kerry Angus), 13:09. PPG 1-1
SECOND PERIOD
3. MC2, John Barron 7 (unassisted), 3:58. 2-1
4. ML2, Dave Pensa 14 (Tim Smallwood, Jeff Daw), 4:55. 2-2
5. MC3, McMillan 17 (Dan Hodge, Jim Gibson), 14:32. PPG 3-2
THIRD PERIOD
6. ML3, Ian Hebert 9 (Gerry Daley, Sbrocca), 4:28. 3-3
7. ML4, Daw 11 (Pensa), 11:42. 3-4
8. MC4, Mark Goble 11 (Dan Gravelle, Teal Fowler), 18:00. 6x4 4-4
OVERTIME
9. MC5, Goble 12 (McMillan, Gibson), 0:41. GWG 5-4
SHOTS ON GOAL: Merrimack 8-17-15--1 = 41
UMass-Lowell 13-11-16--0 = 40
SAVES: MC, Mike Doneghey (W, 13-13-1, 60:13, 40 sh-36 sv).
UML, Dwayne Roloson (L, 18-16-1, 60:41, 41-36).
POWER PLAYS: MC 2 for 7. UML 1 for 3.
PENALTIES: MC 9/18. UML 13/26.
REFEREES: Frank Cole, Steve McBride. LINESMAN: Bill Jones.
ATTENDANCE: 1,886.
THREE STARS: 1. RW Mark Goble, Merrimack (2-0--2, GWG).
2. G Dwayne Roloson, UMass-Lowell (41 sh-36 sv).
3. C Wayde McMillan, Merrimack (2-1--3).
Mark Goble's goal 41 seconds into overtime gave Merrimack a 5-4 come-from-
behind win over host UMass-Lowell and vaulted the Warriors over Boston
College into 6th place in the final game of the season. As a result,
Merrimack will travel to third-place UNH for the quarterfinals and BC will
play at BU. Had the game remained a tie or Lowell pulled out the win,
Merrimack would have gone to BU instead. The Warriors are 0-4-0 vs BU, but
they are 1-2-0 vs UNH.
Goble also scored the game-tying goal with 2:00 left and goalie Mike
Doneghey on the bench. As if that weren't enough, he had scored a goal
with 5:15 left that would have tied it, but the goal was waved off. His
linemate Wayde McMillan added two goals in the game and got a helper on
Goble's winner.
The win was also significant for several other reasons. First, Merrimack
remained unbeaten in overtime this year at 4-0-2 (4-0-0 in HE) while
Lowell fell to 0-3-1. The Warriors equalled their previous best winning
percentage in HE, .333, but the win gave them 8 on the year (8-16-0),
the most games Merrimack has won since joining HE. They went to 14-18-2
overall, the most games Merrimack has won in a season since joining HE
and DivI full-time. Also, taking away games vs. Maine and BU, Merrimack
went .500 against the rest of HE this year at 8-8-0. After starting the
season 1-9-0 and firmly entrenched in last, Merrimack went 7-7-0 the rest
of the way (7-3-0 not including Maine/BU) and climbed from last to 6th.
Merrimack took the season series from UML, 2-1-0, for the first time since
joining HE, and since they also took the season series from PC (and tied
with NU), they took 2 season series for the first time as well.
THE GAME
The Chiefs used the occasion of their last regular season home game to
honor their seniors which is always nice, but the canned cheering played
over the PA after each player was announced was strange. Each senior
presented his parents with a corsage and a framed picture of him in a
Chiefs' uniform. The Lowell fans also used the occasion to take a few jabs
at Merrimack senior defenseman Matt Hayes, playing for the last time at
Lowell. Hayes is a transfer from Lowell, making him a traitor of the
highest degree to Lowell fans, and they jeered him all night as well as
having a sign that read farewell to him.
Merrimack came out strong and skating well, and they took the lead just
1:17 in. Off a faceoff to Roloson's left, McMillan won it and tried to
center to Jim Gibson who was breaking to the net, but the puck went off
of a defenseman's skate and through the pads of Roloson. At first it
appeared to have gone off of Gibson's skate, but a replay showed otherwise
and the goal was changed to McMillan. On the air, I announced that it was
Gibson's 13th goal but not an unlucky 13, and when they changed it, Dan
commented that it turned out to be unlucky after all since he had it taken
away. :-)
The Warriors were also continuing their strong defensive play early on.
Lowell looked to have a break when Dan O'Connell came in alone, but
three players quickly got back and Don MacLeod, who had a strong game
and was hitting all over the ice, rode O'Connell off the puck. Both
goalies played well in the game, but Roloson shone early, as he stopped
Goble on a breakaway after Goble had blown by two defenders at the blue
line and walked in, but although he tried to put on a fake, Roloson
stayed with him. Later, O'Connell fed Shane Henry (53 points) right in
front but Doneghey made the save, and then Roloson did the same on an
identical setup to Gravelle. Lowell's leading scorers, Henry and Mike
Murray (50 points), were kept off the board in the game.
Lowell tied it on the power play at 13:09 when Merrimack was unable to
clear the puck. Guy Ragault's clearing attempt came right to Kerry Angus
at the point, and Christian Sbrocca put in the rebound of Angus' shot.
Merrimack's biggest problem all night was their inability to clear the
puck in key situations, and this resulted in 3 goals against. The period
ended 1-1.
Early in the second, John Barron gave Merrimack the lead at 3:58 when he
stole the puck in front of Roloson and beat the goalie before he knew
what had happened; Roloson seemed shocked that his D would give up the puck
right in front of him. But the Chiefs came right back less than a minute
later, at 4:55, when Dave Pensa deflected a shot by Tim Smallwood past
Doneghey to tie it at 2-2.
7 minutes in, Teal Fowler, who entered the game with 123 penalty minutes
(20 short of the Merrimack season record; 18 short after tonight),
started a battle after the whistle when he hammered Roloson with a cross-
check after the goalie had gloved the puck off a shot from the outside.
Roloson was juggling the puck and Fowler apparently decided to try to
push both it and Roloson into the net. But oddly enough, after the
coincidental penalties cancelled out, Merrimack was left with a power play
due to a double minor to Sbrocca. Since Merrimack was already on a
man advantage, this put them up 5x3, but Lowell effectively killed it off
due mainly to aggressive forechecking that made it hard for Merrimack
to break out of their own end.
Merrimack took the lead at 14:32 on another power play when McMillan
tipped a shot by Dan Hodge through Roloson's pads for McMillan's 17th
goal of the year, as he leads the team in that category. The period
ended 3-2 Merrimack.
Both teams came out skating in the third, but Lowell carried the play
early on and Merrimack again had trouble clearing the puck. This allowed
the Chiefs to tie it up at 4:28 when Gerry Daley intercepted the puck
and put a quick shot on, and Ian Hebert followed it up with a goal. Not
long after, Merrimack had the puck in the Chiefs' end and McBride's arm
shot up to signal a penalty. Doneghey skated to the bench and the Warriors
tried to set up for a shot. Lowell got control and the whistle blew -
then, McBride sent Merrimack's Goble to the box instead all alone. Don't
ask me to explain. McBride did not have a good night.
Merrimack killed that off, but Lowell would take the lead at 11:42 when
again Merrimack could not clear the puck. Pensa got it and fed Jeff Daw
for a shot that beat Doneghey to the short side, Daw's 11th, and in a
game the Warriors needed to win, they found themselves trailing 4-3 with
8 minutes left and were playing a very lackluster period. At this point,
Fowler's leadership took over, and the hustling captain led two rushes
up ice that didn't result in goals but helped turn around the momentum.
This is why he is so important to the team, despite his high penalty
total; his work ethic in the clutch tends to rub off.
At 14:45, Gibson had the puck in the left corner and passed to Goble in
front, and Goble beat Roloson to tie the game - or so it seemed. Referee
Frank Cole, who was watching the play from behind the net, was apparently
screened and didn't see the shot, and when he asked for help from McBride,
McBride waved off the goal, saying that Goble kicked it in. Of course,
the Warriors were livid. First, McBride was at center ice and behind the
play. Second, there was no way Goble kicked it in; he was about 15 feet
from the net and with the way the puck went from Goble to the net, it had
to have been a shot - and the replay showed this to be true; Goble seemed
to have stopped the pass with his skate, but then he unquestionably shot
it in with his stick.
Instead of having tied the game, Merrimack was still down by one, and
although this could have killed them, they kept up the pressure and
Lowell's Travis Tucker ended up taking an interference penalty with 3:46
left when he hammered Fowler away from the play. Fowler was down on the
ice in obvious pain, and while the trainer was trying to get out to him,
Roloson skated by him and nearly kicked him in the head. He only
succeeded in kicking Fowler's stick away from him, however. Fowler
skated off gingerly, favoring his left knee, but there would be no keeping
him on the bench, and he would play a big part in the *real* tying goal.
On the power play and down by one, coach Ron Anderson did an interesting
thing: he pulled goalie Doneghey with about two and a half minutes left
for an extra attacker to gain a 6x4 advantage. I say interesting because
Anderson had said in the pregame that the game wasn't quite as important
as everyone was making it out to be, yet he never pulls his goalie that
early, showing that maybe he did think it was important - or maybe he'd
changed his mind. :-) Either way, it turned out to be a brilliant move,
since his team scored to tie it at the 18:00 mark when Fowler fed Goble
in front for a one-timer. If anything, the goal was pure justice since
Goble had just had the tying goal taken away from him.
Doneghey returned to the net, and regulation ended with the game tied at
4-4. But as I said, Merrimack needed a win to take 6th, and we wondered
if we'd see Doneghey pulled late in the OT if it was still tied. But it
only took 41 seconds for Merrimack to win and vault over BC into 6th.
Gibson carried up the right side on a seemingly harmless play, and as
he reached the bottom of the circle, he passed in front to Goble who
appeared to be tied up on the play. But even though he was halfway
falling down, Goble somehow got his stick out and redirected the puck
past Roloson, and the entire Merrimack bench emptied onto the ice to mob
Goble and celebrate the win. Anderson stood by the door after shaking
hands with Lowell coach Bruce Crowder and made sure to congratulate each
of his players as they left the ice.
POSTGAME
Besides gaining 6th with the win and drawing UNH instead of BU, the win
takes Merrimack into the playoffs on a positive note. This was a game
they could have lost, but they displayed character in fighting back after
Lowell had taken the lead, and as long as they continue to do that,
anything can happen in the postseason. Good defense was again a key, and
the only thing Merrimack needs to concentrate on is making a better
effort to get the puck out of the zone; three of Lowell's four goals came
when they couldn't do that.
Although the game didn't affect Lowell's finish in the league, it would
have helped their quest to gain an NC$$ bid, and they probably need to at
least gain a sweep next weekend to merit serious consideration and might
even have to do better than that. Murray and Henry were very quiet
tonight, and if they are shut down next week, that will severely hamper
the Chiefs' chances of winning the series.
Both teams head into the Hockey East quarterfinals next Fri-Sat. Lowell
will host Providence, while Merrimack will play at UNH.
---
Mike Machnik [log in to unmask] Color Voice of the Merrimack Warriors
(Any opinions expressed above are strictly those of the poster.) *HMN*
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