Taken from the Lawrence (Mass.) Eagle-Tribune, Monday, 01/09/95
 
MERRIMACK MUST KEEP SCORE LOW, SCORERS STRUGGLE
by Bill Burt
 
NORTH ANDOVER - Merrimack College hockey coach Ron Anderson has thrown
in the towel.  The crying towel that is.
 
His Merrimack College hockey team can't score goals.
 
He has accepted it.
 
"I would rather play a 0-0 game and see what happens," said Anderson,
after his team's 3-3 tie with the University of New Hampshire last
night (Merrimack won the Hockey East shootout, 3-to-2).
 
"We can't get into a 7-6 game.  If an opponent scores more than four
goals we can't win," Anderson said simply.  "If it's four or less,
we're in it."
 
Anderson is frustrated.  He is frustrated because his team, now 3-6-3
in Hockey East, is so close.
 
Merrimack has competed in virtually every game this winter.  It has lost
five one-goal games.  It has been outscored only 79 to 68. [now 82-71.
- mike]  And it still has yet to lose an overtime game as a six-year
Hockey East member.  [actually, they lost one to Northeastern, 6-5, on
02/22/92. But they are 8-0-8 in overall OT games the last three
seasons. - mike]
 
Anderson has eight "rock solid" defenseman regularly vying for six slots.
And he has 12 steady to solid forwards vying for nine spots.
 
"What it has done is to bring on some competition," Anderson said.  "If
guys get injured we have guys that can fill in.  But if everyone is
healthy, then some guys will have to sit.  It's been good for a lot of
guys."
 
Anderson has what some feel is one of the three best goalies in Hockey
East in Martin Legault (out with sore knees).  And, if last night proved
anything, it proved Anderson may not have to hold his breath and cross
his fingers when backup Eric Thibeault (38 saves; No. 1 star) fills in
for Legault.
 
The Warriors have never had so much going for them, besides, of course,
the object of the game - putting the puck in the net.
 
"They can beat anybody," said UNH coach Dick Umile.  "For two years
they've had the goaltending."
 
And their scoring?
 
Umile mentioned Matt Adams and Mark Cornforth, a *defenseman*, before
being stumped.  Then he politely tried to change the subject with
generalities.
 
"They can score," said Umile.  "I know they scored two goals when we
were leading 2-0.  And then they tied it up at 3-3."
 
Merrimack has scored more than four goals only four times in 13 games,
twice in Hockey East games (both losses).
 
Anderson knows what the problem is.
 
"It's confidence," said Anderson.  "We have a lot of guys on this team
that are struggling with being a goal scorer.  They make the plays and
have opportunities to score, but..."
 
Instead of hitting twine, their shots hit goalies in the tummy.  Really.
 
When the opposing goalie is down on his side, Merrimack forwards have
trouble lifting the puck a few feet in the air.  It happened twice last
night.
 
It causes a headache for Anderson if he thinks about it too much.
 
"The thing is, most of these guys were the leading scorers on their
(junior and prep school) teams," said Anderson.  "Believe me, I saw
them score when they were being recruited.  Things are different at this
level.  Sometimes it takes guys a few years."
 
Anderson will continue to preach back-checking and team defense.  Keep
it close and hope for the best.
 
Maybe someone will break out of it, score a hat trick, and lead Merrimack
to a fun 10-3 win.
 
Maybe next year.
 
END
 
COMMENTS
This isn't anything that isn't already known by anyone who has even remotely
followed the team the last few years.  Since Dan Gravelle and Teal Fowler
graduated in 1993, there has not been anyone who either can be categorized
as a sniper (Gravelle) or who has a knack for going out and getting the big
goal (Fowler).
 
On the other hand, the team defense and goaltending has improved dramatically
to the point that team GAA is below 4.00 (3.90 entering UNH) for the first
time in six years.
 
An important point is that most of the players with good offensive potential
are either in their first or second years on this team.  Dave Hendrickson
and I have noted in the past how it seems to be typical for most college
players to take until their junior year before they suddenly take the next
step to becoming players who can put the puck in the net.
 
Looking at the recruiting classes of the last two seasons, Merrimack has
brought in more players who have demonstrated an early ability to score than
at any time since they entered Hockey East in 1989.  This year, those players
have included Casey Kesselring (21 GP, 10-10--20), Martin Laroche (20 GP,
5-5--10), and Gaetan Poirier (16 GP, 5-4--9).
 
Last year's recruits and their performances this season include: Rob Beck
(21 GP, 10-8--18), Tom Johnson (21 GP, 4-9--13), and Claudio Peca (20 GP,
4-6--10).  Peca is technically a junior this season, as is Daryl Krauss
(17 GP, 3-3--6), who has been partially hampered by injuries this year.
 
Among the upperclassmen (in their third or fourth year), only Matt Adams
(senior, 21 GP, 11-13--24, leading goal scorer and point getter) has made a
significant impact on the offense.
 
So there is room for improvement and there are players who can be looked to
for the future in the area of increased production, most notably Beck,
Kesselring, Poirier, Laroche, and Johnson.  In particular, Kesselring has
shone in his rookie campaign, Beck has developed into the offensive threat
he was projected to be, and Poirier has rebounded from a first semester
injury to start scoring goals and take advantage of his good size along
the boards.
 
But the key to their hopes today still lies with the defense.  As the D
goes, so goes Merrimack.  Anderson is (of course) right in saying that
they cannot afford to get into wide-open shootouts where they throw
caution to the wind in the defensive zone.  I remain a firm believer
in the philosophy of strong play in front of your goaltender above all
else.  Most good scoring plays come off of turnovers where you break up
plays in your end and turn it around quickly, catching the opposing forwards
up ice.  Good defense leads to good offense.  Merrimack relies on its
defense to start the play and give its forwards something to work with.
From that point, as Anderson says, you see what happens.
 
DROP THE PUCK
BTW, a quick plug for the 01/06/95 issue of DTP where Kerby Meyers has
an excellent cover story on Merrimack's Matt Adams.  Kerby draws the
connection between Matt and Michigan, a school and state his family has
ties to, and every game Matty's mom can be seen up in the stands with her
blue and gold "M" blanket in her lap.  She was also one of our biggest
supporters when we had a radio deal, so I have to mention her here. :-)
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                                            [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                    *HMM* 11/13/93