Friday, January 7, 1994 at Snively Arena, Durham, NH
HOCKEY EAST GAME
Merrimack Warriors (8-9-1, 1-6-1 HE) 0 1 2 - 3
New Hampshire Wildcats (14-3-1, 5-2-1 HE) 1 3 2 - 6
FIRST PERIOD NH-MC
1. NH1, Mike Sullivan 6 (Eric Flinton, Nick Poole), 3:58. 1-0
SECOND PERIOD
2. NH2, Eric Boguniecki 9 (Glenn Stewart, Tom Nolan), 2:25. 2-0
3. NH3, Sullivan 7 (Poole, Ted Russell), 3:38. 3-0
4. MC1, Cooper Naylor 8 (Rob Atkinson, Tom Costa), 8:13. 3-1
5. NH4, Russell 4 (Jason Dexter), 14:13. PPG GWG 4-1
THIRD PERIOD
6. MC2, Claudio Peca 6 (Jim Gibson, John Jakopin), 5:54. 4-2
7. NH5, Poole 7 (Flinton), 9:31. 5-2
8. MC3, Atkinson 12 (Dan Hodge, Naylor), 16:42. PPG 5-3
9. NH6, Dean Woodman 2 (unassisted), 18:58. ENG 6-3
SHOTS ON GOAL: Merrimack 16-10-17 = 43
New Hampshire 11-11--9 = 31
SAVES: MC, Martin Legault (59:29, L, 6-9-1, 30 sh-25 sv).
NH, Mike Heinke (60:00, W, 7-1-1, 43-40).
POWER PLAYS: MC 1 for 4. NH 1 for 3.
PENALTIES: MC 6/12. NH 7/14.
REFEREES: John Gravellese, Jim Fitzgerald. LINESMAN: Chuck Wynters.
ATTENDANCE: 3,130.
THREE STARS: 1. G Mike Heinke, NH (43 sh-40 sv).
2. RW Nick Poole, NH (1-2--3).
3. C Mike Sullivan, NH (2-0--2).
Mike Heinke was the story of the game as he stopped 40 of 43 shots to
lead UNH to a 6-3 win over Merrimack. Down 4-1 entering the third,
Merrimack poured it on with 17 shots on goal, but Heinke was outstanding
and enabled UNH to pull out the win in a game that was closer than
the score showed. Merrimack out-attempted UNH in shots, 70-56, but
a couple of mistakes that resulted in UNH goals was the difference, else
this game could have gone the other way.
UNH was without third leading scorer Eric Royal (7-10--17) who is out
indefinitely with a shoulder strain.
FIRST
The Wildcats got on the board at 3:58 when Tim Sullivan, playing first
line center, beat Martin Legault with a wrister from ten feet. UNH
was outshot 16-11 for the period, but Heinke was marvelous. Merrimack
started slowly and had trouble making plays, as several great scoring
chances were blown when forwards couldn't find the open man.
SECOND
UNH extended its lead to 3-0 quickly with early goals by freshman Eric
Boguniecki (9-9--18) and Sullivan. Boguniecki was uncovered in front
and converted a nice pass from Glenn Stewart at 2:25, and 1:13 later,
Sullivan got the puck from Poole off the boards and took advantage of
Merrimack's D being caught behind the net to easily beat Legault.
The Warriors started to turn things around and clicked on pretty plays
to generate high percentage shots, but with the way Heinke was playing,
it was looking like he was going to post a shutout. But at 8:13,
Merrimack got on the board when captain Cooper Naylor fired a blast
from the left circle for his 8th of the season. Naylor already has
more goals in 18 games this season than he had in 96 games over three
years.
Both teams' goalies came up with nice plays, as Legault stopped Tom
O'Brien on a cross-ice attempt, and then Heinke robbed Matt Adams on
a breakaway. Merrimack was pressing, but a questionable holding the
stick call on Rob Atkinson was made by referee Jim Fitzgerald at
14:13. A Wildcat player had his stick up around Atkinson's face and
the MC forward grabbed it to throw it out of the way, but Atkinson
ended up being called. This turned out to be key, since UNH scored
the eventual game-winner on the ensuing power play when D Ted Russell's
shot went through untouched from the blue line, and that cut short
the Merrimack momentum.
THIRD
The all-freshman line of Johnson-Krauss-Peca was having an outstanding
game for Merrimack, and they finally beat Heinke at 5:54 when Peca (6th)
fired a blast to Heinke's stick side from the left dot. That made it
interesting again at 4-2, but UNH came right back at 9:31 when MC D
John Jakopin fell down at center ice and Poole & Flinton went in on a
2x1, Poole converting the feed for his 7th.
But Merrimack didn't give up and in fact carried the play for the last
ten minutes, with Cornforth, Peca, and Johnson all being stoned by
Heinke. One of Heinke's strengths is being able to get across the
net quickly to use his pads to block shots, and several times Merrimack
players were left shaking their heads.
With Merrimack pressing, mistakes were bound to happen, and Cornforth
gave up the puck when he pulled up at the UNH blue line and attempted
a pass across the line, but it was intercepted and UNH went out on
a 3x0 - but shot it wide.
Merrimack nearly pulled with two on a power play of its own late in
the period, as Atkinson had an open net with Heinke down and out,
but Atkinson wasn't able to pull the trigger. But soon after,
Atkinson made up for that when his centering pass went in off Heinke
at 16:42 to make it 5-3. The Warriors continued to carry the play
but Heinke made a brilliant save when Naylor deflected a shot by
Krauss that appeared to be a sure goal. Merrimack pulled Legault
with about a minute and a half left, but the Wildcats iced the game
when freshman D Dean Woodman intercepted a pass at his blue line and
scored the empty-netter for the 6-3 final.
POSTGAME
With Royal out and the lines juggled, UNH seemed to have some trouble
connecting on passes and this might have hindered them some. The
defense is also very inexperienced and doesn't handle the puck well,
but when they get it up to the forwards, it's away we go. Although
the first line of Flinton-Sullivan-Poole garnered most of the points,
I felt that the line of Nolan-Stewart-Boguniecki was creating most of
the Wildcats' best chances. Boguniecki has to be considered a strong
candidate for the HE All-Rookie Team. He's UNH's only freshman forward,
and he is among their best.
Besides the all-freshman line for Merrimack, the first line of Naylor-
Atkinson-Adams had an outstanding final two periods after not playing
well in the first. Legault had about a B+ game in the Warrior net.
With the way they carried the play, Merrimack has to feel they have a
decent shot at upsetting the Wildcats in the return match Saturday,
but they'll have to cut back on the mistakes that UNH took advantage
of to build a three-goal lead after two.
UNH gained all three stars of the game, but that seemed a little unfair
to me with the way Merrimack dominated the third and parts of the second.
Peca played perhaps his best game as a Warrior, and Atkinson also had
a good night.
The teams meet again Saturday night at Merrimack's Volpe Center at
7:00 pm.
--- ---
Mike Machnik [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc. *HMM* 11/13/93
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