I won't repeat the details already posted by several Maine folks, but
here are the boxes and some comments of mine on the series. You didn't
expect me to be quiet just because Merrimack was beaten so badly, did
you? :-)
Friday, November 13, 1992 at Alfond Arena, Orono, ME
HOCKEY EAST GAME
Merrimack Warriors (4-2-1, 0-1-0 HE) 0 0 1 - 1
Maine Black Bears (5-0-1, 3-0-1 HE) 4 6 4 - 14
FIRST PERIOD UM-MC
1. UM1, Cal Ingraham 8 (Paul Kariya, Jim Montgomery), 0:14. 1-0
2. UM2, Eric Fenton 3 (Michel Latendresse, Patrice Tardif), 1:53. GWG 2-0
3. UM3, Chris Ferraro 5 (Latendresse, Jason Weinrich), 7:12. SHG 3-0
4. UM4, Latendresse 1 (Andy Silverman), 11:23. 4-0
SECOND PERIOD
5. UM5, Fenton 4 (Matt Martin, Kariya), 2:12. PPG 5-0
6. UM6, Montgomery 3 (Kariya, Chris Imes), 5:36. 6-0
7. UM7, Kent Salfi 2 (Peter Ferraro, Weinrich), 6:14. 7-0
8. UM8, Kariya 6 (Montgomery, Ingraham), 13:55. 8-0
9. UM9, Salfi 3 (P. Ferraro, C. Ferraro), 14:58. 9-0
10. UM10, Tardif 1 (Imes, Fenton), 16:29. 10-0
THIRD PERIOD
11. UM11, Dave LaCouture 1 (Martin Mercier), 4:26. 11-0
12. MC1, Bryan Miller 1 (Cooper Naylor, John Barron), 5:25. PPG 11-1
13. UM12, C. Ferraro 6 (Matt Martin), 8:59. 4x4 12-1
14. UM13, Fenton 5 (Latendresse, Tardif), 10:52. PPG 13-1
15. UM14, Salfi 4 (P. Ferraro), 18:27. SHG 14-1
SHOTS ON GOAL: Merrimack 3--4-13 = 20
Maine 17-15-13 = 45
SAVES: Merrimack, Dan Millar (L, 1-2-1, 31:01, 25 sh-19 sv),
Mike Doneghey (28:59, 20-12).
Maine, Mike Dunham (W, 4-0-0, 47:48, 14-13),
Greg Hirsch (12:12, 6-6).
POWER PLAYS: Merrimack 1 of 8. Maine 2 of 10.
PENALTIES: Merrimack 10/23. Maine 11/22.
REFEREES: Steve McBride, Rich Fowkes. LINESMAN: Andy Hennigar.
ATTENDANCE: 5,335.
THREE STARS: 1. Maine, C Eric Fenton (3-1--4).
2. Maine, RW Michel Latendresse (1-3--4).
3. Maine, LW Paul Kariya (1-3--4).
Saturday, November 14, 1992 at Alfond Arena, Orono, ME
HOCKEY EAST GAME
Merrimack Warriors (4-3-1, 0-2-0 HE) 0 0 2 - 2
Maine Black Bears (6-0-1, 4-0-1 HE) 3 3 5 - 11
FIRST PERIOD UM-MC
1. UM1, Cal Ingraham 9 (Jim Montgomery, Matt Martin), 0:26. 1-0
2. UM2, Ingraham 10 (Paul Kariya, Montgomery), 8:10. PPG 2-0
3. UM3, Kariya 7 (Martin, Montgomery), 11:25. 5x3 GWG 3-0
SECOND PERIOD
4. UM4, Chris Imes 2 (Eric Fenton, Michel Latendresse), 7:48. 4-0
5. UM5, Patrice Tardif 2 (Latendresse, Imes), 8:04. 5-0
6. UM6, Tardif 3 (Montgomery, Kariya), 15:07. 6-0
THIRD PERIOD
7. MC1, Dan Gravelle 4 (Matt Hayes, Wayde McMillan), 3:52. 6-1
8. UM7, Fenton 6 (Kariya, Ingraham), 9:08. PPG 7-1
9. MC2, Gravelle 5 (Mike Kelleher), 14:51. PPG 7-2
10. UM8, Montgomery 4 (Ingraham, Kariya), 15:23. 8-2
11. UM9, Tardif 4 (Latendresse, Fenton), 15:43. 9-2
12. UM10, Fenton 7 (Tardif), 18:33. 10-2
13. UM11, Lee Saunders 2 (Tardif), 19:54. PPG 11-2
SHOTS ON GOAL: Merrimack 8--8--5 = 21
Maine 20-20-15 = 55
SAVES: Merrimack, Mike Doneghey (L, 3-1-0, 45:15, 43 sh-34 sv),
Dan Millar (14:45, 12-10).
Maine, Garth Snow (W, 2-0-1, 49:35, 20-19),
Greg Hirsch (10:25, 1-0).
POWER PLAYS: Merrimack 1 of 6. Maine 4 of 11.
PENALTIES: Merrimack 14/28. Maine 10/20.
REFEREES: Ned Bunyon, John Gravellese. LINESMAN: Andy Hennigar.
ATTENDANCE: 5,345.
THREE STARS: 1. Maine, LW Paul Kariya (1-4--5).
2. Maine, LW Patrice Tardif (3-2--5).
3. Maine, D Chris Imes (1-1--2).
COMMENTS
If you're a Merrimack fan, you want to forget this weekend ever happened.
My view is, chalk it up to experience. Maine is a good team, and a loss
is a loss whether you lose 1-0 or 11-0. The key is whether the Warriors
can rebound from the weekend to play well against Northeastern next week.
Merrimack wasn't going to challenge Maine for the top spot anyway, and
knowing that Maine is going to win a significant percentage of their
league games and that Merrimack is still capable of beating every other
team in the league, it will be important to do well against everyone else
the rest of the way. There are still 20 other league games up for grabs,
in my estimation, since I think Merrimack can beat BU if they can return
to their pre-demolition form. Needless to say, I think it is more that
Maine is that good than Merrimack being that bad; something like this
never happened in the first year or two of Hockey East play, and Merrimack
was not nearly as good as they are now.
If you're a Maine fan, you have to wonder if this team is really this
good. We may find out next weekend when Maine plays a pair at BU, a team
that will prove to be more of a physical challenge for the Black Bears.
Maine has to be encouraged by the Terriers' 2-1 loss at Northeastern, but
BU will play tough in their own rink and may not allow the Maine forwards
to run wild like they did against Merrimack.
The difference I saw in Merrimack's play this weekend was that Friday,
at least, they were immediately set back being down 2-0 two minutes in
and played much more timidly than in their opening six games, when they
challenged teams like Western Michigan and RPI to beat them. They seemed
more taken to try to react to plays Maine made rather than force the play,
and Maine was all too happy to jump on those opportunities. When you
stand around and watch a talented guy like Paul Kariya pass the puck (and
he is fun to watch), he's going to beat you.
Saturday's game, as John Forsyth said, saw Merrimack play much better
early on and there was still a chance at a respectable final score until
Maine scored 5 times in the last 10:52. In the first period, despite
being down 3-0, Merrimack had allowed only one even strength goal and one
of the PPGs was a 5x3. It was still 3-0 into the second and Merrimack
began to press, but two goals in 16 seconds quickly made it 5-0. Goalie
Mike Doneghey was then pulled for Dan Millar. Millar played well, which
was good to see after the shellacking he took Friday (6 goals, most not
his fault). In 14:45, he allowed only two goals, one a PPG, and made 10
saves. Millar played the rest of the second and about half of the third,
then he was replaced by Doneghey who allowed the final four goals.
Merrimack made wholesale changes for Saturday's game, as Ron Anderson
chose to sit several forwards and move two defensemen to wing. As the
game went on, he continued to juggle lines, moving defenseman Dan Hodge
to center and playing D Mark Cornforth at wing as well. Almost every D
played forward at one time or another, as eight defensemen were actually
in the lineup (Bryan Miller and Matt Hayes started the game at forward).
Back to Maine, opponents will have three high-scoring lines to contend
with: Kariya-Montgomery-Ingraham, Salfi-Chris-Ferraro-Peter Ferraro,
and Tardif-Fenton-Latendresse. Listed on the third line, Latendresse
could play on most teams' top lines. The Black Bears have a collection
of forwards who can not only put the puck in the net, but pass as well
as any college team I have ever seen which makes them hard to defend;
they have scored six goals or more in six of their seven games. I don't
think there is any doubt that their forwards are the best in the country.
Best comment of the weekend was: who does Maine have next - Montreal or
Pittsburgh?
YOU NEVER KNOW...
I was a little surprised to find out that Maine coach Shawn Walsh had
made copies of my postings on earlier Merrimack games, highlighted
sections and placed them on team bulletin boards as examples of things
to watch for from Merrimack. For example, a section detailing the
improved Merrimack defense and its ability to step up into the play and
provide offensive output, i.e. Dan Hodge, was highlighted. So indirectly,
I guess I helped out Maine's scouting this weekend (not that the results
would have been any different). :-) This led me to suggest that maybe I
should start making up some stuff in the future...like picking one of
Merrimack's worst players and talking him up as the next Gretzky. :-)
Watch out in February, Shawn...you don't know what lies I may start making
up. :-) I think I heard about 3 JV players who have been scoring up a
storm and making a bid to get into the lineup...not to mention those two
suspended players who would have started the season on the top line and
are eligible again next semester...
At any rate, I guess I should be flattered that Shawn put enough stock in
my analysis to use it against the Warriors. He probably wishes I had more
of an involvement with a team like BU, though. :-)
STREAK BROKEN
Heather flew out here Friday night in time to watch the final period of
the 14-1 game on tape with me (a friend called me when it was 10-0 and
suggested I'd be better off turning the tv off and downing a few cold
ones). Remembering Providence's tie at Maine after getting blown out
the first night, I wondered if she might bring similar luck to the
Warriors when we drove up to Orono Saturday, and Merrimack did play much
better for her as I mentioned. But her unbeaten streak of 3-0-1 was
broken in what was probably the last Merrimack game she'll be able to see
until the New Year's Day Ice Bowl game with Union. Maybe it was for the
best...I warned her that if somehow her streak stayed alive, I'd have to
go out and kidnap her from her job next week for the Northeastern series.
Still, she had a great time and enjoyed seeing the way things are done
in Orono, and I expect we'll get to make the trip many more times over
the next 50 years or so. :-) And one of these days, we'll leave Orono
with a win...
---
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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