Friday, December 4, 1992 at Volpe Complex, North Andover, MA
HOCKEY EAST GAME
Boston University Terriers (4-4-1, 2-3-0 HE)      1     3     1  -  5
Merrimack Warriors (5-7-1, 0-5-0 HE)              1     1     0  -  2
FIRST PERIOD                                                          BU-MC
1. MC1, Guy Ragault 2 (Rob Atkinson, Mark Cornforth), 5:32.            0-1
2. BU1, Steve Thornton 1 (Mike Bavis, Petteri Koskimaki), 14:44.       1-1
SECOND PERIOD
3. BU2, Doug Friedman 4 (Jay Pandolfo, Jacques Joubert), 6:04.         2-1
4. MC2, Dan Gravelle 9 (Teal Fowler, Ragault), 7:55.                   2-2
5. BU3, Mark Bavis 6 (David Sacco, Kaj Linna), 10:51.  5x3 GWG         3-2
6. BU4, Thornton 2 (unassisted), 18:53.  SHG                           4-2
THIRD PERIOD
7. BU5, Thornton 3 (Koskimaki), 19:01.  PPG                            5-2
SHOTS ON GOAL: Boston University   9-11-15 = 35
               Merrimack           5--8-10 = 23
SAVES: BU, Scott Cashman (W, 1-1-0, 60:00, 23 sh-21 sv).
       MC, Mike Doneghey (L, 4-3-0, 60:00, 35-30).
POWER PLAYS: BU 2 for 5.  Merrimack 0 for 5.
PENALTIES: BU 5/10.  Merrimack 5/10.
REFEREES: Jim Fitzgerald, Scott Leavitt.  LINESMAN: John Jones.
ATTENDANCE: 1,721.
THREE STARS: 1. BU, C Steve Thornton (3-0--3).
             2. BU, LW Mark Bavis (1-0--1).
             3. BU, G Scott Cashman (23 sh-21 sv).
 
Sophomore center Steve Thornton scored his first three goals of the year
for a hat trick to lead Boston University to a 5-2 win at Merrimack.
Although BU outshot Merrimack in each period, the game was played pretty
evenly with the difference being two power play goals and a shorthanded
goal, all by the Terriers after Merrimack had tied it at 2-2 in the
second.
 
Merrimack was led by the goal and assist performance of Guy Ragault,
who has been moved up to the top line, and by the 30 saves of goalie
Mike Doneghey who played well despite getting the loss.
 
This was the first time I had seen BU this season, and their offense
looked lethargic.  Defenseman Stephen Foster returned to the lineup for
the first time since suffering a separated shoulder against Northeastern
on November 13th, and that meant David Sacco could move back to center
from defense where he had filled in.  BU hoped that having Sacco back
centering the first line would provide an offensive spark, but the Terriers
were still only able to manage two goals at even strength against a
Merrimack team whose GAA through four Hockey East games was 10.25 coming
in.  While the Terrier defensemen are very capable in their own end, they
aren't able to provide the offensive firepower and playmaking like the
past few Terrier teams who had Tom Dion, Peter Ahola, Phil von Stefenelli,
etc.  This is clearly their Achilles' Heel.  They are hoping Chris
O'Sullivan of Catholic Memorial, who becomes eligible in January, will
help out a bit, but he's still a freshman and inexperienced.
 
Merrimack was on fire out of the blocks and dominated play early on.  At
5:32, Guy Ragault got the Warriors on the board during a line change when
he took a feed from Rob Atkinson and stuffed it by Scott Cashman.  BU
tied it with 5:16 left in the period on Thornton's first goal.  Mike
Bavis carried into the zone and was knocked off the puck, but Thornton
picked it up in the high slot and rifled it over Mike Doneghey's shoulder.
Petteri Koskimaki also received an assist on the goal, his 100th career
point.  The senior from Finland would get another assist on a Thornton
goal in the third to give him 47-54--101.  He broke out of the worst slump
of his career, as he remarkably had no points in seven games this year
prior to tonight.
 
The Terriers came out much more fired up in the second period, knocking
guys around and taking advantage of their size, and it paid off at 6:04.
Doug Friedman got a cross ice pass from the boards and rammed it by
Doneghey before the goalie could get over; no one was there to take
Friedman out of the play.  That 2-1 lead would only last 1:51 before
Dan Gravelle got the puck from Teal Fowler and beat Cashman to the short
side, over his left shoulder, for Gravelle's ninth goal of the season.
Fowler's assist gave him 4-9--13 in 9 games and since the senior captain
has returned to the lineup, he has been something of a spark.  Ron
Anderson said in the pre-game show that Fowler's hard work and dedication
make the other players work even harder, and it was clear to me as
Merrimack looked to be a much improved team as compared to the last time
I saw the Warriors in the disappointing 8-2 home loss to Northeastern.
 
Merrimack was called for too many men on the ice at 9:45 and went down
two men just 53 seconds later.  After John Barron and Kevin O'Sullivan
tangled near the blue line, Alex Weinrich hooked O'Sullivan down and
went off.  BU's power play, struggling at 14% coming in, wasted no time
clicking as the eventual game-winner came just 13 seconds later.  Mark
Bavis deflected a shot past Doneghey to make it 3-2, Bavis' sixth of the
year.  Doneghey then came up big on the ensuing 5x4 when he just plain
robbed Mike Pomichter on the doorstep and when Friedman went off for
elbowing at 17:30, the Warriors had their chance to tie it up again.  But
with a tired Merrimack unit trying to change up, Thornton carried up
the right side and blasted a shot from the top of the right circle that
beat Doneghey for a shorthanded goal at 18:53, putting BU up 4-2.
 
The third period saw both teams try to skate a little more as Merrimack
opened it up, but Cashman was strong and turned away all 10 shots he
faced.  Merrimack went on the power play halfway through the period
and nearly pulled within one when a loose puck came bouncing to Ragault
in the slot with the net wide open, but a split second before he could get
it, the puck was knocked away by a diving Terrier.  Doneghey made another
big save on a breakaway to keep it at 4-2, but Thornton got his hat trick
with 59 seconds left on the power play for the 5-2 final.
 
POSTGAME
Interesting note: this was the fifth time this season that BU played
against a team with a connection to the Terriers, as Merrimack coach Ron
Anderson played for BU in the early 80s.  The other four were RPI with
coach Buddy Powers (1975 grad), Northeastern (twice) with coach Ben Smith
(former nine year assistant to Parker), and Princeton with coach Don
Cahoon (former BU player/asst. under Parker).
 
Derek Herlofsky, who had emerged as the number one goalie for BU this
year, wrenched his back during a warmup drill last week.  I don't believe
he dressed tonight, and in fact he will not see any action this weekend
as J.P. McKersie will get the start tomorrow night.  In gaining the win,
Cashman now has an all-time record of 50-28-4.
 
BU PLAYERS IN INTERNATIONAL PLAY
According to the BU release, Mike Pomichter and Mike Prendergast have
been invited to play for US teams in upcoming international competition.
Pomichter will play for the US Junior Team at the World Junior
Championships in Gavle, Sweden later this month.  He will join the team
at a planning camp in Albany on December 14th and should return to the
US on January 5th.  He will miss four BU games - two in the Badger
Showdown and games vs Army and UMass-Lowell.  Prendergast, who was on
the US Junior Team last year, has been selected for a US Select Team
that will play vs Canadian and Moscow teams on December 19-20, and he
is not expected to miss any BU games.
 
[Does anyone know the schedule/location of the US Select games?  If they
are in Albany, depending on times, I might be interested in taking them
in.]
 
The teams meet again for the back end of the home-and-home Saturday
night at BU, where Merrimack has never won.
---
Mike Machnik    [log in to unmask]   Color Voice of the Merrimack Warriors
(Any opinions expressed above are strictly those of the poster.)    *HMN*