Saturday, January 23, 1993 at Volpe Complex, North Andover, MA
HOCKEY EAST GAME
Providence Friars (11-11-2, 4-8-2 HE 6th) 1 0 1 0 - 2
Merrimack Warriors (9-12-2, 3-10-0 HE 8th) 0 1 1 1 - 3
FIRST PERIOD MC-PC
1. PC1, Craig Darby 7 (Bob Cowan), 7:55. 0-1
SECOND PERIOD
2. MC1, Dan Hodge 1 (Cooper Naylor, Wayde McMillan), 6:26. PPG 1-1
THIRD PERIOD
3. PC2, Gary Socha 8 (Darby, Brian Ridolfi), 4:38. PPG 1-2
4. MC2, Teal Fowler 8 (Wayde McMillan), 19:57. 2-2
OVERTIME
5. *MC3, Hodge 2 (unassisted), 4:37. GWG 3-2
*-goal originally credited to Hodge but likely to be changed to Fowler
on the tipin.
SHOTS ON GOAL: Providence 10--5--6--2 = 23
Merrimack 10-14--8--7 = 39
SAVES: Providence, Brad Mullahy (L, 5-6-1, 64:37, 39 sh-36 sv).
Merrimack, Mike Doneghey (W, 8-7-1, 63:23, 23-21).
POWER PLAYS: Providence 1 for 3. Merrimack 1 for 3.
PENALTIES: Providence 10/20. Merrimack 10/28.
REFEREES: Steve McBride, Bob Fowkes. LINESMAN: Tim Benedetto.
ATTENDANCE: 892.
THREE STARS: 1. D Dan Hodge, Merrimack (2-0--2 or 1-1--2).
2. G Mike Doneghey, Merrimack (23 sh-21 sv).
3. G Brad Mullahy, PC (39 sh-26 sv).
In a game that appeared to go to PC by a 2-1 score, Merrimack snatched
victory from the jaws of defeat when Teal Fowler banged in a centering
pass from Wayde McMillan with 3 seconds left to force overtime, and then
defenseman Dan Hodge scored the winner with 23 ticks left in the extra
session when he blocked a clearing attempt at the point and shot the
puck at the net. As noted above, Hodge's shot appeared to deflect in
off of Fowler, who was screening Brad Mullahy, but it was originally
given to Hodge. There was a clear deflection and Fowler has the bruise
on his hand to show where the puck hit him, so I am guessing it will end
up going to Fowler.
It was quite a contrast from the night before for Merrimack, when PC
had won by a 9-4 score and outshot the Warriors 45-26. Both teams
played much better defense and got great goaltending, and Merrimack
turned the shots advantage in its favor, 39-23.
Merrimack came out playing a much more physical game than they did
Friday, and it paid off as the Friars were mostly bottled up all night.
PC's line of Cowan-Ridolfi-Darby, which combined for 7-9--16 Friday,
only had 1-3--4 in this rematch. The line did click for PC's first
goal and the only goal of the first at 7:55 when Cowan got the puck
along the boards and fed Darby inside the right circle for a shot that
just got by Doneghey's blocker, Darby's 7th goal of the year. Merrimack
had a great chance to tie it later on when Matt Adams' shot from the
left side hit the post to Mullahy's right and came out to Martin Favreau
who had an open net, but the puck bounced over Favreau's stick. Then,
Doneghey robbed Chad Quenneville with a beauty of a glove save on
Quenneville's hard screen shot that appeared headed for the top corner.
Early in the second, penalties to two Friars at once put Merrimack up
5x3 for two full minutes. The Warriors unveiled their brand new power
play, with four forwards - center Cooper Naylor played the left point
with Hodge on the right point. This produced quite a few shots but
Mullahy turned them away. Just 34 seconds after the two-man advantage
had expired, Merrimack went on another power play, and this time they
capitalized to tie the score at 1-1. McMillan had the puck in the slot
and tried to give it back to Hodge, and PC's Erik Peterson took a swing
at it to try to clear it. But Peterson whiffed and the puck came to
Hodge, who gave it over to Naylor. Naylor returned it to Hodge, and
the defenseman blasted a shot just past Mullahy's left skate for his
first goal of the season at 6:26.
PC had a great opportunity when Gary Socha scooted up the left side
uncovered and took a cross-ice pass, then fired it on net, but Doneghey
came up with a superb save. Merrimack then went on yet another power
play at 9:15, but some good defense by the Friars thwarted the Warriors,
highlighted by Mark Devine diving to knock the puck out of the zone
at a key juncture. Devine, a senior, has been mostly a role player over
his Providence career, but he's player every coach would love to have -
you know you're going to get a great shift out of him every time he
steps on the ice. And, in fact, his 4-16--20 this season tops his
three-year totals entering this season (4-8--12 in 36 career games
entering 1992-93).
The Friars finally went on their first power play at 14:35 but were not
able to mount much pressure. Merrimack had perhaps the best chance of
the period with a minute remaining when a shot by Adams hit Mullahy's
leg while the goalie was down, and then Mullahy recovered to barely
stop Dan Gravelle's wraparound attempt.
Each team missed an open net early in the third, and then Providence took
the lead, 2-1, on a power play goal by Gary Socha at 4:38. Ridolfi fed
Darby at the left point, and Darby passed down low to an uncovered Socha
who held the puck, then fired it in the short side before Doneghey could
get over to block it.
Things got a little rough when Merrimack's Jim Gibson and PC's Scott
Balboni went off for hitting after the whistle at 10:47 and then, ten
seconds later, a battle broke out in front of Mullahy while Merrimack's
Mark Cornforth was being called on a delayed penalty. Besides Cornforth,
Fowler for Merrimack and Peterson for PC were assessed roughing minors
with Fowler getting an additional minor for hitting after the whistle.
When the smoke cleared, the original penalty to Cornforth and the extra
one to Fowler left PC with a four minute 5x4 advantage. But Merrimack's
penalty-killing was outstanding and the Friars weren't able to score,
setting the stage for the final second heroics.
With 1:17 left, Doneghey came to the bench for a sixth attacker, but
while Merrimack tried to get the puck in front several times to an open
man, the Friars would somehow get it and throw it out to center ice or
at least out to the blue line. With seconds left, Cornforth kept it in
at the left point and threw it behind the net. McMillan was able to
take it away from a defender and passed in front. The puck bounced over
Gravelle's stick and came to Fowler, who batted it out of the air and
into the net past Mullahy to tie the game, as the clock showed 0:03.
At this point, both teams might have been content to settle for the point,
but it didn't turn out that way. Darby and Kramer had two quality
chances for PC in the OT, both turned away by Doneghey, while Merrimack
got off 7 shots in the extra period. With 23 seconds remaining until a
tie, Hodge kept the puck in at the point and shot it towards the net,
where it was apparently deflected in by Fowler, and Merrimack went home
with the win.
After the goal, Fowler, an excitable guy, was apparently celebrating a
little too much for the frustrated Mullahy, who had played a great game
but took the loss in net. Mullahy decked Fowler with a roundhouse punch
as Fowler's teammates came out to join the celebration. Fortunately,
Merrimack was apparently too surprised and too happy about the win to
get involved in any postgame fracas. Mullahy was assessed a minor for
roughing, but Fowler was actually given a ten-minute misconduct for
"celebrating too much", according to referee Steve McBride - has college
hockey gone the way of the NFL? :-) The teams shook hands amiably and
went home, although PC had to be kicking themselves for letting this
one get away.
POSTGAME
While PC knew they went home with 0 points where they should have had
at least 1 and probably 2, Merrimack had a clear example of what 60-plus
minutes of good defense and hard work can get them. I've said it before,
Merrimack's best games come when they tend to things in their own end
and take advantage of their chances, rather than opening up the game and
throwing caution to the wind.
At 3-10-0 in HE, Merrimack is still within just two points of BC which
is 3-7-2 and in 7th. If Merrimack wants to avoid Maine in the first round
of the playoffs, they'll probably need to start by winning all of the
next 3 games which are all against BC. Wednesday night, Jan. 27, the
teams tangle at Merrimack, and they meet again Friday at BC with the
third game coming the following Friday at Merrimack.
The Warriors have had some decent success against the Eagles since joining
HE, going 3-9-0 including a 1-2-0 mark in the 1990 HE quarterfinals. Over
the last two years, Merrimack is 2-4-0 against BC with the total GF-GA
favoring BC only 21-17. BC had a good tuneup by playing Maine twice this
weekend, and even though the Eagles lost both, they looked very strong
defensively this afternoon in losing only 4-1. They got some superb
netminding from Mike Sparrow, who stopped 39 of 43 Maine shots and looks
to be gaining his confidence after being pressed in to spell the injured
Josh Singewald. BC's strength is defense and so I'll look for three
low-scoring games over the next week and a half, three games that will be
vital to the postseason hopes of both teams as neither one wants to go
to Maine for the playoffs.
Providence, now all alone in 6th place with 10 points, has three straight
games with the team just one point ahead of them, Northeastern. With
UMass-Lowell just four points ahead of PC in 4th and due to play BU and
Maine in its next four games, the Friars have a great opportunity to
jump over both NU and UML and to make a push for a home-ice slot. PC
plays at NU Wednesday night in a game that will be shown on NESN, and
then the teams play at PC Friday night before the third game comes the
following Friday back at NU.
---
Mike Machnik [log in to unmask] Color Voice of the Merrimack Warriors
(Any opinions expressed above are strictly those of the poster.) *HMN*