Merrimack 3, UNH 3 (MC wins shootout) Random Notes: The Warriors outplayed the Wildcats at even strength for most of the evening, although UNH held a gaudy 18-7 shot advantage after one period due to a 5-1 advantage on power plays. The MC penalty kill was atypically successful, as the 'cats repeatedly stopped skating on the man advantage and settled for shots from the points and from bad angles. UNH built a 2-0 lead after two periods, even though Merrimack held a territorial advantage for most of that period. MC came back in the third to tie the game at two on goals by defenseman John Jakopin and forward Gaetan Poirer. UNH took the lead again 3-2 before MC's Chris Davis scored the game's final goal to knot the score at 3. OT was an up-and-down affair with both teams having fairly good chances. One of the biggest plusses for MC was the play of goaltender Eric Thibeault, who earned first star honors starting in place of injured netminder Martin Legault. UNH took a 2-0 lead in the shootout to start, but Thibeault came up big on UNH's last two shooters to give MC a chance to come back. Co-Captain Mark Cornforth's shootout score knotted things at two, and in the sudden-death portion of the shootout, Merrimack's Rob Beck found the 5-hole to give the Warriors the extra point. David M. Josselyn Merrimack College '93 Syracuse University '94