Hockey Gets First Conference Win; 3-1 over Lowell

Hockey Gets First Conference Win; 3-1 over Lowell

LOWELL, MA. – The Merrimack hockey team scored three unanswered goals in a 3-1 conference road victory over UMass Lowell Thursday night at the Tsongas Arena.

The victory is Merrimack’s first conference win since January 5, 2007 when the Warriors defeated UMass 2-1, 19 Hockey East games ago. The three goals are the most goals they have scored in a conference game since December 5, 2006 when they blanked the Minutemen in Amherst 3-0.

Chris Barton (Calgary, Alberta) broke a 1-1 tie as time expired in the second period, redirecting a wrist shot from Grant Farrell (Calgary, Alberta) past Carter Hutton into the net. Rob Ricci (Brampton, Ontario) won the face-off with 3.2 seconds remaining in the period, getting the puck right to Farrell on the point, who fired it towards the net where it was redirected in by Barton for his second of the season.

Barton has two goals this season, both game-winning markers.

Making his second start of the season, Andrew Braithwaite (Kingston, Ontario) made 22 saves, picking up his second win of the season and in his career while earning the game’s first-star.

Braithwaite made a game-saving stop at 10:49 of the third, when he robbed Jason DeLuca, who was wide-open in the slot, with a quick kick of his left pad and freezing it for the face-off. From there, the Warrior defense and Braithwaite held on for the big conference road victory.

Ricci added an empty-netter right off the face-off at 19:33 to put the game away.

With the game scoreless, the Riverhawks opened the second on another two-man advantage following penalties at the end of the first period, and Jonathan Maniff took advantage, scoring his first collegiate goal at :28 of the second.

Merrimack evened the score at 7:06 as Matt Jones (Kentwood, MI) wristed a shot from the blue line along the ice that beat Hutton. It was Jones’ team-leading third of the season, and second in as many games. Fraser Allan (North Battleford, Sask.) notched his first collegiate assist while Francois Ouimet (Lorraine, Quebec) picked up the second helper.

The Warriors held UML to one power-play goal (on a two-man advantage) in seven chances.

The victory is Coach Dennehy’s first in Lowell as Merrimack’s head coach. Merrimack last won in Lowell on January 17, 2004 by a 3-0 score.

The Warriors (4-2, 1-2 HEA) will continue their three-game road trip in Amherst Saturday night when they take on the University of Massachusetts at 7 p.m.