Feb 12, 2009

Hockey Hosts #5 Vermont for a Pair of Games This Weekend

MERRIMACK COLLEGE HOCKEY

Friday-Saturday, February 13-14, 2009 vs. #5 Vermont / Watch Live / Live Stats / Game Notes (.pdf)

Tonight’s Matchup: Merrimack wraps up its season series against the University of Vermont with a pair of games this weekend.

Lifetime vs. Vermont: Merrimack is 4-10-3 lifetime against the Catamounts. The Warriors are winless in the last eight meetings (0-6-2) and are 0-2-3 lifetime at Lawler Arena.

Coach Dennehy vs. the Catamounts: Coach Dennehy is 1-7-2 lifetime as head coach of the Warriors against UVM

Earlier This Season vs. UVM:
(11/16/08 - UVM W, 2-1): Merrimack outshot the 15th-ranked Catamounts 25-22 but lost 2-1 at the Gutterson Fieldhouse. After Josh Burrows and Brian Roloff scored to give UVM the 2-0 lead, Joe Loprieno cut the lead in half with his first of the year. Andrew Braithwaite stopped 20 shots in the loss.

Warriors Snap Skid with 2-0 Win over Brown
Behind a season-high 41 shots, Merrimack snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over Brown University. Rob Ricci and Joe Cucci scored 21 seconds apart on the power play in the third period for the victory.

Cannata Earns First Home Shutout
Joe Cannata stopped 18 shots against Brown for his second career shutout and first at home. Saturday’s matchup with Brown pitted two goaltenders from the 2007-08 U.S. Under-18 team in Cannata and Mike Clemente.

Special Teams Play Improving
The Warriors were 4-for-14 on the man advantage over the weekend and a perfect 8-for-8 on the penalty kill. It was the first time all season Merrimack scored two goals on the power play in back-to-back games.

Bowen and Allan Becoming Offensive Threats
Defensemen Pat Bowen and Fraser Allan each registered three power-play points in two games over the weekend against Northeastern and Brown. Bowen has a career-high four-game point streak and has six points in his last six games. Allan is tied with Karl Stollery for the team leading in scoring among defensemen with 11 points.

Kimball’s Scoring Drought Comes to an End
Pat Kimball snapped a 17-game goalless streak with a goal against NU on Friday that dated back to October 31, 2008 when he scored twice against BC.

Barton Becoming a Power Play Sniper
After notching a power play tally against Northeastern of February 6, Chris Barton has scored five of Merrimack’s 15 power play goals. Five of Barton’s seven goals this season are on the power play. Barton continues to lead the Warriors in scoring with 17 points.

Non-Conference Wrap Up
With the 2-0 win over Brown, the Warriors finish the season 4-2-1 against non-conference teams. Merrimack is 10-2-2 in its last 14 games against non-conference opponents. Joe Cucci led the Warriors with six points while Francois Ouimet and Fraser Alann each tallied five points against non-conference teams, while Joe Cannata was 3-0-1 with a 0.74 goals-against and a .973 save percentage.

Late Rally Against Providence Falls Short
Despite scoring three times in a 3:37 span against Providence, the Warriors were defeated 5-3 by the Friars. The goals scored by Francois Ouimet, Rob Ricci and Jesse Todd in 3:37 marked the quickest span of Merrimack netting three goals since the Warriors tallied three in 2:47 against the Friars on March 4, 2006.

Todd’s Point Streak Reaches Four Games
Freshman Jesse Todd extended his point streak to four games with a goal and an assist against Providence. It was his first career multi-point game. Todd, who has six points in the last six games, is third on the Warriors with 13 points on the season.

Ricci’s Offensive Streak Continues
Todd’s linemate, Rob Ricci, has points in four of five, seven of ten, and ten of his last fourteen. The captain has 13 points in the last 14 games and leads the Warriors with nine goals.

Loprieno’s Consecutive Game Streak Comes to an End
An injury to junior captain Joe Loprieno saw his 63 consecutive game streak come to an end on January 30. Loprieno had played in every game dating back to February 9, 2007, which was his freshman season.

Rego Regains His Scoring Touch
Mickey Rego’s third period goal against Lowell was the senior’s first tally since his sophomore season when he scored against UMass on December 5, 2006.

Strong on Saturdays
Merrimack is 5-4-1 on Saturdays this season and 1-13-2 total on all other days.

Game #500 in the Books
Merrimack’s 500th game in Hockey East was a 3-2 loss on January 24 against Lowell at Lawler Arena.

One Goal Struggles
The Warriors are 2-11 in one-goal games this season. Nine of Merrimack’s last 13 losses have been by one goal. The school record for one goal losses in a season is 12 set in the 1998-99 season. Merrimack finished 11-24-1 that season.

On Pace to Break the Goals-Against Record Again
Merrimack surrendered just 93 goals last season, 82 in Hockey East, which was the fewest they gave up in a season since joining Hockey East in 1988. This season, they have given up 59 goals in HEA (68 overall) and are on pace to break the record for the second straight year.

Ricci Nominated for Hobey
Captain Rob Ricci was one of 19 Hockey East players nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. Ricci leads the team with nine goals and has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in his last 14 games.

Solid Third Period Play
Merrimack has 22 third period goals this season, equalling its opponents total.

Velleca Gets Going
Freshman Jeff Velleca tallied his first collegiate points getting a goal and an assist against Qunnipiac on December 29. The rookie added his first Hockey East goal against Lowell.

Allan Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Sophomore Fraser Allan’s four-point output at the UConn Holiday Classic earned him Hockey East Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week honors on Dec. 30. The runner-up for Hockey East Player of the Month for December, Allan tallied a goal and an assist in each game at UConn.

Penalty Filled Game vs. BU
There were 97 penalty minutes handed out in total in the game against BU on January 16. The 16 penalties taken by Merrimack were the most taken by them in a game since they took 16 against Maine on November 3, 2006. The 51 penalty minutes were the most taken by Merrimack in a game since they took 53 against UNH on February 10, 2007.

Allan and Barton 50-for-50
Against Quinnipiac on December 29, Fraser Allan and Chris Barton each played in their 50th straight game since coming to Merrimack. Allan posted two points in the game, while Barton earned an assist.

Home Sweet Home
The Warriors will play at least one home game every weekend in the remaining four weeks of the season. They have five home games left compared to three on the road.

Cannata Faces First Collegiate Penalty Shot
Joe Cannata faced his first collegiate penalty shot at Northeastern when Steve Quailer scored on him in the second period. It was the first penalty shot against Merrimack since Jim Healey stopped one in the 2005-06 season against Maine.

Todd Leads Warriors to 4-2 Win over U.S. National Under-18 Team
Jesse Todd scored twice leading Merrimack to a 4-2 win over the U.S. National Under-18 Team in the first meeting between the two teams. The Warriors struck for three first-period goals while outshooting the U.S. team 40-21 overall. Joe Cannata, facing his former team, stopped 19 shots in net.

First Short-Handed Goal
Joe Loprieno’s short-handed tally at UConn was Merrimack’s first of the season.

Win #25 for Coach Dennehy
The 4-3 win over New Hampshire was the 25th for Coach Mark Dennehy at Merrimack.

Recapping UConn Holiday Classic
Merrimack placed third at the 2008 UConn Holiday Classic. They lost to Qunnipiac 4-3 in overtime in the first round and defeated UConn 5-2 in the consolation game. Fraser Allan tallied four points while Rob Ricci added three points in the tournament, as ten different Warriors earned points in the 5-2 win against the Huskies. Allan was named to the All-Tournament Team for his efforts.

Win #725, Goal #6500
Merrimack's win at New Hampshire was the 725th in school history, and Jesse Todd's game-winner was the 6,500th goal in school history.

Madsen Nets First Collegiate Goal
Carter Madsen became the eighth Warrior to score his first collegiate goal this season when the center scored at 19:56 of the third period against UConn on December 30.

December Struggles Come to an End
Merrimack snapped a six-game winless streak in December with a 5-2 win over Connecticut. They had not won in December since defeating UMass 3-0 on December 5, 2006.

Warriors Earn Rare Win at New Hampshire
Behind third-period goals from Rob Ricci and Jesse Todd, Merrimack rallied for a 4-3 victory at UNH. The Warriors are now 3-35-5 against the Wildcats since 1995 and are 3-22-2 at the Whittemore Center in Durham.

Cannata Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Joe Cannata earned the Hockey East Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week on December 1 after stopping 33 shots in the win at UNH. It is the second time Cannata has earned a weekly honor from Hockey East this season.

Stollery 2nd Among HEA Newcomers on the Blue Line
Freshman Karl Stollery is second among all Hockey East freshmen defensemen with 11 points and tied for first among Warrior defensemen. Ten of his points have come in Hockey East games.

Points in Maine
The Warriors snapped a six-game losing streak in Maine dating back to a 2-2 tie on December 3, 2004 with a 1-1 tie on November 22. Merrimack snapped Maine’s six-game winning streak as well.

Scoring Early
J.C. Robitaille’s goal 46-seconds into the first at Maine on Nov. 21 was the Warriors’ quickest goal in a HEA game since Mickey Rego scored 44 seconds in against PC on March 4, 2006. Jesse Todd scored 1:40 into the first against UMass on November 8.

Fast Starts
Merrimack is outshooting its opponents 253-229 (+24) in the first period.

Cannata Listed Among Central Scouting Rankings
Freshman netminder Joe Cannata was listed as a “B level” goaltender in the Central Scouting Rankings released on November 18. Cannata is ranked the highest among all NCAA goaltenders and is just one of two “B level” players listed from Hockey East.

Jamieson in the Scoring Column
Sophomore walk-on John Jamieson tallied his first two collegiate goals in a 5-5 tie with Boston College, snapping a 28-game goalless streak to begin his career. Jamieson earned his first assist of the season on Jesse Todd’s game-winner at UNH on Nov. 29.

Warriors Earn Tie with Eagles
Merrimack tallied two third-period goals to salvage a 5-5 tie with #5 BC on November 14. It marked the first point the Warriors earned against BC at Lawler Arena since February 5, 2004, seven games ago, when they tied 4-4. Merrimack scored five goals against the Eagles for the first time since Feb. 15, 2003.

Scoring First
The Warriors have scored first in 12 of their 26 games this season and are 6-4-2 when they take the 1-0 lead.

Braithwaite Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Junior Andrew Braithwaite was named the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week by Hockey East after leading the Warriors to the 3-1 win over #19 UMass by making 34 saves. Braithwaite was a three-time honoree last season.

OT Loss
Merrimack’s 4-3 OT loss to #2 Boston College was its first overtime defeat at home since losing to Lowell on January 16, 2004.

Oh Canada
All three goals against #19 UMass were scored by Canadian-born players. Merrimack has 15 players and two coaches from Canada, more than any other Hockey East school.

Cannata’s Even Strength Streak Ends
Brock Bradford’s overtime goal marked the first even strength tally Joe Cannata allowed this season, spanning 228 minutes over four games.

1-0 Games
The Warriors played two 1-0 games against Army and Niagara, marking the first time they have played back-to-back 1-0 games in school history.

Travelling Early and Often
Merrimack has completed one of its longer Hockey East road trips, travelling to Vermont and Maine in back-to-back weekends. The Warriors also travelled to Army and to Buffalo to play Canisius and Niagara back in October, marking one of their more hectic travel schedules in a Merrimack season in recent history.

Cannata in the Record Books
Joe Cannata saw his shutout streak end at 101:09 to start the season when he gave up a third-period goal at Canisius. Cannata stopped the first 55 shots he faced, setting a Merrimack record, and turned aside 66 of his first 67 shots. He was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week after becoming the first goaltender in school history to register a shutout in his first start.

Merrimack in 40+ Save Performances
Incredibly, over the last two seasons, Merrimack is 3-0-2 when its goaltender stops 40 or more shots. Joe Cannata became the first goaltender to stop 40+ shots this season with his 44-save performance at Army. Last season, Andrew Braithwaite did the deed three times with Merrimack going 2-0-1 in those games.

Ouimet Leads Merrimack to Opening Night Win
Sophomore Francois Ouimet tallied two goals in Merrimack’s 3-1 win over Robert Morris on opening night.
Braithwaite Named to Preseason All-CHN Team
Junior goaltender Andrew Braithwaite was named to the Preseason All College Hockey News Team as a Player to Watch.

Hot in Home Openers
The Warriors are now 5-1-2 in their last eight home openers.

Captains
Juniors Joe Loprieno and Rob Ricci will serve as co-captains for the 2008-09 season.

Cannata, Stollery Among Top Prospects in INCH’s Recruiting Rankings
Freshmen Karl Stollery and Joe Cannata have been included among the top incoming recruits according to Inside College Hockey. Cannata, who spent last season with the U.S.A. Under-18 Development Team, is ranked seventh among incoming goaltenders and second among incoming Hockey East goaltenders. Stollery, who led the Camrose Kodiaks to two straight AJHL and Doyle Cup Championships, is slated 19th among incoming defensemen and fifth among Hockey East blue liners.

20 Deep in Hockey East
Merrimack enters its 20th season in Hockey East. After having its most successful season since 2002-03, the Warriors will look to build on that momentum this season, having lost just two key contributors from last season’s team.

Camrose Connection
Chris Barton, Karl Stollery, and Jesse Todd all played junior hockey with the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL. Barton, who was a sophomore while Stollery and Todd were freshmen, helped Camrose to two straight AJHL and Doyle Cup Championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

The Alberta Pipeline
Eight players are from Alberta on this year’s Merrimack squad, tied with Massachusetts for the most from one province or state. Besides the Camrose trio, Carter Madsen, Elliott Sheen, Grant Farrell, Brandon Sadlowski, and Adam Ross hail from Alberta.


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Lifetime vs. Vermont: Merrimack is 4-10-3 lifetime against the Catamounts. The Warriors are winless in the last eight meetings (0-6-2) and are 0-2-3 lifetime at Lawler Arena. Coach Dennehy vs. the Catamounts: Coach Dennehy is 1-7-2 lifetime as head coach of the Warriors against UVM Earlier This Season vs. UVM: (11/16/08 - UVM W, 2-1): Merrimack outshot the 15th-ranked Catamounts 25-22 but lost 2-1 at the Gutterson Fieldhouse. After Josh Burrows and Brian Roloff scored to give UVM the 2-0 lead, Joe Loprieno cut the lead in half with his first of the year. Andrew Braithwaite stopped 20 shots in the loss. Warriors Snap Skid with 2-0 Win over Brown Behind a season-high 41 shots, Merrimack snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over Brown University. Rob Ricci and Joe Cucci scored 21 seconds apart on the power play in the third period for the victory. Cannata Earns First Home Shutout Joe Cannata stopped 18 shots against Brown for his second career shutout and first at home. Saturday’s matchup with Brown pitted two goaltenders from the 2007-08 U.S. Under-18 team in Cannata and Mike Clemente. Special Teams Play Improving The Warriors were 4-for-14 on the man advantage over the weekend and a perfect 8-for-8 on the penalty kill. It was the first time all season Merrimack scored two goals on the power play in back-to-back games. Bowen and Allan Becoming Offensive Threats Defensemen Pat Bowen and Fraser Allan each registered three power-play points in two games over the weekend against Northeastern and Brown. Bowen has a career-high four-game point streak and has six points in his last six games. Allan is tied with Karl Stollery for the team leading in scoring among defensemen with 11 points. Kimball’s Scoring Drought Comes to an End Pat Kimball snapped a 17-game goalless streak with a goal against NU on Friday that dated back to October 31, 2008 when he scored twice against BC. Barton Becoming a Power Play Sniper After notching a power play tally against Northeastern of February 6, Chris Barton has scored five of Merrimack’s 15 power play goals. Five of Barton’s seven goals this season are on the power play. Barton continues to lead the Warriors in scoring with 17 points. Non-Conference Wrap Up With the 2-0 win over Brown, the Warriors finish the season 4-2-1 against non-conference teams. Merrimack is 10-2-2 in its last 14 games against non-conference opponents. Joe Cucci led the Warriors with six points while Francois Ouimet and Fraser Alann each tallied five points against non-conference teams, while Joe Cannata was 3-0-1 with a 0.74 goals-against and a .973 save percentage. Late Rally Against Providence Falls Short Despite scoring three times in a 3:37 span against Providence, the Warriors were defeated 5-3 by the Friars. The goals scored by Francois Ouimet, Rob Ricci and Jesse Todd in 3:37 marked the quickest span of Merrimack netting three goals since the Warriors tallied three in 2:47 against the Friars on March 4, 2006. Todd’s Point Streak Reaches Four Games Freshman Jesse Todd extended his point streak to four games with a goal and an assist against Providence. It was his first career multi-point game. Todd, who has six points in the last six games, is third on the Warriors with 13 points on the season. Ricci’s Offensive Streak Continues Todd’s linemate, Rob Ricci, has points in four of five, seven of ten, and ten of his last fourteen. The captain has 13 points in the last 14 games and leads the Warriors with nine goals. Loprieno’s Consecutive Game Streak Comes to an End An injury to junior captain Joe Loprieno saw his 63 consecutive game streak come to an end on January 30. Loprieno had played in every game dating back to February 9, 2007, which was his freshman season. Rego Regains His Scoring Touch Mickey Rego’s third period goal against Lowell was the senior’s first tally since his sophomore season when he scored against UMass on December 5, 2006. Strong on Saturdays Merrimack is 5-4-1 on Saturdays this season and 1-13-2 total on all other days. Game #500 in the Books Merrimack’s 500th game in Hockey East was a 3-2 loss on January 24 against Lowell at Lawler Arena. One Goal Struggles The Warriors are 2-11 in one-goal games this season. Nine of Merrimack’s last 13 losses have been by one goal. The school record for one goal losses in a season is 12 set in the 1998-99 season. Merrimack finished 11-24-1 that season. On Pace to Break the Goals-Against Record Again Merrimack surrendered just 93 goals last season, 82 in Hockey East, which was the fewest they gave up in a season since joining Hockey East in 1988. This season, they have given up 59 goals in HEA (68 overall) and are on pace to break the record for the second straight year. Ricci Nominated for Hobey Captain Rob Ricci was one of 19 Hockey East players nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. Ricci leads the team with nine goals and has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in his last 14 games. Solid Third Period Play Merrimack has 22 third period goals this season, equalling its opponents total. Velleca Gets Going Freshman Jeff Velleca tallied his first collegiate points getting a goal and an assist against Qunnipiac on December 29. The rookie added his first Hockey East goal against Lowell. Allan Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week Sophomore Fraser Allan’s four-point output at the UConn Holiday Classic earned him Hockey East Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week honors on Dec. 30. The runner-up for Hockey East Player of the Month for December, Allan tallied a goal and an assist in each game at UConn. Penalty Filled Game vs. BU There were 97 penalty minutes handed out in total in the game against BU on January 16. The 16 penalties taken by Merrimack were the most taken by them in a game since they took 16 against Maine on November 3, 2006. The 51 penalty minutes were the most taken by Merrimack in a game since they took 53 against UNH on February 10, 2007. Allan and Barton 50-for-50 Against Quinnipiac on December 29, Fraser Allan and Chris Barton each played in their 50th straight game since coming to Merrimack. Allan posted two points in the game, while Barton earned an assist. Home Sweet Home The Warriors will play at least one home game every weekend in the remaining four weeks of the season. They have five home games left compared to three on the road. Cannata Faces First Collegiate Penalty Shot Joe Cannata faced his first collegiate penalty shot at Northeastern when Steve Quailer scored on him in the second period. It was the first penalty shot against Merrimack since Jim Healey stopped one in the 2005-06 season against Maine. Todd Leads Warriors to 4-2 Win over U.S. National Under-18 Team Jesse Todd scored twice leading Merrimack to a 4-2 win over the U.S. National Under-18 Team in the first meeting between the two teams. The Warriors struck for three first-period goals while outshooting the U.S. team 40-21 overall. Joe Cannata, facing his former team, stopped 19 shots in net. First Short-Handed Goal Joe Loprieno’s short-handed tally at UConn was Merrimack’s first of the season. Win #25 for Coach Dennehy The 4-3 win over New Hampshire was the 25th for Coach Mark Dennehy at Merrimack. Recapping UConn Holiday Classic Merrimack placed third at the 2008 UConn Holiday Classic. They lost to Qunnipiac 4-3 in overtime in the first round and defeated UConn 5-2 in the consolation game. Fraser Allan tallied four points while Rob Ricci added three points in the tournament, as ten different Warriors earned points in the 5-2 win against the Huskies. Allan was named to the All-Tournament Team for his efforts. Win #725, Goal #6500 Merrimack's win at New Hampshire was the 725th in school history, and Jesse Todd's game-winner was the 6,500th goal in school history. Madsen Nets First Collegiate Goal Carter Madsen became the eighth Warrior to score his first collegiate goal this season when the center scored at 19:56 of the third period against UConn on December 30. December Struggles Come to an End Merrimack snapped a six-game winless streak in December with a 5-2 win over Connecticut. They had not won in December since defeating UMass 3-0 on December 5, 2006. Warriors Earn Rare Win at New Hampshire Behind third-period goals from Rob Ricci and Jesse Todd, Merrimack rallied for a 4-3 victory at UNH. The Warriors are now 3-35-5 against the Wildcats since 1995 and are 3-22-2 at the Whittemore Center in Durham. Cannata Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week Joe Cannata earned the Hockey East Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week on December 1 after stopping 33 shots in the win at UNH. It is the second time Cannata has earned a weekly honor from Hockey East this season. Stollery 2nd Among HEA Newcomers on the Blue Line Freshman Karl Stollery is second among all Hockey East freshmen defensemen with 11 points and tied for first among Warrior defensemen. Ten of his points have come in Hockey East games. Points in Maine The Warriors snapped a six-game losing streak in Maine dating back to a 2-2 tie on December 3, 2004 with a 1-1 tie on November 22. Merrimack snapped Maine’s six-game winning streak as well. Scoring Early J.C. Robitaille’s goal 46-seconds into the first at Maine on Nov. 21 was the Warriors’ quickest goal in a HEA game since Mickey Rego scored 44 seconds in against PC on March 4, 2006. Jesse Todd scored 1:40 into the first against UMass on November 8. Fast Starts Merrimack is outshooting its opponents 253-229 (+24) in the first period. Cannata Listed Among Central Scouting Rankings Freshman netminder Joe Cannata was listed as a “B level” goaltender in the Central Scouting Rankings released on November 18. Cannata is ranked the highest among all NCAA goaltenders and is just one of two “B level” players listed from Hockey East. Jamieson in the Scoring Column Sophomore walk-on John Jamieson tallied his first two collegiate goals in a 5-5 tie with Boston College, snapping a 28-game goalless streak to begin his career. Jamieson earned his first assist of the season on Jesse Todd’s game-winner at UNH on Nov. 29. Warriors Earn Tie with Eagles Merrimack tallied two third-period goals to salvage a 5-5 tie with #5 BC on November 14. It marked the first point the Warriors earned against BC at Lawler Arena since February 5, 2004, seven games ago, when they tied 4-4. Merrimack scored five goals against the Eagles for the first time since Feb. 15, 2003. Scoring First The Warriors have scored first in 12 of their 26 games this season and are 6-4-2 when they take the 1-0 lead. Braithwaite Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week Junior Andrew Braithwaite was named the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week by Hockey East after leading the Warriors to the 3-1 win over #19 UMass by making 34 saves. Braithwaite was a three-time honoree last season. OT Loss Merrimack’s 4-3 OT loss to #2 Boston College was its first overtime defeat at home since losing to Lowell on January 16, 2004. Oh Canada All three goals against #19 UMass were scored by Canadian-born players. Merrimack has 15 players and two coaches from Canada, more than any other Hockey East school. Cannata’s Even Strength Streak Ends Brock Bradford’s overtime goal marked the first even strength tally Joe Cannata allowed this season, spanning 228 minutes over four games. 1-0 Games The Warriors played two 1-0 games against Army and Niagara, marking the first time they have played back-to-back 1-0 games in school history. Travelling Early and Often Merrimack has completed one of its longer Hockey East road trips, travelling to Vermont and Maine in back-to-back weekends. The Warriors also travelled to Army and to Buffalo to play Canisius and Niagara back in October, marking one of their more hectic travel schedules in a Merrimack season in recent history. Cannata in the Record Books Joe Cannata saw his shutout streak end at 101:09 to start the season when he gave up a third-period goal at Canisius. Cannata stopped the first 55 shots he faced, setting a Merrimack record, and turned aside 66 of his first 67 shots. He was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week after becoming the first goaltender in school history to register a shutout in his first start. Merrimack in 40+ Save Performances Incredibly, over the last two seasons, Merrimack is 3-0-2 when its goaltender stops 40 or more shots. Joe Cannata became the first goaltender to stop 40+ shots this season with his 44-save performance at Army. Last season, Andrew Braithwaite did the deed three times with Merrimack going 2-0-1 in those games. Ouimet Leads Merrimack to Opening Night Win Sophomore Francois Ouimet tallied two goals in Merrimack’s 3-1 win over Robert Morris on opening night. Braithwaite Named to Preseason All-CHN Team Junior goaltender Andrew Braithwaite was named to the Preseason All College Hockey News Team as a Player to Watch. Hot in Home Openers The Warriors are now 5-1-2 in their last eight home openers. Captains Juniors Joe Loprieno and Rob Ricci will serve as co-captains for the 2008-09 season. Cannata, Stollery Among Top Prospects in INCH’s Recruiting Rankings Freshmen Karl Stollery and Joe Cannata have been included among the top incoming recruits according to Inside College Hockey. Cannata, who spent last season with the U.S.A. Under-18 Development Team, is ranked seventh among incoming goaltenders and second among incoming Hockey East goaltenders. Stollery, who led the Camrose Kodiaks to two straight AJHL and Doyle Cup Championships, is slated 19th among incoming defensemen and fifth among Hockey East blue liners. 20 Deep in Hockey East Merrimack enters its 20th season in Hockey East. After having its most successful season since 2002-03, the Warriors will look to build on that momentum this season, having lost just two key contributors from last season’s team. Camrose Connection Chris Barton, Karl Stollery, and Jesse Todd all played junior hockey with the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL. Barton, who was a sophomore while Stollery and Todd were freshmen, helped Camrose to two straight AJHL and Doyle Cup Championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08. The Alberta Pipeline Eight players are from Alberta on this year’s Merrimack squad, tied with Massachusetts for the most from one province or state. Besides the Camrose trio, Carter Madsen, Elliott Sheen, Grant Farrell, Brandon Sadlowski, and Adam Ross hail from Alberta.