Feb 26, 2009

Hockey Hosts #10/12 UNH Friday Night at Lawler Arena

MERRIMACK COLLEGE HOCKEY

Game 31-32 vs. #10/12 University of New Hampshire

Friday February 27, 2009, Lawler Arena, 7 p.m. / Watch Live / Game Notes (.pdf) / Live Stats

Saturday February 28, 2009, Whittemore Center, 7:30 p.m. NESN / Listen Live / Game Notes (.pdf) / Live Stats

Tonight’s Matchup: Merrimack, 3-1-1 in its last five games, wraps up its season series against the University of New Hampshire this weekend. Saturday’s game marks the first time the Warriors have been televised on NESN since the 2006-07 season.

Lifetime vs. UNH: The Warriors are 12-59-8 lifetime against the Wildcats. The Wildcats have won 10 of the last 15 meetings, which includes a 2-0-1 record in last year’s season series. UNH owns a 22-3-2 all-time record vs. Merrimack at the Whittemore Center, but the Warriors defeated UNH 4-3 earlier this season in Durham.

Coach Dennehy vs. the Wildcats: Coach Dennehy is 2-6-2 lifetime against the Wildcats as head coach of the Warriors.

Earlier This Season vs. UNH:
(11/29/08 @ UNH, MC W, 4-3): Rob Ricci and Jesse Todd scored unanswered third period goals leading Merrimack to the 4-3 upset win over #15 New Hampshire at the Whittemore Center. Bobby Kramer and Elliott Sheen notched their first collegiate tallies in the win, Merrimack’s second road victory of the season and just its third in 27 games lifetime at the Whittemore Center. Joe Cannata stopped 33 shots in the win.

Todd and Stollery Atop Freshmen Scoring Leaders in Hockey East Play
Merrimack’s freshmen continue to do their part this season, as Jesse Todd is tied for second among freshmen forwards in scoring in Hockey East games with 17 points. Karl Stollery is first among freshmen defensemen in Hockey East games with 13 points. Merrimack’s freshmen have accounted for 27% of the team’s scoring this year.

Power Play Leads Warriors to Three Points in Weekend Series with Friars
Behind three power-play goals scored on their first three power play shots and two goals from Joe Cucci, Merrimack defeated Providence 5-1 to earn three points in its weekend series with the Friars. Sunday marked the first time since October 28, 2006 that the Warriors scored three power-play goals in a game.

Cannata Earns Defensive Player of the Week Honor
Freshman goaltender Joe Cannata was named the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week. Cannata stopped 70 of 72 shots in two games while posting a 0.96 goals-against, leading Merrimack to a 1-0-1 weekend record against Providence College. This is the second straight week and the fourth time this season that Cannata has earned a Hockey East weekly honor.

More from the Providence Weekend
The Warriors 2-0 lead at the end of the first period, 3-0 lead in a game, and win by four goals all marked firsts for this season. Merrimack’s penalty kill was a perfect 6-for-6 over the weekend, while the power play was 3-for-6.

Missed Penalty Shot
Jeff Velleca’s failed penalty shot on Saturday against the Friars was the first penalty shot awarded to the Warriors since Matt Johnson missed against UMass on November 6, 2004.

Cucci Tallies Pair of Power-Play Goals
Sophomore Joe Cucci scored a pair of first-period power-play goals in the 5-1 win over Providence. It was the first career two-goal game for Cucci, who has four power-play goals this season. Cucci’s second goal of the period barely beat the first-period buzzer.

Sophomores Lead the Scoring Race
Merrimack’s sophomores, led by Chris Barton and Joe Cucci, have accounted for 41% (74 of 182) of the team’s points this season. The juniors are next with 28% of the points, followed by the freshmen with 27% of the scoring. Merrimack’s seniors have accounted for just 4% of the points.

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 HEA in 1988. This season, they have given up 67 goals in HEA (76 overall) and are on pace to break the record for the second straight year. Merrimack is fifth in HEA in total goals allowed.

Strong in Final 40 Minutes
Merrimack’s has only given up one more goal in the final two periods than they have scored (47 to 46).

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 on Nov. 29. The Warriors are now 3-35-5 against the Wildcats since 1995 and are 3-22-2 at the Whittemore Center in Durham.

Warriors Earn Split with #5 Catamounts
Merrimack defeated Vermont 3-2 for the first time at Lawler Arena in six lifetime games. This win marked the Warriors’ first Hockey East victory since November 29, 2008 when they defeated UNH. UVM came back to earn a 4-3 win on Saturday.

First Come-From-Behind Win This Season
The 3-2 victory over UVM was the first this season for Merrimack when its opponent scored first. The Warriors had been 0-13-1 when falling behind. This victory was also Merrimack’s first on a Friday this season. They were 0-7-1 on Fridays before this win.

Cannata Hockey East Rookie of the Week
Freshman goaltender Joe Cannata was named the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on February 16. Cannata stopped 35 shots leading the Warriors to a 3-2 upset victory over fifth-ranked Vermont.

Scoring in Bunches
With goals from Karl Stollery, Ryan Flanigan, and Chris Barton, Merrimack scored three times in a 2:17 span in the Feb. 13 win against Vermont, marking the three quickest goals since the Warriors scored three times in 1:34 on November 2, 2001 in a 4-3 loss to UNH. Merrimack scored three goals in a 3:37 span at Providence on January 31.

Allan’s Streak Ends at 60 Games
Fraser Allan, who had played in 60 straight games since arriving at Merrimack, had his streak snapped on February 13 due to an injury. Chris Barton is the only sophomore to have played in all 64 games since coming to Merrimack last season.

Flanigan Nets First Collegiate Tally
Freshman Ryan Flanigan tallied his first career goal and first multi-point game in the 3-2 win over Vermont.

Bonitatibus Moves to the Blue Line
With Allan and Joe Loprieno out of the lineup due to injury, the Warriors have only five healthy defensemen necessitating Justin Bonitatibus’s move to defense for the first time in his career.

Power Play Continues to Sizzle
The Warrior power play scored twice for the third straight game in the 3-2 win over Vermont and then scored three times in a 5-1 win over Providence. Merrimack’s power play has scored ten times in its last 35 chances (28.6%).

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. Rob Ricci and Joe Cucci scored 21 seconds apart on the power play in the third.

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

One-Goal Struggles
Merrimack’s 4-3 loss to Vermont on February 14 marked the 12th time they lost by one goal this season, tying a school record for one-goal losses set in the 1998-99 season. The Warriors are 3-12 in one-goal games this season.

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
Chris Barton has scored five of Merrimack’s 20 power play goals. Five of Barton’s nine goals this season are on the power play. Barton continues to lead the Warriors in scoring with 22 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 foes. Joe Cucci led the Warriors with six points while Francois Ouimet and Fraser Allan each tallied five against non-conference teams. 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 on Jan. 31. 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 is tied for second among Hockey East freshmen forwards in scoring in conference games. Todd, who has 11 points in the last 10 games, is third on the Warriors with 18 points and tied for first with 13 assists.

Strong on Saturdays
Merrimack is 5-5-2 on Saturdays this season and 3-13-2 total on all other days.

Ricci’s Offensive Streak Continues
Rob Ricci has points in six of nine, eight of 13, and 12 of his last eighteen. The captain has 17 points in the last 18 games and leads the Warriors with 10 goals. Ricci was one of 19 Hockey East players nominated for the Hobey Baker.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 Nov. 22. Merrimack snapped Maine’s six-game winning streak as well.

Fast Starts
Merrimack is outshooting its opponents 285-274 (+11) 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.


Cross Country (M) Cross Country (W) Field Hockey Football Soccer (M) Soccer (W) Volleyball Basketball (M) Basketball (W) Ice Hockey Baseball Lacrosse (M) Lacrosse (W) Softball Tennis (M) Tennis (W) Lawler Completion Project Athletic Staff Directory Blue Line Club Cheerleading Compliance Composite Calendar Directions Facilities From the AD's Desk Intramurals Marketing & Promotions Merrimack Championships Quick Facts Recruiting Questionnaires SAAC SID Downloads Sponsorship Sports Medicine Strength and Conditioning Visitors Guide	Home \| Roster \| Coaches \| Schedule/Results \| Standings \| Statistics \| Statistics (.pdf) \| News \| Promotional Schedule \| Buy-a-Seat Brochure \| Hockey Video \| Media Clips \| Single Game Tickets \| Season Tickets \| Sponsor a Jersey Program \| Archives [Printer Friendly] Feb 26, 2009 Hockey Hosts #10/12 UNH Friday Night at Lawler Arena MERRIMACK COLLEGE HOCKEY Game 31-32 vs. #10/12 University of New Hampshire Friday February 27, 2009, Lawler Arena, 7 p.m. / Watch Live / Game Notes (.pdf) / Live Stats Saturday February 28, 2009, Whittemore Center, 7:30 p.m. NESN / Listen Live / Game Notes (.pdf) / Live Stats Tonight’s Matchup: Merrimack, 3-1-1 in its last five games, wraps up its season series against the University of New Hampshire this weekend. Saturday’s game marks the first time the Warriors have been televised on NESN since the 2006-07 season. Lifetime vs. UNH: The Warriors are 12-59-8 lifetime against the Wildcats. The Wildcats have won 10 of the last 15 meetings, which includes a 2-0-1 record in last year’s season series. UNH owns a 22-3-2 all-time record vs. Merrimack at the Whittemore Center, but the Warriors defeated UNH 4-3 earlier this season in Durham. Coach Dennehy vs. the Wildcats: Coach Dennehy is 2-6-2 lifetime against the Wildcats as head coach of the Warriors. Earlier This Season vs. UNH: (11/29/08 @ UNH, MC W, 4-3): Rob Ricci and Jesse Todd scored unanswered third period goals leading Merrimack to the 4-3 upset win over #15 New Hampshire at the Whittemore Center. Bobby Kramer and Elliott Sheen notched their first collegiate tallies in the win, Merrimack’s second road victory of the season and just its third in 27 games lifetime at the Whittemore Center. Joe Cannata stopped 33 shots in the win. Todd and Stollery Atop Freshmen Scoring Leaders in Hockey East Play Merrimack’s freshmen continue to do their part this season, as Jesse Todd is tied for second among freshmen forwards in scoring in Hockey East games with 17 points. Karl Stollery is first among freshmen defensemen in Hockey East games with 13 points. Merrimack’s freshmen have accounted for 27% of the team’s scoring this year. Power Play Leads Warriors to Three Points in Weekend Series with Friars Behind three power-play goals scored on their first three power play shots and two goals from Joe Cucci, Merrimack defeated Providence 5-1 to earn three points in its weekend series with the Friars. Sunday marked the first time since October 28, 2006 that the Warriors scored three power-play goals in a game. Cannata Earns Defensive Player of the Week Honor Freshman goaltender Joe Cannata was named the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week. Cannata stopped 70 of 72 shots in two games while posting a 0.96 goals-against, leading Merrimack to a 1-0-1 weekend record against Providence College. This is the second straight week and the fourth time this season that Cannata has earned a Hockey East weekly honor. More from the Providence Weekend The Warriors 2-0 lead at the end of the first period, 3-0 lead in a game, and win by four goals all marked firsts for this season. Merrimack’s penalty kill was a perfect 6-for-6 over the weekend, while the power play was 3-for-6. Missed Penalty Shot Jeff Velleca’s failed penalty shot on Saturday against the Friars was the first penalty shot awarded to the Warriors since Matt Johnson missed against UMass on November 6, 2004. Cucci Tallies Pair of Power-Play Goals Sophomore Joe Cucci scored a pair of first-period power-play goals in the 5-1 win over Providence. It was the first career two-goal game for Cucci, who has four power-play goals this season. Cucci’s second goal of the period barely beat the first-period buzzer. Sophomores Lead the Scoring Race Merrimack’s sophomores, led by Chris Barton and Joe Cucci, have accounted for 41% (74 of 182) of the team’s points this season. The juniors are next with 28% of the points, followed by the freshmen with 27% of the scoring. Merrimack’s seniors have accounted for just 4% of the points. 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 HEA in 1988. This season, they have given up 67 goals in HEA (76 overall) and are on pace to break the record for the second straight year. Merrimack is fifth in HEA in total goals allowed. Strong in Final 40 Minutes Merrimack’s has only given up one more goal in the final two periods than they have scored (47 to 46). 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 on Nov. 29. The Warriors are now 3-35-5 against the Wildcats since 1995 and are 3-22-2 at the Whittemore Center in Durham. Warriors Earn Split with #5 Catamounts Merrimack defeated Vermont 3-2 for the first time at Lawler Arena in six lifetime games. This win marked the Warriors’ first Hockey East victory since November 29, 2008 when they defeated UNH. UVM came back to earn a 4-3 win on Saturday. First Come-From-Behind Win This Season The 3-2 victory over UVM was the first this season for Merrimack when its opponent scored first. The Warriors had been 0-13-1 when falling behind. This victory was also Merrimack’s first on a Friday this season. They were 0-7-1 on Fridays before this win. Cannata Hockey East Rookie of the Week Freshman goaltender Joe Cannata was named the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on February 16. Cannata stopped 35 shots leading the Warriors to a 3-2 upset victory over fifth-ranked Vermont. Scoring in Bunches With goals from Karl Stollery, Ryan Flanigan, and Chris Barton, Merrimack scored three times in a 2:17 span in the Feb. 13 win against Vermont, marking the three quickest goals since the Warriors scored three times in 1:34 on November 2, 2001 in a 4-3 loss to UNH. Merrimack scored three goals in a 3:37 span at Providence on January 31. Allan’s Streak Ends at 60 Games Fraser Allan, who had played in 60 straight games since arriving at Merrimack, had his streak snapped on February 13 due to an injury. Chris Barton is the only sophomore to have played in all 64 games since coming to Merrimack last season. Flanigan Nets First Collegiate Tally Freshman Ryan Flanigan tallied his first career goal and first multi-point game in the 3-2 win over Vermont. Bonitatibus Moves to the Blue Line With Allan and Joe Loprieno out of the lineup due to injury, the Warriors have only five healthy defensemen necessitating Justin Bonitatibus’s move to defense for the first time in his career. Power Play Continues to Sizzle The Warrior power play scored twice for the third straight game in the 3-2 win over Vermont and then scored three times in a 5-1 win over Providence. Merrimack’s power play has scored ten times in its last 35 chances (28.6%). 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. Rob Ricci and Joe Cucci scored 21 seconds apart on the power play in the third. Cannata Earns First Home Shutout Joe Cannata stopped 18 shots against Brown for his second career shutout and first at home. The Brown game pitted two goaltenders from the 2007-08 U.S. Under-18 team in Cannata and Mike Clemente. One-Goal Struggles Merrimack’s 4-3 loss to Vermont on February 14 marked the 12th time they lost by one goal this season, tying a school record for one-goal losses set in the 1998-99 season. The Warriors are 3-12 in one-goal games this season. 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 Chris Barton has scored five of Merrimack’s 20 power play goals. Five of Barton’s nine goals this season are on the power play. Barton continues to lead the Warriors in scoring with 22 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 foes. Joe Cucci led the Warriors with six points while Francois Ouimet and Fraser Allan each tallied five against non-conference teams. 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 on Jan. 31. 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 is tied for second among Hockey East freshmen forwards in scoring in conference games. Todd, who has 11 points in the last 10 games, is third on the Warriors with 18 points and tied for first with 13 assists. Strong on Saturdays Merrimack is 5-5-2 on Saturdays this season and 3-13-2 total on all other days. Ricci’s Offensive Streak Continues Rob Ricci has points in six of nine, eight of 13, and 12 of his last eighteen. The captain has 17 points in the last 18 games and leads the Warriors with 10 goals. Ricci was one of 19 Hockey East players nominated for the Hobey Baker. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Nov. 22. Merrimack snapped Maine’s six-game winning streak as well. Fast Starts Merrimack is outshooting its opponents 285-274 (+11) 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.