Cranston scores again as Merrimack beats UNH for the second time this season
Merrimack 2, UNH 1
NORTH ANDOVER — Merrimack sophomore forward Caden Cranston has been on a bit of a heater. Cranston recorded two points in the Warriors’ 2-1 win over New Hampshire on Friday night at Lawler Arena, scoring his second goal in the last three games. Since the Warriors returned from the semester break on Dec. 29, Cranston has produced seven points (two goals, five assists) in eight games.
But perhaps his biggest contribution came in the final seconds of regulation. Max Lundgren made a pad save with UNH forward Nick Ring crashing the net for a rebound. Ring nearly had a clean look, but Cranston closed from behind, tied up his stick at the last possible moment, and prevented the shot altogether.
“It’s just like playing the PK, so I wanted to get to the back post,” Cranston said. “I was lucky enough to get there in time. [Lundgren] made some huge stops before that, too.”
Cranston has found early chemistry alongside linemates Parker Lalonde and Caelan Fitzpatrick, and it’s starting to show in his all-around game.
“He could have had three goals tonight,” Scott Borek said. “He’s finding chemistry with his linemates. He’s starting to feel it. He’s doing everything really well. He’s killing penalties, and he’s been really good on the power play.”
Cranston scored the game-winning goal at the 18:44 mark of the first period, pulling the puck around a defender and snapping a shot into the top-left corner.
“Playing with Lalonde and Fitzpatrick right now, it’s making me a better player,” he said. “I’ve been getting some bounces here and it’s been fun.
“On the goal, the puck actually hit the ref when they tried to rim it in the corner. Their guy was kind of screening their goalie. I didn’t even realize it went in until I heard the crowd react.”
Power play continues to provide a spark
Merrimack’s power play converted on its first opportunity of the night. Justin Gill scored just five seconds into a first-period power play after UNH’s Alex Carr was sent off for interference at the 3:33 mark.
The Warriors continued to generate chances with the man advantage throughout the game, even as UNH worked to take away one of Merrimack’s most effective looks. Typically, the Warriors look to funnel the puck to Nick Pierre on the wing for a one-timer or a quick chance as he crashes the net — often off a setup from below the goal line, where Cranston has been effective. On Friday, however, the Wildcats made a concerted effort to remove Pierre from the equation, at one point appearing to assign penalty killer Kristaps Skrastins to shadow him closely.
“They’re very aggressive on the PK,” Borek said. “They might be the most aggressive team in our league on the PK, and I thought we handled it well. I give Ryan Durocher a lot of credit for that because he had our guys ready. Our guys on the rink executed it really well.”
Notebook
Friday’s win gave the Warriors the season tiebreaker over the Wildcats.
Merrimack outshot UNH 29-22 and held a narrow 29-28 edge in the faceoff circle. UNH entered the night ranked No. 5 nationally in faceoff percentage.
The win moved Merrimack into seventh place in the Hockey East standings. The Warriors sit one point ahead of Maine, which has a game in hand, and rank eighth in the league in points percentage. Merrimack is just three points — one win — behind BU for fourth place and holds two games in hand on the Terriers.
Nationally, Merrimack finished the night ranked No. 30 in the NPI, receiving little help from surrounding results. Entering the game, a regulation win alone would have moved the Warriors up to No. 26.
The Warriors travel to the Whittemore Center on Saturday night to complete the two-game series with the Wildcats.
Merrimack 2, New Hampshire 1
at Lawler Arena
New Hampshire (11-13-0): 0-0-1--1
Merrimack (13-12-0): 2-0-0--2
First Period
1. MC Justin Gill 9 (Trevor Hoskin, Caden Cranston), pp, 3:30
2. MC Caden Cranston 4 (unassisted), ev, 18:44
Second Period
None
Third Period
3. UNH Cy LeClerc 4 (Marty Lavins, Morgan Winters), ev, 12:12
Shots: MC 12-9-8--29; UNH 9-7-6--22
Saves: MC Lundgren (60:00) 21/22; UNH Chauvette (57:52) 27/29
Power Play: MC 1 for 4; UNH 0 for 2
Penalties: MC 3-6:00; UNH 5-10:00