Linards Feldbergs did almost everything for Merrimack on Friday night, including setting up the game-winning goal.
The Warriors goaltender made 32 saves and picked up the only assist on Nick Pierre’s overtime goal at 4:11 of the extra session, giving Merrimack a 2-1 non-conference win over Notre Dame.
Notre Dame outshot Merrimack 33-22 and won 36 of 57 faceoffs, but couldn’t get a second puck past Feldbergs. The Irish had their best push in the third period, firing 15 shots on Feldbergs, on top of three more in overtime.
Pierre’s goal, his fourth of the season, made the Warriors 2-0 in overtime games this season and improved them to 3-1-1. Notre Dame fell to 2-3-0.
Merrimack scored first late in the opening period. Ty Daneault scored his fourth goal of the year at 16:19, set up by Mavrick Lachance, to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
The Irish tied it on the power play early in the second. Keaton Orrey went off for cross-checking at 6:54, and 15 seconds later Evan Werner scored his third goal of the season at 7:09 on a one-timer.
That was the only puck to get past Feldbergs. Merrimack’s best chances to retake the lead in regulation came in the third, when Notre Dame was called for two penalties: Hagen Burrows for interference at 3:56 and Brown for hooking at 12:36. The Warriors thought they scored on a power-play one-timer from Pierre, but it was called back for goaltender interference when Justin Gill collided with Patrick Quinlan, who made 20 saves for the Irish.
The series will wrap up on Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m.
Notebook: Lalonde returns to the lineup
Parker Lalonde slotted back into the lineup for Merrimack, just over two weeks after he took a scary hit from UNH’s Marty Lavins and was taken off the ice at Lawler Arena on a stretcher.
Going back to Dec. 12 of last season, The Warriors are 19-7-3 in their last 29 games. Only Michigan, North Dakota, Michigan Tech, Western Michigan, and Denver have more wins over the same stretch.