Game Report: Warriors suffer letdown against LIU
NORTH ANDOVER — Less than 24 hours after the emotional high of knocking off No. 6 Quinnipiac, Merrimack came crashing back to earth. The Warriors dominated large stretches of play but couldn’t convert that control into a win, falling 5–2 to Long Island on Saturday night at Lawler Arena.
Merrimack outshot the Sharks 48–37, yet a power-play goal from Brett Rylance at 11:44 of the third period — coming after the Warriors were whistled for too many men on the ice — proved to be the difference. Long Island added two empty-netters in the closing minutes to secure the win.
“Give LIU a lot of credit,” said Merrimack coach Scott Borek. “They worked really hard. They played really well. They played to their identity. I was impressed with how hard they played.”
Defensive miscues plagued Merrimack early. A first-period turnover sent the puck to Sixten Jennersjö, who quickly fed Dylan Kinch on the right side. Kinch had time and space — there was almost no one in his vicinity — and he beat Max Lundgren to open the scoring.
In the second, Anthony Lucarelli redirected a Nick Bernardo shot from the blue line to make it 2–0.
The Warriors responded with a strong push midway through the frame. Parker Lalonde put Merrimack on the board, and less than two minutes later, Jack Richard buried his first goal as a Warrior to tie the game 2–2.
Penalties in the third period, however, proved costly. Merrimack took three minors in the final frame, including a too-many-men call that set up Rylance’s go-ahead tally. After killing penalties at 5:13 and 8:22, the Warriors found themselves back shorthanded, and this time, they couldn’t hold. Rylance pounced on a loose puck near the crease to restore LIU’s lead for good.
“That was a very weak game by us, mentally,” Borek said. “They took advantage of it. Most of their goals, we had the puck on our stick before they scored. So, it was just a really disappointing game by us — by all of us. Coaches, players, everybody. We’ve got to be better.”
Emotions Boil Over
The game’s physical tone escalated late in the second period. LIU’s Onni Leppänen was ejected at the 14-minute mark after a cross-check on Jack Richard that drew a major penalty.
“The game got really emotional in the middle of the second period because we tried to get our game back,” Borek said. “We got physical, maybe to a fault. Then it got really physical, obviously. The refs did a really good job of clamping that down, but we lost complete focus on the hockey game. We tried to win the fight, not the game.”
Notebook: LIU Adjusts, Merrimack Misses Chances
Merrimack carried play early, outshooting LIU 20–6 in the opening period but still trailed 1–0 after 20 minutes. From that point on, the Sharks found their footing, outshooting the Warriors 31–28 over the final two periods.
The 48 shots on goal were Merrimack’s most in nearly two years, dating back to a 5–2 win over Army on Jan. 3, 2024, when the Warriors fired 50 shots.
Expected-goals data also favored Merrimack, 4.3–3.2, highlighting how much control they had for long stretches..
Long Island 5, Merrimack 2
First Period
1–0, Long Island: Dylan Kinch (3) (Sixten Jennersjö), 11:40.
Second Period
2–0, Long Island: Anthony Lucarelli (1) (Nick Bernardo, Trent Powell), 6:36 (PP).
2–1, Merrimack: Parker Lalonde (5) (Justin Gill), 8:10.
2–2, Merrimack: Jack Richard (1) (Nolan Flamand), 9:50.
Third Period
3–2, Long Island: Brett Rylance (3) (JR Perdion, Trevor Griebel), 11:44 (PP).
4–2, Long Island: Dylan Kinch (4) (Brett Rylance), 17:49 (EN).
5–2, Long Island: Brett Rylance (4) (Kinch), 19:16 (EN).
Power-Play Goals: Long Island 2-for-6; Merrimack 0-for-4.
Goaltenders: Daniel Duris (LIU) 46 saves; Max Lundgren (MER) 29 saves.