Max Lundgren records a shutout in NCAA debut
Tyler Young also scored his first collegiate goal for the Warriors, who beat Minnesota State 1-0 on Friday night
Max Lundgren made 28 saves, and Tyler Young scored the game's only goal in Merrimack's 1-0 win over Minnesota State on Friday night.
The Warriors learned that Lundgren would be available to start Friday's game late in the week when the NCAA granted him a waiver to delay the final game of his NCAA-imposed suspension for dressing in a pro game in Sweden.
In his first official game action since his final game with the Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) in April of 2023, Lundgren became the first Merrimack goalie to record a shutout in his NCAA debut since Joe Cannata made 44 saves against Army on Oct. 18, 2008.
Sam Marotta recorded a 25-save shutout in his first start, but he had relief appearances before that game.
"He did a great job making the puck stick to him," said Merrimack coach Scott Borek. "There were a few times it didn't, and they had second chances, but we had our own sticks there to clear the puck. Max gave our guys a lot of confidence."
The Warriors were stingy in the D-zone, often keeping the Mavericks to the outside and in low-danger areas.
"We forced them to overpass," Borek said. "For the possession [Minnesota State] had, it did not equal as much opportunity as you would have thought. We have to find a way to play more offense, but if we can grind like that on our side of the red line, we'll be successful."
The Warriors' offense is an early concern. The Warriors have three goals in their first two games. Young scored his first collegiate goal in the first period on Friday.
"[Our offense] is a concern," Borek said. "The biggest thing I see right now is we're passing up shots. We're making an extra pass that we don't have to make. We have to drive everything to the net, get pucks off pads and just make things happen. We had a 3-on-2 rush and when we got the shot off, we were almost at the crease. We needed to shoot the puck one pass earlier. Things like that. We're figuring out our identity and what we need to do to be successful, but it will come."
Young's first goal was a long time coming. The junior has battled through injuries his first two seasons.
"He gives us everything he has on every shift," Borek said. "It's funny, because the shift before that he rifled one over the net. I went down and got a little emotional and told him that can't happen. We can't have pucks inside the dots miss the net. He goes out and his next shot is a goal.
"He played really well. He was one of our better players. He's a high-effort player but he is more skilled than he gets credit for. His biggest skill is his effort."
The Warriors will look for the sweep tomorrow night against the Mavericks.
Merrimack 1, Minnesota State 0
Merrimack (0-1-0): 1-0-0--1
Minnesota State (1-1-0): 0-0-0--0
Scoring
1st (MC) Tyler Young 1 (Zach Bookman), ev, 16:51
Shots: MC 9-4-7--20; MSU 8-12-8--28
Saves: MC Lundgren (59:54) 28/28; MSU Tracy (58:33) 19/20
Power Play: MC 0 for 1; MSU 0 for 2
Penalties: MC 2-4:00; MSU 1-2:00
Faceoffs: MC 23; MSU 26
Attendance: 4,005