Merrimack can't solve Hellsten in 3-1 loss to UNH
DURHAM, N.H. — Merrimack's injury woes reached new heights on Saturday night at UNH. Merrimack could not dress a full complement of skaters in a 3-1 loss to New Hampshire. After Mac Welsher and Ethan Bono were injured in Friday's loss to UMass, the Warriors dressed every healthy player and only had 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
Under the recent change to NCAA rules, the maximum number of skaters dressed for a game is 19.
The number of players out on Saturday night was stunning: Alex Jefferies, Welsher, Bono, Trevor Griebel, Chase Stevenson, Tyler Young, Nikita Borodayenko, and Mike Brown.
Young and Brown are out for the rest of the season. Merrimack coach Scott Borek said it's week-to-week with the others.
The Warriors have lost over 100 man-games due to injuries, and we're only in early February.Â
But they won't use it as an excuse. Last night they were being shutout late into the third period until Ty Daneault scored with 2.6 seconds left to make it a 3-1 game. That broke a shutout for UNH goalie Jakob Hellsten (28 saves).
"We just didn't finish," Borek said. "There was a lot of pucks around the crease, so we had chances. They pack it in very well, and we just couldn't get the puck so we need to do a better job getting to those pucks."
Offensively, Jefferies is the most significant piece out of the lineup. He has 12 goals in 16 games this season, and the Warriors average 3.1 goals per game with him in the lineup and 2.8 goals per game with him out of the lineup.
But that's not to suggest the other injuries aren't affecting the offense. Stevenson was viewed as a significant addition to the forward group after he scored 20 points (12 goals) for UNH last season. Plus, he's a former captain, which the Warriors value in the transfer portal.Â
The Warriors allowed the first goal of the game, and was especially tough sledding having to chase the game with some of those players forced to watch from the stands.
"Inside ice is inside ice," Borek said. "It doesn't matter who you are. You have to get it. They did a really good job of keeping us away [from inside ice] and we did a pretty good job of keeping them away from it for most of the game. There were a couple that we didn't and they scored."
The Warriors dropped their sixth straight game. This streak is their longest losing streak since Dec. 2020. They fell to 1-7 in their last eight games and 0-6 since Jefferies went down on Jan. 13.
During this 0-6 stretch, the Warriors average just 2.2 goals per game.
NOTES:Â Daneault's goal was his 11th of the season. That ties him with Chase Gresock for the most by a Merrimack freshman since Jace Hennig in 2014-15. ... UNH went 37-21 on faceoffs.Â
NEXT:Â It doesn't get any easier. The Warriors will travel to No. 3 Boston University on Friday night and then return to Lawler Arena to host UNH on Saturday.
