Minnesota State tops Merrimack in series finale

Merrimack had to settle for a series split with Minnesota State after Saturday's 4-1 loss in Mankato.

The Warriors managed just 19 shots on goal and scored one goal for the second straight game. The Warriors have found the back of the net just four times in three games this season.

"We're worried about our offense," Merrimack coach Scott Borek said. "We have to figure it out. Frankly, we looked tired today. I don't know why, but we looked tired. When you're going through stretches like this when you struggle to score, guys also start to grip sticks a little too tight."

Freshman goaltender Max Lundgren stopped all 27 shots he faced in a 1-0 shutout win on Friday. On Saturday, Lundgren made 19 saves, but the Warriors spent most of the game in their defensive zone.

"We spent a lot of time in our own end but I never felt threatened [on Friday]," Borek said. "Max saw every puck. It was an easy game for him because so much was outside the dots. Tonight, it didn't feel like we were able to do that as much. They had more chances. We never got into a rythem because we were defending so much."

In the first period, the Warriors were penalized for too many men on the ice. It's the third time the Warriors were hit with that penalty call this season in four games.

"It wasn't always the guy going over the wall," Borek said. "Our guys coming off need to be more disciplined. We've had a few this year that were clear [penalties]. The one tonight, I didn't feel like it was clear. The same thing might have happened 15 other times during the game without a call. Either way, we were cheating it a little on that play, they did at times too, and it was a clean series."

NEXT: The Warriors will return home to Lawler Arena and host New Hampshire on Friday night. The Wildcats opened their season on Saturday and beat Bentley in overtime, 2-1.

Minnesota State 4, Merrimack 1
Merrimack (1-2-0):        1-0-0--1
Minnesota State (2-2-0):  2-1-1--4
Scoring
1st (MSU) Brendan Olson (Will Hillman, Luke Ashton), ev, 6:54
1st (MC) Antonio Venuto 1 (unassisted), ev, 15:54
1st (MSU) Rhett Pitlick 2 (Josh Groll, Evan Murr), ev, 17:38
2nd (MSU) Luigi Benincasa 2 (Luc Wilson, Zach Krajnik), ev, 2:16
3rd (MSU) Brian Carrabes 2 (Will Hillman, Brett Moravec), ev, 6:33
Shots: MC 5-7-7--19; MSU 8-5-10--23
Saves: MC Lundgren (60:00) 19/23; MSU Tracy (59:43) 18/19
Power Play: MC 0 for 1; MSU 1 for 3
Penalties: MC 4-8; MSU 2-4
Faceoffs: MC 22, MSU 25
Attendance: 4,054