Newly-appointed captain Antonio Venuto scores in Merrimack's exhibition opener
NORTH ANDOVER — It's been quite a week for Antonio Venuto.
Fresh off being elected captain by his Merrimack teammates, Venuto scored his first goal as a Warrior — albeit unofficially — in Merrimack's 3-2 exhibition win over Sacred Heart on Saturday afternoon.
"It's been a long summer," Venuto said. "Just getting out there and getting a win feels good."
Venuto scored in the second period to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead. Michael Emerson made a play in the middle of the rink to get Venuto the puck on the left-wing wall and he found space on a shot to beat Sacred Heart goalie Cullen DeYoung.
"Emerson made a really nice play to get me the puck, and from there, I just wanted to take it to the net," Venuto said. "Get to the net, and good things happen.
Venuto is one of four Warriors wearing letters this season. Harrison Roy and Tyler Young were alternate captains on Saturday. Mark Hillier is likely out until the second half but will wear an "A" upon returning.
"It's definitely an honor [to be selected captain]," Venuto said. "I really appreciate the guys, and when I found out, it meant a lot to me. As soon as I got here, I felt like we had a special group."
Borek sees potential in puck movement
Merrimack head coach Scott Borek pointed specifically to Venuto's second-period goal and Caden Cranston's called-back goal in the third period as good examples of the Warriors setting up chances through puck movement.
"We have guys willing to play 2-on-1 hockey and they thrive in it," Borek said. "We saw that happen not only on the goals, but we had some scoring opportunities that came off of puck movement. We hit two pipes, and there were multiple passes before those chances. I was happy with the way we played offensively.
"I think we might play faster because we aren't holding the puck as long."
Lundgren sees first game action in over a year
Max Lundgren sat out all of last season due to an NCAA rule regarding his eligibility. On Saturday, he saw his first game action in over a year and played the first and second periods before giving way to Ryan Keyes in the third period.
"Max played really well for his first game action in about 16 months," Borek said. "I wasn't sure Ryan would be able to play at all, but he looked good. Our goaltending is going to be a real strength for us eventually. We have to get through a little time right now."
With Nils Wallstrom sidelined for a few weeks and Lundgren forced to miss the first two regular-season games to satisfy his NCAA-imposed suspension, the Warriors dressed student manager Spencer Marquis in Saturday's game as an emergency backup. Marquis last played at Brunswick High School (Maine) in 2020.
"Spencer is going to suit up for us tomorrow and he might have to be ready to play," Borek said. "He's a great kid. I give him a ton of credit. It takes a lot of guts just to suit up. So we'll see what happens."
Sacred Heart (0-0-0): 1-1-0--2
Merrimack (0-0-0): 1-1-1--3
Scoring:
1st (MC) Ty Daneault (unassisted), ev, 11:07
1st (SHU) John Jaworski (Tyler Ghiardosi), ev, 15:45
2nd (MC) Antonio Venuto (Michael Emerson, Zach Bookman), ev, 13:59
2nd (SHU) Reid Pabich (Gabe Blanchard), ev, 19:59
3rd (MC) Nick Pierre (Seamus Powell), pp, 5:46
Shots: MC 12-9-7--28; SHU 8-3-6--17
Goalies: MC Lundgren (39:59) 9/11, Keyes (20:00) 6/6; SHU DeYoung (58:17) 25/28
Power Play: MC 1 for 3; SHU 0 for 2
Penalties: MC 2-4:00; SHU 2-6:00
Attendance: 1,974