Preview: Merrimack opens a home-and-home with New Hampshire on Friday night at Lawler
Merrimack and New Hampshire will renew acquaintances this weekend with a home-and-home series, opening Friday night at Lawler Arena before shifting to the Whittemore Center on Saturday.
The Warriors took the first meeting between the teams back in October with a 5–1 victory. New Hampshire grabbed an early lead when Felix Gagnon scored in the opening period, but the game turned decisively in a blink. Merrimack erupted for three goals in a 50-second span — from the 6:56 mark to the 7:46 mark of the first period — seized control, and never looked back. Parker Lalonde led the charge with a hat trick in that contest.
“I think they’re an underrated group,” UNH coach Mike Souza said. “I was really impressed watching their games against Northeastern. They are getting really solid goaltending. It’s never easy [at Merrimack].
Game Details
When: Friday/Saturday, 7 p.m.
Where (Friday): Lawler Arena (North Andover, Mass.)
Where (Saturday): Whittemore Center (Durham, N.H.)
TV/Stream: Watch (ESPN+) » Watch (INTL)
Team Statistics
Game Notes
— New Hampshire leads the all-time series 75-31-12, but Merrimack has held a decisive edge in recent years. Since Jan. 22, 2021, the Warriors are 8-2-3 against the Wildcats and are unbeaten in the last four meetings (3-0-1) dating back to Feb. 3, 2024.
UNH’s last win at Lawler Arena came on Oct. 25, 2019. To put that in perspective, Ben Brar was a freshman on that team, and Jere Huhtamaa was Merrimack’s starting goaltender.
That game was decided in overtime. Merrimack’s last regulation loss at home to UNH dates back even further, to Jan. 18, 2019, when Craig Pantano and Drew Vogler split duties between the pipes.
— Merrimack enters the weekend 7-2 in its last nine games. The Wildcats, meanwhile, arrive on a four-game losing streak and are 1-5 in their last six games dating back to Jan. 3.
“I told the team there are two paths you could go down,” Souza said. “You have the path of divisiveness and the path of togetherness. I think we all know where a path of divisiveness would lead. It’s been quite the contrary. These guys came ready to work on Monday and we’ve had a good couple days of practice. I think they’re eager to get back in the win column but they understand the challenges ahead ... I don’t think we’re far off but certainly we need a result.”