STORRS, Conn. — The road continues to be a rough ride for the Warriors. After a humbling 4-0 loss at UMass Lowell on opening night, Merrimack rebounded with an impressive homestand (they went 3-1). But back on the road Saturday at UConn, many of those same early-season issues resurfaced. Forced to defend for long stretches, the Warriors fell to the Huskies by a 5-1 score at Toscano Family Ice Forum.
Much like that opening-night setback against Lowell, Merrimack showed flashes when it did possess the puck. But over the final 40 minutes, the Warriors were chasing far too often. UConn outshot Merrimack 40-21 overall, including a commanding 26-9 margin over the last two periods.
The Warriors’ best stretch came early. After Jake Richard staked UConn to a 1-0 lead just 48 seconds in, Merrimack answered on a power-play strike from Caden Cranston, his first of the year, nine minutes later.
“Our first period was really good,” said Merrimack coach Scott Borek. “They get the first goal, but I liked our answer. The rest of that period we played physical and did good things. We were getting opportunities, we had some chances around their net. But then the wheels came off.”
The wheels, indeed, came off.
Through 20 minutes, the game was fairly even. But in the second period, the Huskies tilted the ice sharply in their favor, outshooting Merrimack 14-3. The trend continued into the third, where UConn held a 12-6 edge and limited the Warriors to just two shots on goal over the first 15 minutes.
“We got on the wrong side of the puck a lot,” Borek said. “Our breakout wasn’t very good. Their forecheck was elite, but we didn’t simplify. We kept trying to make a bigger play, and that’s what happens — the puck comes right back at you.
“They played faster in the offensive zone than we played in the defensive zone. That was pretty much the game.”
UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh called it his team’s “best 60-minute effort of the season.”
In the third, Mike Murtagh buried a rebound to put the Huskies ahead 2-1.
Later, Caelan Fitzpatrick nearly tied it on a backhander with 4:30 left, but UConn goaltender Tyler Muszelik shrugged it off with his left shoulder.
Lundgren continues stretch of elite-level play
Despite the outcome, Max Lundgren was again outstanding in goal for Merrimack. Entering the night ranked among the top 10 nationally in both save percentage (.935) and goals saved above expected (+5.1), the sophomore looked every bit the part.
After giving up Richard’s early wrister from the left circle, Lundgren slammed the door, turning aside the next 30 shots he faced. By the end of the second period, UConn led 28-15 in shots, and 20 of those — yes, 20 — came from high-danger areas.
“The first goal goes in, and I think that’s one Max wanted back,” Borek said. “But I loved his response. He shut the door after that on some really good chances. Even when he was scrambling, he was tracking the puck well. I said to our guys after the game, ‘our goalie gave us a chance to win.’ Don’t be fooled by the score — he gave us a chance, and it’s disappointing we couldn’t capitalize.”