Warriors close out LIU with four-goal third period
Merrimack 6, Long Island 2
The Warriors headed to Long Island looking for a bit of redemption after last month’s setback at Lawler Arena. They found it in emphatic fashion. Jack Richard opened the scoring in the first period, and Austin Oravetz’s second-period marker stood as the game-winner as Merrimack pulled away with a four-goal third period to secure a 6–2 victory over LIU.
“We had a good third period,” Merrimack coach Scott Borek said. “That was nice to see, because we had some struggles there. It was the only period we’ve been outscored in, so to close out the game the way we did with some finish in the third period was nice to see.”
Nick Pierre scored twice for the Warriors, while Caden Cranston and Mark Hillier also chipped in goals.
Oravetz’s first goal as a Warrior, coming at 9:25 of the second period, held up as the decisive tally.
“It won’t show up on the scoresheet, but Mark Hillier’s line (with Ryan O’Connell and Luke Weilandt) had an unbelievable shift right before that goal,” Borek said. “They kept getting the puck low and keeping it on net. They generated us a ton of momentum right before that goal, and that momentum led to that goal. I told those guys on the bench, they won’t get points for that, but they deserve it.
“Those guys keep giving us exactly what we need them to give us. That was a great shift and it was good finish by [Oravetz] to get us an important goal there.”
Merrimack’s third-period issues had surfaced even in wins — including last week’s 3–2 home victory over Providence, when the Friars struck twice late to make things interesting.
“Sometimes I forget how young we are as a team,” Borek said. “I think some of that is we’re learning our way through it. You need to be in those situations together, go through them together, and you learn through failure, so I think we have been in those situations a few times and we’re learning how to get through those third periods. It was good to see us have a finishing mentality in the third.”
The Warriors return home Wednesday afternoon for a 2 p.m. puck drop against Notre Dame. It will mark the Irish’s first visit to Merrimack since departing Hockey East in 2017.
