Warriors find a way to close out Yale in the third period
Merrimack 4, Yale 1
NORTH ANDOVER — Merrimack snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-1 win over Yale on Friday night at Lawler Arena, marking its first victory over Yale since 1998.
Nolan Flamand scored twice for the Warriors, while Mark Hillier and Nick Pierre added goals. Max Lundgren turned aside 30 shots to earn his sixth win of the season.
For Merrimack head coach Scott Borek, it wasn’t a flawless performance, but it was one his team badly needed to stop the slide and get back in the win column.
“It’s nice to come out on the right side of it,” Borek said. “We’ve played better games over the last four games that we’ve lost, so coming out on the right side was good.
“We said after the game, it wasn’t pretty, but that doesn’t matter. All it says is 4-1.”
The Warriors also won the third period for the first time in nearly a month, since outscoring Long Island 4-1 in the final frame on Nov. 21. It was a notable step forward for a team that had struggled to close games.
The third period, in particular, had been a source of frustration. It remains the only period this season where the Warriors have a negative goal differential.
“In the third period, we had a goal that we thought might have been waived off, but it counted,” Borek said. “We had some adversity in that period to get through, and we got to the other side of it. I was really happy with that.”
“It’s been rough here, and the third has been a struggle for us,” added graduate captain Mark Hillier. “There’s a lot of belief in our room. That’s the only thing that matters. I’ve just tried to keep that message to the group. Stick with it. A win like this is super important.”
Hillier finds the net, which seems to be a key for the Warriors
Mark Hillier scored his third goal of the season for the Warriors, continuing a tidy trend — he has found the back of the net in three separate games, all of them Merrimack wins.
After missing all of last season with a lower-body injury, Hillier is beginning to rediscover his rhythm.
“I’ve never really had a lot of injuries in the past, luckily, so that was tough,” he said. “It’s taken a while before it felt the same for me. Sometimes I still feel it on my edges, it just doesn’t feel exactly the same yet, but I’m trying to push through it.”
Fitzpatrick finds his way on the wing
Caelan Fitzpatrick lined up on the left wing for the first time in a Merrimack uniform. Merrimack’s co-captain, along with Hilier, said it was likely the first time he had played the wing since his first year of junior hockey.
“I thought it would give Fitzy a little more offense on the outside,” Borek said. “He’s so responsible when he plays in the middle of the rink. He plays hard in all three zones. Sometimes, I think that takes away from his offense a bit. I wish everyone played as hard as he does, but it’s just who he is. You saw some giddy up from that line tonight. He was able to get in on the forecheck, which was great because when he’s on the forecheck he’s at his best.”
Fitzpatrick finished with a modest two shot attempts and one shot on goal, but he was sprung several times down the left side on stretch passes during breakouts. The adjustment appeared to put the puck on his stick more frequently in transition than when he was deployed at center.
“It’s been a little bit since I’ve played over there,” he said. “Hockey is hockey, though. In the first period it felt like a little bit of a change, but you get used to it pretty quick. I’m just happy that we played well tonight and got the win. I’ll do whatever I need to do to help us get a win. If it’s on the wing, I’m happy to do it.”
NOTES:
Parker Lalonde (9–6) and Justin Gill (11–8) were the only Warriors to post positive win percentages on the faceoff dot.
Joey Henneberry continued his strong recent play, notching an assist on Flamand’s empty-netter and finishing the night with two shots on goal.
The Warriors also won another challenge, erasing a would-be Yale goal in the third period.
Max Lundgren was stellar yet again, turning aside 30 shots and surrendering only a lone goal to Ronan O’Donnell.