Warriors hang on at Vermont for third straight win
The Warriors weathered an early Vermont goal and held off a late Catamount push to open the second half with a 5-4 road win Monday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
“It’s always good to win,” Merrimack coach Scott Borek said. “We had to overcome some things to win this game, but we found a way. It’s three in a row. That’s a game that a few months ago, I’m not sure we would have found a way to win the game, but tonight we did.”
Borek felt the result was a clear snapshot of the Warriors’ growth from October to now.
Merrimack fell behind just over a minute into the game, but Michael Emerson tied it on the power play, and Caelan Fitzpatrick gave the Warriors a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
“I would have liked a better start,” Borek said, “but credit to our guys for sticking with it after giving up an early goal.”
The Warriors appeared to seize control early in the second period, stretching the lead to 4-1 on goals by Daniel Astapovich and Ryan O’Connell. After a UVM goal made it 4-2, Mark Hillier answered to extend the Warriors’ lead to 5-2. A pair of goals by Matteo Michels — late in the second and early in the third — pulled the Catamounts back within one.
“There’s a lot we can take away from this game in terms of things we have to learn,” Borek said. “But it’s a lot easier to teach when you win the game.
“I thought we tried to do a little too much in our D zone at times. We turned the puck over in bad places — things we just can’t do. But we still found a way to win the game.”
Vermont applied sustained pressure late in the second period and for long stretches of the third, but the Warriors limited the damage. The Catamounts finished with 37 shots on goal, but Merrimack held them to just 2.8 expected goals — well below what that volume typically produces — highlighting a strong defensive effort that kept most chances to the perimeter.
“Obviously I want to spend more time with the puck,” Borek said. “But I liked a lot about our play in the D zone. They were taking some risks because they trailed, but I don’t think we gave them much.”
Merrimack is idle until Saturday night, when the Warriors travel to Brown.
Notebook: Gill “day-to-day”
— Justin Gill was sidelined with an undisclosed injury, though a return does not appear far off. Merrimack coach Scott Borek classified Gill as “day-to-day,” but said his availability for Saturday’s game against Brown remains uncertain.
— Daniel Astapovich scored his first NCAA goal in the second period and was one of three Warriors to record a multi-point night.
— Ty Daneault fired three shots on goal in his first appearance since Nov. 15 after missing time with an injury.
— Parker Lalonde contributed two assists and posted a strong performance at the faceoff dot, going 12-7.
— Defenseman Hunter Mayo remains under evaluation as he continues to deal with an injury, leaving his status moving forward unclear.