Warriors open the weekend with a win over Anchorage

Merrimack snapped a 4-game losing streak

Photo: Owen McMahon

NORTH ANDOVER — Merrimack defeated Alaska Anchorage 4-2 on Friday night at Lawler Arena. The Warriors snapped a four-game losing streak dating back to a win over UConn on Nov. 9.

Here is everything you need to know from Merrimack’s win over Anchorage, with TMR insight and analysis:

Storylines

— David Sacco scored two more goals, and has five goals in his last three games.

Sacco’s line — with Luke Weilandt at center and Ryan O’Connell on the opposite wing — has been the Warriors’ most productive line over the last month.

“We’re starting to know where we’re all going to be,” Sacco said. “For me, I’m getting a little puck luck, too, right? I think three out of the five goals I’ve shot off a defender and it’s gone in the net. I’m not complaining, that stuff can happen when you throw pucks on the net.”

Merrimack head coach Scott Borek, who was under the weather and missed last night’s game, said on Thursday that the line is starting to remind him of the ultra-productive line of Jordan Seyfert, Ryan Leibold, and Mick Messner that the Warriors had during the 2022-23 playoff run.

“Simple, hard hockey,” Sacco said. “None of us are trying to go out there and beat defenders 1-on-1. We know, at the blue line, it’s get the puck past their D, and then get on the puck. If the D gets there first, make sure he feels it.”

Added Jewell, “They’re giving us everything we could ask for. High effort. If you bring that every shift you’re going to have a lot more positive shifts than negative shifts. Those guys go over the boards, they’re moving their feet, and they have relentless effort. That needs to be the identity of our whole team.”

Photo: Owen McMahon

— Michael Emerson returned to the lineup and scored two goals.

The sophomore missed the last three games with a shoulder injury. He scored his first goal in the second period off a slick feed from Nick Pierre. In the third period, he scored on a 2-on-1 after Harrison Roy fed him a pass through the slot.

“It’s just great to be back,” he said. “I had a little shoulder thing that happened in practice. But it’s just great to be back with the boys, and obviously getting the win is really nice, too.”

Emerson established himself physically early in the first period, laying two heavy hits in his first two shifts.

“That’s something I’m trying to add to my game,” he said. “I’m a bigger guy, I can be more physical. It was also a nice way to test the shoulder and just make sure I was good to go. It gets you into the game, too.”

Emerson joined the Warriors after he spent last season at North Dakota. The Carolina Hurricanes draft pick left the Fighting Hawks around the holidays and returned to the USHL before committing to the Warriors.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking in the portal,” he said. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen. I was talking to my advisor and my parents a lot, they were helping me. Once Merrimack called me and I got to talk to them, I thought it was a perfect fit for me.”

— Ryan Keyes made his second career start and saw his first action since Nov. 2 at Maine.

Keyes made 27 saves and now has a 2.02 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage on the season.

“There were some hairy situations tonight,” Jewell said. “There weren’t many 10-bell moments, but he had to make a lot of saves through traffic or through screens and secondary traffic. He fought hard to make some saves. He made a few saves look easy, but they were probably pretty difficult to make.”

Keyes has an .833 save percentage against high-danger chances, which is also the best on the team.

— The Warriors fell behind in the second period but found a way to come back and win the game.

“We were feeling it out more than I would have liked,” said associate head coach Dan Jewell. That’s been a theme for us this year. We didn’t start to dictate the pace of play until later than I would have liked. But once we did, our game got a lot better.”

Friday’s game was the first time the Warriors won a game all season when allowing the first goal (1-7).

Instant Analysis: Did Ryan Keyes earn the starting job?

— Goaltender Ryan Keyes gave the Warriors everything they needed out of that position on Friday night. Will we see him again on Saturday? I don’t see why not. It’s