NORTH ANDOVER — It's Joe Cannata's time to shine.
Merrimack's sophomore goaltender has been in big games before, and this weekend he'll take part in the biggest college hockey games of his career to date.
The Warriors are back in the playoffs for the first time in six seasons and the pressure is on. But that shouldn't faze Cannata.
The 19-year-old has been in a few big games in front of a few large crowds in his career.
In 2007 he backstopped B.C. High to a 6-1 Super Eight championship win over Weymouth at the TD Garden. A year later, he won the Five Nations Cup as part of Team USA's Under-18 national team.
Cannata is expected to get the start tonight when the Warriors faceoff with Boston University.
"He's a big-game goalie," said head coach Mark Dennehy. "When we recruited him, we knew that he played his best in big games. ... When he's playing his best, he's making saves with his body, right in his chest."
And most often, goalies are what win playoff series.
Kieran Millan, Boston University's starter, has cooled considerably after a stellar freshman year. Millan, who went 29-2-3 last season with a 1.94 goals-against average and .921 save percentage en route to a national championship, enters this weekend with a 14-14-0 mark to go with a 3.28 goals-against average and .883 save percentage.
Millan, in his only start against Merrimack this season, was pulled in a 6-3 win for the Warriors.
Cannata made the start for the Warriors in that win - his only appearance against BU this season.
Grant Rollheiser made the starts in BU's two wins over the Warriors at Agganis Arena, but he did so despite allowing 4.01 goals per game.
"Our other games were high-scoring but I don't expect this to be," said Merrimack sniper Chris Barton. "This is the playoffs and I think they will be hard-working, gritty games. Maybe there will be a lot of goals, but I don't expect it. I think it will be grind-it-out type of games."
Goalie Matchup
Joe Cannata (Merrimack)¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ Kieran Millan (BU)
W-L-T¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 9-11-1¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 14-14-0
Starts¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 20¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 28
Goals Against Avg.¬ ¬ 3.10¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 3.28
Save Percentage¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ .899¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ .883
Minutes¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 1,181:35¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 1,627:45
Shots¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 605¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 762
Goals Against¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 61¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ ¬ 89
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