BOSTON — Northeastern has come a long way in three seasons.
When Greg Cronin took over as head coach in 2005-06, the program was weighed down by bad recruiting and a complete lack of fan support. The 4,500-seat Matthews Arena felt like a ghost town most nights.
But Cronin's hard work has paid off, as the Huskies are ranked fourth nationally. Last night, in front of a raucous crowd of 4,437, they handed Merrimack a hard-hitting 2-1 loss.
The Warriors dominated much of the 5-on-5 play, outshooting Northeastern 32-20.
After a scoreless first period that saw Merrimack outshoot Northeastern 11-4, the Huskies' first goal came early in the second after Merrimack defenseman Fraser Allan covered the puck in the crease and was whistled for a penalty shot. Steve Quailer beat Merrimack goaltender Joe Cannata along the ice, tucking the puck around his left pad.
After Joe Cucci tied the game early in the third period on the power play, the Huskies' Ryan Ginand fired a puck into an empty net after goaltender Joe Cannata was caught leaving his crease unmanned as he attempted to play a puck along the left-wing boards.
"It's a hard decision for a goaltender to make; when to go and when not to go," said Merrimack head coach Mark Dennehy. "He saw the icing waived off and came out of the net, and then he was kind of in no-man's land. He's improved quite a bit in playing the puck, but it took a bad bounce and ended up in the net."
The bright spot for the Warriors is a much improved power play which went 1 for 4 with 11 shots on net.
"It's always a work in progress," Dennehy said, "The minute you think you have it under wraps, it flitters away. I thought our power play provided momentum when we were on it. You don't always score, but if you can get that momentum, it can really change the flow of a game."
Sophomore Joe Cucci's power-play tally, his third goal of the year, came when he pinched from the point and one-timed a beautiful feed from freshman defenseman Karl Stollery, who is ranked among Hockey East rookies in scoring (he leads all rookie defensemen).
Cucci had two one-timer chances on a first period power play that he couldn't get his stick on.
"We had a nice power play in the first period but just couldn't get it through," he said. "That's a big goal for us in the third period, tying the game on the road in front of a pretty hostile crowd. Lately I think our power play has really played better, we're moving the puck better and generating some chances and I think our entire unit is feeling better about it.
"A lot of it comes from playing together. You start to know where other guys are on the ice. That helps a lot because it helps us better move the puck but not only are we moving the puck, we're moving our bodies. That really can throw their penalty kill off. It makes them have to defend more ice."
The Warriors will need the power play to keep clicking tonight, when they faceoff with the Huskies in a rematch at Merrimack's Lawler Arena at 7.
No. 4 Northeastern 2, Merrimack 1
at Matthews Arena, Northeastern
Merrimack (5-10-3): 0-0-1—1
Northeastern (13-4-2): 0-1-1—2
Second Period: 1. NU Steve Quailer (unassisted), penalty shot, 5:24.
Third Period: 2. MC Joe Cucci 3 (Karl Stollery, Jesse Todd), ppg, 4:15; 3. NU Ryan Ginand 11 (Greg Costa), 11:26.
Shots: MC 11-7-14—32; NU 4-10-6—20
Saves: MC Cannata (3-3-3) 4-9-5—18; NU Thiessen (13-4-2) 11-7-13—21
Power Play: Merrimack 1 for 4 (11 shots); Northeastern 0 for 7 (5 shots)
Attendance: 4,437
Next: Hosts Northeastern tonight at 7
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