BOSTON—w Joe Cucci did what hockey players are taught when they're 4 years old, he went to the net.
Linemate Ryan Flanigan found him with a perfect one-time pass and Cucci, normally a playmaker, buried it, lifting Merrimack past Boston University 3-2 in overtime in front of a stunned 3,509 fans at Agganis Arena.
Cucci's goal forces a decisive game three tonight at 7 p.m. at Agganis Arena.
It's the Warriors first win at Agganis in 11 tries and sets a new benchmark for wins in a season since joining Division 1 - 16 - and also marks their first playoff win since 1998.
Ironically, the last playoff win for the Warriors was a game 3 win over BU in 1998, which sent the Warriors to their only Hockey East semifinal appearance.
"I just went to the net and Flanny found me coming down the boards and put the puck right on my stick," Cucci said. "Right place at the right time, I guess."
It was a redemption score for Cucci, a junior winger who just missed tying the score on Friday, hitting the side of the net inside of the final minute.
The Warriors played with a much larger bounce in their step than in Friday's game 1. Merrimack outshot BU 35-26 despite BU having 11 power plays.
"We got outshot in our own building, and we had 11 power plays to their five," said BU head coach Jack Parker. "I couldn't be more disappointed with my team tonight. I want to know where the team was that played on Friday."
Merrimack's penalty kill was on the ice for 16:55 in the game.
"We obviously played really well on the penalty kill," said Merrimack head coach Mark Dennehy. "We made some adjustments there with (assistant coach) Glenn Stewart and we made some adjustments on the power play with (assistant coach) Phil Roy. We were able to do more things."
But Merrimack was playing with fire - BU totaled 13 shots on the power play - and staying out of the box is something the Warriors will have to do tonight in order to advance.
"(Penalties) wasn't in the game plan," Dennehy said.
The Warriors didn't convert on their first 10 power plays of the series before Brandon Brodhag's tally late in the second period.
"We have a resilient group," Dennehy said. "We've been this way all season. We'll have to keep being resilient if we want to win tomorrow night. Sometimes overcoming victories are tougher than overcoming defeat."
Want to go to Game 3?
Merrimack College is sponsoring a bus trip from the Volpe Complex for all students. The box office will be open from 2-4 p.m. this afternoon for all students. Student tickets are $15 or you can purchase a ticket for $20 that includes a seat on a bus. The fan bus will leave Volpe at 5:00. All tickets the general public can be purchased at the Agganis Arena box office - fans can request to be seated in the Merrimack section - or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
Merrimack 3, Boston University 2 F/OT
at Agganis Arena, Boston University
Merrimack College (16-18-2):1-1-0-1—3
Boston University (17-16-2):0-1-1-0—2
First Period: 1. MC Stephane Da Costa 16 (Chris Barton), 11:30.
Second Period: 2. BU Eric Gryba 4 (Joe Pereira, Luke Popko), 2:33; 3. MC Brandon Brodhag 10 (Fraser Allan, Pat Bowen), ppg, 18:21.
Third Period: 4. BU Wade Megan 5 (Alex Chiasson, Zach Cohen), ppg, 5:19.
Shots: Merrimack 8-13-13-1—35; Boston U 8-6-12-0—26
Saves: MC Cannata 8-5-11-0—24; BU Millan 7-12-13-0—32
Power Plays: Merrimack 1 for 5; Boston U 1 for 11
Attendance: 3,509
Next: Game 3 tonight, 7 p.m.
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