NORTH ANDOVER – The Warriors completed a two-game sweep of Northeastern at Lawler Arena with a 3-1 win over the Huskies on Friday night. Merrimack had to come from behind to do it next Griffin Erdman gave the Huskies a 1-0 lead in the first period. Justin Gill And Parker Lalonde scored five minutes apart in the second period to swing the game in the Warriors’ favor, and Michael Emerson sealed it with an empty net goal in the closing seconds.
“We played really hard,” Merrimack coach said Scott Borek said. “This match was a lot more difficult then [Thursday]. They stepped in front of us and their goalkeeper was very good, and so was ours. It is difficult to score in this competition. That’s a really big win for us.”
Max Lundgren surrendered Erdman’s goal on the eighth shot he faced in the opening period, but he closed the door from there, stopping the final 23 shots that came his way. The goal appeared to deflect off a defender’s stick and change direction before sliding over Lundgren’s glove.
Borek said Lundgren apologized to his teammates during the break for allowing the goal, and then backed that up with an impeccable final 40 minutes.
“He had no reason to apologize,” Borek said. “He’s been so great for us, but it shows that he owns it. That’s who he is every night. They’re a very difficult team to goal against because they move really well down the Royal Road. They get you moving, and Max does what he always does, staying calm and making some big saves. They had a lot more traffic in this game. Max was elite tonight.”
Gill returned to the lineup after a one-game suspension from Hockey East and made an immediate impact by scoring the equalizer. He finished the night with a goal and three shots, quickly finding chemistry with new linemates Daniel Astapovich And Ryan O’Connell.
“I talked to him before the game because he also missed some practice time this week,” Borek said. “I didn’t want to send him back, not because he missed a game, but because he was coming back after missing a few days of practice. So we put him on a different line and I give him a lot of credit because I think he played really well and had some production with those guys. His effort tonight was great.”
“[Astapovich] And [O’Connell] work so hard and they are so selfless. Whoever is with them is going to get opportunities, and Justin got some opportunities tonight playing with those guys.
It was a productive weekend offensively for Merrimack’s defensive unit. Austin Oravetz (two assists) and Seamus Powell (one assist) was on the scoresheet on Friday evening. On Thursday, Cam Kungle recorded two assists and Nathan King scored a goal.
“It’s a balance, taking risks when they’re there and knowing when to stay on D again,” Powell said.
Powell and Oravetz have been linked for a while. Oravetz, best known for his ruthless defensive play, has given Powell more freedom to jump into the rush.
“I relied on him quite a bit,” Powell said. “Sometimes more than I probably should. But he’s great to play with. He’s always in the right spot, he always works so hard, he makes it super easy.”
— The Warriors moved up to No. 32 in the NPI after the dust settled Friday. To illustrate how tightly packed the middle of the rankings are, if the Warriors had had a lead in the third period against Notre Dame and BU, they would be at 14-10 and ranked No. 19.
In Hockey East, the Warriors tied for sixth place with Maine.
— Vinny Borgesiwho leads the nation in time on the ice, recorded 30:04 on Friday, more than half the game. Powell led all Merrimack skaters with 27:13.
– The Warriors blocked 23 shots from Northeast, making 31 percent of the Huskies’ 74 shot attempts. Lalonde and Oravetz each recorded three blocks.
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