MERRIMACK PICKS UP 2-2 TIE AT ROBERT MORRIS

MOON TOWNSHIP, PA — Senior Matt Byrnes (Denver, CO) scored his second goal of the season with 5:59 remaining in the third period as the Merrimack College hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with Robert Morris University Friday night at the RMU Iceland Sports Arena.

Byrnes took a pass from senior Brian Boulay (Auburn, MA) and fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of RMU goalie Christian Boucher at 14:01 of the third period. The tie gives the Warriors (2-12-2) points in consecutive games for the first time this season.

Earlier in the period, Chris Kaufman scored his fourth goal of the season for Robert Morris in the third period to put the Colonials (5-9-1) in front 2-1 on a play started by Jake Sparks. Sparks chipped the puck towards the front of the net and Kaufman got his stick on a puck that trickled inside the left post at 2:48. Sean Berkstresser recorded the second assist on Kaufman’s tally.

Senior Mike Alexiou (Pickering, Ontario) put the Warriors in front 1-0 with 55 seconds remaining in the opening period. With Andrew Bonello in the box for slashing, Alexiou banged home a loose puck out of a goalmouth scramble for his second goal of the season. Byrnes and junior Derek Pallardy (St. Louis, MO) picked up assists on the PP marker at 19:05. The opening stanza closed with the Warriors holding a 12-7 edge in shots.

The Colonials tied the score at one early in the second period when David Boguslawski poked the puck past a sprawling Watson at 5:35. Chris Margott started the play with a pass to Doug Conley, who eventually fed Boguslawski for the goal. Each team received three minor penalties in the period, which closed with Robert Morris outshooting MC 9-5.

RMU outshot the Warriors 26-24 – including 4-0 in overtime – and finished the evening 1-for-6 on the power play. RMU, meanwhile, went 0-for-6 with the man advantage.

Watson finished the evening with 24 saves as his record moved to 1-3-1 while Christian Boucher stopped 22 shots to move to 5-7-1.

The Warriors close their two-game trip to the Key State with an 8 p.m. contest against the Colonials.