NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - Junior Quinn Gould (Fort McMurray, Alberta) led all skaters with a goal and two assists, helping the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team snap a seven-game skid with a 4-2 victory over New Hampshire in Hockey East action on Friday night at Lawler Rink.
After watching a two-goal second-period lead evaporate in the first half of the third frame, Merrimack closed the game out with the final two tallies, including Gould's game-winner at the 9:00 mark before a late empty-netter sealed the deal.
For the Warriors, it marked their first win since a Jan. 25 home victory (3-2) against Massachusetts, snapping a seven-game losing skid in the process. Friday night also marked just the fifth time that the Warriors held a two-period lead all season, as they improved to 3-2-0 in such situations after the win tonight.
Following a scoreless first, Merrimack built itself a two-goal cushion thanks to back-to-back strikes within five minutes.
Junior defenseman Justin Mansfield (Arlington, Mass.) notched the game's opening salvo after tipping in a perfect centering feed from Gould at 6:24, with senior Rhett Bly (Regina, Saskatchewan) earning the secondary assist on the play.
Five minutes later, with the Navy and Gold on the power play, sophomore Brian Christie (West Chester, Pa.) scored another gritty goal for the Warriors after slapping in a rebounded shot taken by senior Mike Collins (Boston, Mass.) at 11:10. Gould also assisted on the marker by deflecting the initial shot back to Christie.
New Hampshire took advantage of a 5-on-3 power play early in the third to get on the board, and with just over 12 minutes to go, Dalton Speelman tied things up on a wrist shot from the far circle to draw the Wildcats even.
Just 59 seconds later, though, Gould and classmate Kyle Singleton (Beaverton, Ore.) came down the ice 2-on-1, as the former tallied the game-winner at 9:00 of the third to put the home side ahead for good. Freshman Jonathan Lashyn (Camrose, Alberta) earned the secondary assist, as well.
New Hampshire would be kept in check the rest of the way before junior Connor Toomey (Billerica, Mass.) found the back of the net with nine seconds to go to account for the final margin of victory.
Junior Rasmus Tirronen (Espoo, Finland) backstopped the Warriors to victory with 23 saves, while UNH's Casey DeSmith turned away 24 for the Wildcats.