| Prd | Time | Team | Score | Type | Scored By | Assists |
| 1st | 12:26 | CNS | 1-0 | EV | Shane Conacher (11) | Ryan Schmelzer/11 |
| 3rd | 2:24 | MER | 1-1 | PP | Ludvig Larsson (2) | Alex Carle/3, Jared Kolquist/6 |
| 3rd | 11:01 | MER | 2-1 | EV GW | Ben Bahe (5) | Brian Christie/8 |
| 3rd | 13:06 | MER | 3-1 | EV | Jace Hennig (2) | Ben Bahe/7, Brian Christie/9 |
| 3rd | 18:44 | MER | 4-1 | EV EN | Jace Hennig (3) | Hampus Gustafsson/7 |
| Scoring | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| Canisius | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Merrimack | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Shots on Goal | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | SOG |
| Canisius | 8 | 5 | 6 | 19 |
| Merrimack | 18 | 7 | 17 | 42 |
| Team Stats and Records | PP | PIM | SHGF |
| Canisius (5-12-1) | 0/4 | 2/4 | 0 |
| Merrimack (7-4-5) | 1/2 | 4/8 | 0 |
| Canisius Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Reilly Turner (L, 4-9-0) | 58:38 | 3 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 38 |
| Empty Net | 1:22 | 1 |
| Merrimack Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Drew Vogler (W, 1-0-0) | 60:00 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 18 |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - The 20th-ranked Merrimack College men's ice hockey closed out the first half on a high note, as the Warriors knocked off Canisius, 4-1, in the team's final home game of 2015 on Sunday afternoon at Lawler Rink.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4, Canisius 1
Records: #20 Merrimack (7-4-5) | Canisius (5-12-1)
Location: Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
In the midst of a six-game stretch without a win spanning over a month back to Nov. 13, Merrimack welcomed Canisius to campus for the final game of the first semester for both squads with hopes to get back in the win column and sweep the season series against the Golden Griffins.
Sunday's script followed most of what the last six games entailed - a slow start offensively - as the Warriors surrendered a first-period goal and were held off the board in the opening frame for the seventh straight game and entered the locker room down by a 1-0 margin after 20 minutes.
With the game scoreless, Shane Conacher added to his team-leading scoring total after sneaking a shot into the upper-right corner from the top of the right circle at 12:26 of the first to put the Golden Griffins up, 1-0. Merrimack put nearly 20 shots on net in the first 20 minutes but was kept in check until the early goings of the third period.
Freshman Ludvig Larsson (Malmo, Sweden) tipped in a point shot from classmate Alex Carle (Anchorage, Alaska) with a fraction of a second remaining on the Warriors' second power play of the game at 2:23 of the third to tie the game, opening the floodgates for a four-goal frame.
Nearly 10 minutes later, senior Ben Bahe (Stillwater, Minn.) took the puck from his own blue line and went the length of the ice down the right-wing boards and beat Canisius' Reilly Turner at 11:01 to account for the game-winning tally.
Two minutes later, Bahe nearly had his second of the game, but sophomore Jace Hennig (Port Moody, British Columbia) was there to clean up the rebound at the back end of the crease at 13:06 to make it a 3-1 affair. Senior Brian Christie (West Chester, Pa.) also assisted on the play to cap off an all-top line scoring sequence.
Canisius had a chance to chip away at the deficit after Merrimack took back-to-back penalties at 14:40 and 15:56, giving the visitors nearly a minute of a 5-on-3 advantage and another full minute of a 5-on-4 power play, but freshman goaltender Drew Vogler (Florissant, Mo.), who was making his first career start, stood tall to preserve his first victory in net.
Hennig wrapped things up with his second goal of the night on an empty net to seal the Warriors' first win in six tries and wrap up the first half with a 7-4-5 overall record.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack put over 40 shots on net for the first time this season, outshooting Canisius by a 42-19 margin (including an 18-8 advantage in the first period and a 17-6 edge in the third)
- Merrimack held Canisius empty on four opposing power plays and finished 1-for-2 with its own man advantage
- Vogler finished with 18 saves in his first career start, while Turner made 38 stops for the visitors
- Hennig (2g), Bahe (1g, 1a) and Christie (2a) finished with multi-point performances for the Warriors, while Carle, Larsson, sophomore Jared Kolquist (Hermantown, Minn.) and junior Hampus Gustafsson (Ljungby, Sweden) all posted at least one point
Up Next
Merrimack will enjoy a nine-day layoff as it breaks for the holidays. The Warriors will return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 29, when they visit Army West Point in a non-league matchup beginning at 7 p.m.