| Prd | Time | Team | Score | Type | Scored By | Assists |
| 1st | 4:51 | COR | 1-0 | EV | Jeff Kubiak (6) | Anthony Angello/6, Mitch Vanderlaan/6 |
| 1st | 9:40 | COR | 2-0 | EV | Anthony Angello (7) | Mitch Vanderlaan/7, Jeff Kubiak/9 |
| 2nd | 2:15 | COR | 3-0 | PP GW | Anthony Angello (8) | Jeff Kubiak/10, Reece Willcox/6 |
| 2nd | 5:20 | MER | 1-3 | EV | Hampus Gustafsson (5) | Marc Biega/5, John Gustafsson/1 |
| 2nd | 6:43 | COR | 4-1 | EV | Dwyer Tschantz (2) | Jake Weidner/7, Christian Hilbrich/3 |
| 2nd | 13:35 | MER | 2-4 | EV | Ben Bahe (7) | Brian Christie/11, Justin Hussar/7 |
| 2nd | 18:42 | COR | 5-2 | EV | Alec McCrea (2) | Trevor Yates/5, Eric Freschi/4 |
| Scoring | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Final |
| Merrimack | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Cornell | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| Shots on Goal | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | SOG |
| Merrimack | 5 | 11 | 10 | 26 |
| Cornell | 11 | 13 | 4 | 28 |
| Team Stats and Records | PP | PIM | SHGF |
| Merrimack (7-9-5) | 0/3 | 4/8 | 0 |
| Cornell (11-2-2) | 1/4 | 3/6 | 0 |
| Merrimack Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Collin Delia (L, 6-6-5) | 60:00 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 23 |
| Cornell Goaltending | MIN | GA | 1 | 2 | 3 | Saves |
| Mitch Gillam (W, 11-2-2) | 60:00 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 24 |
ITHACA, N.Y. - Two goals in the second period gave the team life, but the Merrimack College men's ice hockey team ultimately dropped a 5-2 decision at No. 9 Cornell, as the Big Red swept the weekend series on Saturday night at Lynah Rink.
The Basics
Score: Cornell 5, Merrimack 2
Records: Merrimack (7-9-5) | #9/9 Cornell (11-2-2)
Location: Lynah Rink | Ithaca, N.Y.
How It Happened
Losers of four in a row, Merrimack returned to Lynah Rink for only the second time in program history on Saturday night looking to avenge the previous night's 3-0 shutout setback.
But Cornell came out charging and ultimately put up a pair in the opening frame. Leading scorer Jeff Kubiak struck first at 4:51 before second-leading scorer Anthony Angello doubled the lead near the midpoint of the period.
Just over two minutes into the middle stanza, and while skating with its second man advantage of the night, Angello potted his second of the night to up the hosts' edge to three. But roughly three minutes later, Hampus Gustafsson (Ljunby, Sweden) the longest goalless drought in school history (155:02) with his fifth tally of the season. The junior came in 2-on-1 and beat Cornell goaltender Mitch Gillam for the Warriors' first goal since last Saturday against Union. Sophomore Marc Biega (Pointe-Claire, Quebec) and senior John Gustafsson (Ljungby, Sweden) also assisted on the play.
The home side was quick to respond, as Dwyer Tschantz's second goal of the weekend restored the Big Red's three-goal lead (4-1). The Warriors got to within two later in the period on a wraparound goal from senior Ben Bahe (Stillwater, Minn.), but the Big Red went into the second intermission with a 5-2 lead after Alec McCrea's point shot banked off the pipe to wrap up a five-goal second frame.
But as eventful as the second period was in terms of total offense, the third period would see neither side light the lamp. Merrimack started the period with a power play and benefited from one more midway through the period, but Gillam stopped all 10 shots he saw in the period to preserve the weekend sweep for the Big Red.
How They Scored
CU #1 | P1 4:51 - Kubiak pushes in a loose puck that was sitting in the right side of the paint. Initial shot by Angello from the slot was saved before Kubiak got the rebound to go.
CU #2 | P1 9:40 - Angello picks up a loose puck after a Merrimack defenseman poked it away from another Cornell skater, and Angello scores on a wrist shot from the bottom of the far circle.
CU #3 | P2 2:15 (PPG) - Cornell's power play cycles the puck through the zone before finding Angello in the high slot, and his wrister up high makes it 3-0 Big Red.
MC #1 | P2 5:20 - H. Gustafsson comes in on a 2-on-1 rush, keeps it and scores high blocker side.
CU #4 | P2 6:43 - A centering feed from the near corner finds the stick of a wide-open Tschantz at the weak side of the crease.
MC #2 | P2 13:35 - Bahe comes down through the far circle, fakes a move toward the net, goes wide and scores on a wraparound on the left-wing side of the net.
CU #5 | P2 18:42 - McCrea with a point shot that gets through a screen and deflects off the post and in.
Notes and Numbers
- Before Gustafsson's goal at the 5:20 mark of the second period, Merrimack's goalless streak reaches 155:02, the longest in program history.
- Merrimack also ensured that it would not suffer three straight shutout losses for the first time in program history. The previous back-to-back shutout losses, prior to this season, were in 2013-14, 2005-06, and 1999-2000.
- In addition to the Gustafsson brothers, Biega and Bahe, seniors Brian Christie (West Chester, Pa.) and Justin Hussar (Lancaster, N.Y.) also got on the score sheet on Saturday with assists
- Power Plays: Merrimack 0-3 | Cornell 1-4
- Shots on Goal (Merrimack-Cornell): P1 5-11 | P2 11-13 | P3 10-4 | Total: 26-28
- Faceoffs: 26-28
Up Next
Merrimack resumes league play with its farthest (by mileage) road trip of the season next weekend, as the Warriors head to South Bend, Indiana, to face No. 15/14 Notre Dame in a two-game series starting on Friday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports.