Poturalski Scores a Pair to Lift New Hampshire Past Merrimack, 4-2
Sophomore forward Andrew Poturalski scores twice for Wildcats

Sophomore forward Andrew Poturalski scored two goals for the Wildcats
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 2:18  UNH1-0 EV Ara Nazarian (1)Jamie Hill/2, Chris Miller/2
1st 2:36  UNH2-0 EV Richard Boyd (2)Marcus Vela/1, Jason Salvaggio/1
1st 7:21  MER1-2 EV Brian Christie (3)Ben Bahe/4, Justin Hussar/5
2nd 0:49  UNH3-1 PP GW Andrew Poturalski (4)Tyler Kelleher/9, Matias Cleland/4
3rd 2:38  UNH4-1 PP Andrew Poturalski (5)Matt Dawson/2, Tyler Kelleher/10
3rd 11:16  MER2-4 EV Mathieu Tibbet (3)Brett Seney/3
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
New Hampshire  2114
Merrimack  1012
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
New Hampshire  97420
Merrimack  1541130
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
New Hampshire (3-2-1)  2/7 5/10 0
Merrimack (3-1-2)  0/5 7/14 0
New Hampshire Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Adam Clark (W, 2-0-0)60:002 1441028
Merrimack Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Collin Delia (L, 3-1-2)57:554 76316
Empty Net2:050     

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - The 17th-ranked Merrimack College men's ice hockey team suffered its first setback of the 2015-16 season on Saturday night, as the Warriors dropped a 4-2 decision against visiting New Hampshire at Lawler Rink.

The Basics

Score: New Hampshire 4, Merrimack 2
Records: Merrimack (3-1-2, 1-1-2 HEA) | New Hampshire (3-2-1, 1-0-1 HEA)
Location: Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.

How It Happened

Bidding for an undefeated month of October, Merrimack welcomed UNH to campus to cap off a two-game homestand a night after defeating Boston University in front of a sellout crowd.

The Wildcats, however, took the wind out from under the hosts' sails after scoring twice in an 18-second span in the third minute of regulation; Ara Nazarian lit the lamp at 2:18 before Richard Boyd doubled the lead at 2:36.

Merrimack's top line got one back five minutes later, as senior Brian Christie (West Chester, Pa.) netted his third of the year after following up on his own rebound. Linemates Ben Bahe (Stillwater, Minn.) and Justin Hussar (Lancaster, N.Y.) both helped set up the play to get the Warriors to within one.

Just 49 seconds into the second period, Merrimack's penalty kill finally yielded its first goal of the season after turning away its first 20 attempts, as Andrew Poturalski buried a one-timer off a centering feed from the bottom of the near circle to make it a 3-1 game.

Merrimack appeared to get within one later in the second after sophomore Jace Hennig (Port Moody, British Columbia) sent a loose puck into the net following a scrum in front of UNH goaltender Adam Clark, but the goal was disallowed after the officials ruled that Clark was interfered with.

Poturalski upped the ante to two for the visitors just 2:38 into the third, again on the power play, after teeing up a shot from the right point that went untouched into the low-left corner of the net to make it a 4-1 affair.

Midway through the third, a UNH turnover led to Merrimack's second goal, as sophomore Brett Seney (London, Ontario) hopped on a loose puck behind the net and fed classmate Mathieu Tibbet (Dover, Del.) for an easy one-time goal to cut the deficit in half at 11:16 of the final frame.

That score would hold the rest of the way, as the Warriors fell for the first time this season.

Inside The Numbers

- Merrimack outshot UNH by a 30-20 tally backed by an 11-4 edge in the third period

- The Warriors finished 0-for-5 on the power play while yielding their first two penalty kills against this season, as UNH finished 2-for-7 with the man advantage

- Sophomore Collin Delia (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) suffered his first loss of the season (3-1-2) and finished with 16 saves

- Merrimack enjoyed another strong night on the dot, winning 42-of-71 faceoffs (59.6%)

Up Next

Merrimack visits the first of two Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) opponents on Wednesday (Nov. 4) when it travels to Watertown to face Bentley. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.