NORTH ANDOVER, MASS. - Playing in its home opener at Lawler Rink on Saturday night, the Merrimack College men's ice hockey program hosted No. 16/15 Wisconsin in front of a near-sellout crowd on campus. In a helter-skelter contest that featured the most combined goals in a game on campus since 1998, the visiting Badgers emerged with an 11-5 victory.
Five different student-athletes scored for the Warriors, including the first-ever goals for freshmen Regan Kimens and Zach Vinnell. Seniors Tyler Irvine and Patrick Kramer along with sophomore Jordan Seyfert potted tallies for Merrimack, as well
The Basics
Score: #16/15 Wisconsin 11, Merrimack 5
Records: Merrimack (0-3-0) | #16/15 Wisconsin (1-1)
Location: Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.
Attendance: 2,107
Game Duration: 2:25
How it Happened
- Wisconsin started the night with a pair of goals on the power play, opening a 2-0 advantage in the first period
- The Warriors answered late in the period. Irvine went into the corner, working off two Wisconsin players down low to chip over to sophomore Logan Drevitch behind the net. Drevitch capitalized on open space and backhanded a puck to Kimens, crashing the crease for his first career goal
- Merrimack started with a flurry of activity in the second period. Off of a careening shot wide, Logan Drevitch handled the puck in the defensive zone, chipping the puck over to junior Dominic Dockery, who threw a long pass up the boards to a sprinting sophomore Jordan Seyfert, who grabbed the puck in and had the stride on against the Wisconsin defenseman, cut in on goal and whistled in a wrist shot for the tally.
- Forty-eight seconds later, Merrimack started the play along the half boards, hanging a pass in through an unobstructed crease for a shot on goal sent wide. Freshman Declan Carlile handled the puck in his feet at the goal mouth, sending a pass across to the corner for Logan Drevitch, who peeled back and fired a shot on goal that Irvine was able to bat home to give Merrimack a 3-2 lead
- From there, the visiting Badgers took over. Wisconsin netted eight straight goals - six in the second period and two in third - holding a 10-3 lead
- Merrimack ended the run eight minutes into the final period. Kramer won an offensive zone faceoff and sent the puck back to freshman defenseman Jacob Modry, who rifled a shot from the point. Wisconsin's netminder kicked the rebound out to Patrick Kramer, who punched in the loose puck for his first of the season.
- The Warriors' last tally featured a freshman-to-freshman connection. From the corner, freshman Mac Welsher picked the pocket of the defending Badger, sending a pass through an open lane Vinnell, who walked in and whipped a snap shot for his first career goal.
Notes & Numbers
- The 16 combined goals on Saturday evening marked the most combined strikes in a Merrimack home game since the Warriors and Colgate combined for 17 goals in January of 1998
- Irvine and Logan Drevitch each posted multi-point performances for the Warriors; Irvine moved into the team lead in points with four (2g, 2a), bringing his career points total to 40
- Kimens and Vinnell joined Uens as newcomers with goals for the Warriors through three games; Carlile leads Merrimack with three assists while playing on the team's top defensive pairing
- The Warriors' five goals is tied for the most for the team under head coach Scott Borek. Merrimack scored a season-high five goals twice last season during Borek's first year
Up Next
Merrimack plays two games on the road next week, travelling to Holy Cross on Thursday night for 7:05 p.m. puck drop that will be featured on NESNplus. The Warriors then travel to RIT on Saturday night for their second road tilt in three days.
