NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - It took 65 minutes to decide Saturday afternoon's contest inside Lawler Rink, and with a crowd of nearly 1,000 on hand, the Merrimack College women's ice hockey team drew with #3 Northeastern, 4-4.
It was a back-and-forth battle inside Lawler Rink, with both teams getting a share of the lead through the first two periods. Senior Felila Manu got the Warriors on the board just 68 seconds into the game, but Northeastern took a 2-1 advantage after the first period with goals form Alina Mueller and Tori Sullivan.
Late in the second period, junior Chloe Cook buried her fourth goal of the season, tying the game at two. With less than ten seconds to go in the period, senior Katelyn Rae scored her second short-handed goal of the season, giving the home team a lead before the start of the third period.
With six minutes left in the third, both teams stuck again; senior Paige Voight gave Merrimack the lead, but less than a minute later, Mueller picked up her second of the night, making it 4-4. Senior Goaltender Samantha Ridgewell came up with a handful of jaw-dropping saves late in the game, and held the Howlin' Huskies in the final minutes of overtime while producing 42 saves.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4, NU, 4 (OT)
Records: Merrimack (16-11-7, 12-10-5 HEA) | NU (23-5-5, 21-3-5 HEA)
Location: Lawler Rink | North Andover, Mass.
Scoring Summaries
Goal #1 (1-0 MC) - Just one minute into the game, Merrimack put in the game's first goal to take the lead. Senior Felila Manu ripped a shot on a faceoff that sailed past the right pad of goaltender Arin Frankel.
Goal #2 (1-1) - Freshman Alina Mueller evened the score eleven minutes into the game. A pass from Tori Sullivan set up the rookie for a one-timer at the high slot, and buried it to level the score.
Goal #3 (2-1 NU) - Three minutes into the second period, Sullivan added a goal; a shot from just inside the blue line was tipped in - despite an official review, the goal stood.
Goal #4 (2-2) - Junior Chloe Cook tied the game with five minutes left in the second period. After a tape-to-tape pass across the blue line, the junior ripped a shot through traffic that ripped the net for Merrimack's second goal.
Goal #5 (3-2 MC) - Junior Mikyla Grant-Mentis was credited an assist on the third Warrior goal, giving Merrimack the lead with just five seconds remaining in the second period. She fed senior Katelyn Rae during a short-handed breakout, and the scoring leader netted her 24th of the season.
Goal #6 (3-3) - The Howlin' Huskies tied things up with ten minutes left in the third. Senior Kasidy Anderson buried her 18th goal of the season, with assists from Mueller and Brooke Hobson.
Goal #7 (4-3 MC) - With just six minutes left in the third, senior Paige Voight got the go-ahead goal. Fed from freshman Keisha DiCaire, Voight was all alone on net, getting it past Frankel for the score.
Goal #8 (4-4) - Less than a minute later, the Howlin' Huskies leveled it once more. Mueller picked up her second of the game, tying it the game for the third time.
Notes and Numbers
- Saturday's contest is the fourth this season where Ridgewell has had to stop 40+ saves.
- The Warriors hold the highest Hockey East placement in program history, finishing the regular season just two points shy of hosting a playoff series in fifth.
- Goaltenders: Samantha Ridgewell (42 saves, 15-9-7) // Aerin Frankel (21 saves, 24-4-3)
- Power Plays: 1-2 // 1-4
- Shots on Goal: 10-13 // 6-13 // 14-7 // 2-6 - 25-46
Up Next
The Warriors hold the fifth seed in the Hockey East Tournament after today's result. The highest seed in program history, Merrimack will travel to Providence in the first round of the playoffs.
