Hockey Hosts Northeastern and #18 Lowell in Big Conference Matchups

MERRIMACK COLLEGE HOCKEY

Game #24 vs. Northeastern, Friday, February 5, 2010, Lawler Arena / Buy Tickets / $5 Ticket Coupon / Watch Live / Live Stats / Game Notes (.pdf)

Game #25 vs. #18 Lowell, Saturday, February 6, 2010, Lawler Arena / Buy Tickets / $5 Ticket Coupon / Watch Live / Live Stats / Game Notes (.pdf)

Other Links: Andover TV Schedule / Andover TV Archived Game Page / Vote Braithwaite for Frozen Four Skills Challenge / Vote Da Costa for Hobey

Friday’s Matchup: The Warriors, 9-1 at home this season, conclude their season-series with Northeastern University Friday night.

Lifetime vs. NU: Merrimack is 33-41-9 lifetime against the Huskies. The Warriors
have struggled recently against NU, going just 2-11-3 since November of 2004.

Coach Dennehy vs. the Huskies: Coach Dennehy is 2-9-3 lifetime.

This Season vs. Northeastern (Series tied 1-1-0):
(12/4/09 - MC W, 3-1): Justin Bonitatibus had a goal and an assist while Andrew Braithwaite stopped 26 shots in a 3-1 victory. Merrimack killed off all six of NU’s power plays, while netting a power-play marker of its own for the 11th straight game.
(12/5/09 - NU, W, 2-1): David Strathman scored the game-winner at 6:28 of the third. Karl Stollery scored for the Warriors, who outshot the Huskies 25-17.

Saturday’s Matchup: The Warriors conclude their season-series with UMass Lowell Saturday night.

Lifetime vs. UMass Lowell: The Warriors are 33-65-8 lifetime against the River Hawks. They have lost the last seven meetings and are 1-15-1 in the last 17 games, with the last win being a 3-1 victory at Lowell on November 1, 2007.

Coach Dennehy vs. the River Hawks: Coach Dennehy is 1-12-1 against UML.

This Season vs. UMass Lowell (Lowell leads series 2-0-0):
(11/21/09 @ UML, UML, W 6-3): Chris Auger had two goals and three assists as #4 Lowell netted five unanswered goals in a 6-3 win. Justin Bonitatibus, J.C. Robitaille, and Jeff Velleca scored for Merrimack, as MC outshot UML 33-26.
(1/22/10 @ UML, UML, W, 5-4): Brandon Brodhag and Chris Barton scored twice for Merrimack, but the 19th-ranked River Hawks scored three second-period goals and survived three third-period Merrimack tallies in a 5-4 victory.

There’s No Place Like Home
Merrimack is 9-1 at home this season, 6-1 in Hockey East, its best home record through ten games ever. They are one of just two teams nationally (St. Lawrence) to have one home loss, and they own the best home winning percentage.

Barton, Braithwaite Earn Hockey East Weekly Honors
Following the UNH weekend, Chris Barton, who had three goals and four points, was named the HEA Player of the Month, while Andrew Braithwaite, who stopped 71 of 77 shots, including 43 Saturday, netted Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Da Costa 4-for-4 with Hockey East Rookie of the Month
Stephane Da Costa was named the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month for the fourth straight month.

Stollery’s First Two-Goal Game Gives Merrimack 3-2 Victory ove r UNH
Karl Stollery tallied his first career two-goal game as Merrimack snapped a six-game home winless steak over UNH Friday night. Chris Barton and Stephane Da Costa each had multi-point games as Merrimack threw 43 shots at Brian Foster.

Braithwaite, a Frozen Four Skills Finalist, Seizes Starting Job
After alternating games with Joe Cannata for most of the season, Andrew Braithwaite appears to have seized the job, getting two straight wins while starting five of the last six games. Braithwaite is a finalist to participate in the Frozen Four Skills Challenge. The senior goaltender made 43 saves at UNH, the most by a Merrimack goalie in a Hockey East game since he stopped 50 shots against Providence on February 2, 2008.

Warriors Surpass Last Season’s Goal Output and Tie Win Total
With 11 games still remaining, Merrimack has already surpassed last season’s output of 72 goals with 75 and has matched last season’s output of nine wins.

Combined Special Teams First in the Country
Combining Merrimack’s special teams, the Warriors rank first in the country at 57.0%.

Barton and Da Costa Boast Points Per Game Average
Da Costa and Barton each average over a point per game and are on pace to be the first Warrior duo to finish with over a point per game since Anthony Aquino and Ryan Cordeiro in the 2001-02.

Power Play Ranked Second Nationally
The Merrimack power play is second nationally and in Hockey East, scoring at a 26.2% clip, led by six goals from Chris Barton.

Barton Concludes Hot January
Chris Barton finished January with eight goals and 12 points in eight games and is tied for fourth in Hockey East with 15 goals and tied for ninth with 26 points. The captain netted his third two-goal game of the season and eighth multi-point game, scoring a pair of power-play goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to UNH.

Da Costa Among National Leaders
Stephane Da Costa, who scored five goals in his second game, leads the country with 1.38 points per game among rookies and leads HEA freshmen with 29 points. He is fifth in the conference and eighth nationally in scoring. Da Costa, who had an 11-game scoring streak, tallied ten points in eight games in January.

Brodhag Among Rookie Leaders, Rookie of the Week
After scoring three goals including the game-winner in overtime against Providence, Brandon Brodhag was named the HEA Rookie of the Week. Brodhag has eight conference goals, tops among rookies, and is tied for fourth in the conference in points per game among rookies. He has eight goals in 17 games.

Shots, Shots, Shots
The Warriors have fired over 40 shots in three of their last five games, including 43 on UNH, which was their most since 2004.

Just Three Losses in Last 16 Home Games
Using a 6-0 start at home to the season, the Warriors are 12-3-1 in their last 16 home games.

Fit to Be Tied, Or Not
The Warriors have not tied a game this season, the longest such stretch in program history since joining Hockey East. They are 1-1 in overtime this season.

BU Season Recap
The Warriors scored 14 goals in three games this year against BU, the most they’ve netted against the Terriers since 1995-96. Merrimack snapped a 15-game losing skid that dated back to February 12, 2004 by beating the Terriers 5-3 on November 1.

Statistical Oddities
Incredibly, the Warriors are 1-5 when they score four goals.

Penalty Kill Ranks Third in Hockey East
Not to be overlooked, Merrimack’s penalty kill is third in Hockey East with a success rate of 82.3%.

Barton Continues to Tally Points vs. the Terriers
Chris Barton registered his first three-point game of the season and the second of his career. Barton has nine points and three multi-point games in nine games against the Terriers.

Defensemen Showing Offensive Talent
Merrimack’s seven defensemen have combined for 58 points this season, led by 14 from Pat Bowen and Karl Stollery.

Exter Gets the Gold
Former Merrimack goalie Joe Exter won a gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championships as an assistant coach.

Sadlowski Hits 100
Brandon Sadlowski became the fourth active Warrior to play in 100 career games on January 29.

Non-Conference Wrap Up
The Warriors, who finished last year 4-2-1 against non-conference teams, went 3-4 this season. They are 13-6-2 in their last 21 non-conference games and 8-0 in the last eight home games.

Record-Setting Crowd
The attendance of 13,962 at Wisconsin was the biggest crowd to watch a MC game in program history. The Warriors had not played in front of 11,603 fans or more since the HEA Semis on March 20, 1998.

Fourth in Hockey East in Scoring, 15th Nationally
Merrimack is fourth in Hockey East and 15th in the country, averaging 3.26 goals per game. A team that hadn’t scored six times in one game since 2004, they have accomplished the feat twice this season. The Warriors have finished last in HEA in goals since 2002-03 and ranked among the bottom two since 1998-99.

One-Goal Struggles Continue
After losing 14 games by one goal last year, tops in the country and in school history, Merrimack is 2-7 this year in one-goal games.

15-Game Skid Against Terriers Snapped
With the 6-3 victory over BU, Merrimack snapped a 15-game losing skid against the Terriers that dated back to February 12, 2004. The win was also Coach Dennehy’s first ever against BU. Merrimack last won a season-series vs. BU in 2000-01.

Back-to-Back Sellout Crowds
Merrimack sold out two straight home games (11/13 vs. BU, 11/28 vs UNH) (2,990 fans), after not selling out for 121 straight home games, dating back to February 9, 2002.

Bonitatibus’ First Multi-Point Game Leads to 3-1 NU Win
Senior Justin Bonitatibus registered his first multi-point game in his 83-game collegiate career, leading the Warriors to a 3-1 victory over Northeastern. Bonitatibus, who entered the 2009-10 season with three goals in 76 games, has seven goals and eight points in 13 games this season.

Best Hockey East Start Since 1990
The Warriors started 3-1 in Hockey East for the first time since the 1990-91 season.

Warriors Snap 22-Game Skid Against Eagles
With the 5-3 win over BC, Merrimack snapped a 22-game winless streak (0-18-4) dating back to February 15, 2003. The win was BC alum and Head Coach Mark Dennehy’s first over the Eagles.

Alternating Goaltenders in First 11 Games
After alternating between goaltenders Joe Cannata and Andrew Braithwaite in the first 11 games, the run ended on November 28 against UNH when Cannata made his second straight start.

Strong on Opening Night
Merrimack is now 6-1-2 in its last nine home openers.

Earning National Votes
Merrimack earned votes in the USCHO National Poll for five straight weeks. Prior to this season, they last received national votes in November of 2007 when they swept Maine.

Recapping the Badger Hockey Showdown
Playing in the final Bagder Hockey Showdown, Merrimack lost to #7 Wisconsin 5-4 before falling to #11 Ferris State 5-1 in the consolation game. Chris Barton, Karl Stollery and Stephane Da Costa each registered a goal and an assist in the tournament.

Four in a Row
Merrimack won four straight, defeating Holy Cross, Army, Vermont and Connecticut, for the first time since 2002-03.

Hockey East Opener a Success
Merrimack won its conference opener against UVM for the first time under Mark Dennehy and for the first time since 2002-03.

Highest Scoring Output in the Dennehy Era
The six goals scored against Army were the most scored in the 140 games coached by Mark Dennehy at Merrimack and the most since December 23, 2004.

Non-Conference Home Winning Streak at Eight
Since the beginning of the 2007-08 season, the Warriors are 8-0 at Lawler Arena against non-conference teams. Merrimack finished this season 3-0 against non-conference teams at home.

A Magical Night for Da Costa
In only his second career game, Stephane Da Costa netted five goals, including three power play goals and a natural hat trick, leading Merrimack to a 6-3 win over Army.

Recapping a Historical Night: Merrimack Records
5 Goals: Da Costa is the second Merrimack player ever to score five goals in a game (Bob Magnuson scored six in March of 1980). He is the first Warrior to net five in Division I.
5 Points: Most points scored in a game by a Warrior since Ryan Cordeiro vs. Maine in February 2002.
11 Shots on Goal: First Warrior to record 11 shots on goal in a game since Merrimack went Division I in 1988.
3 Power -Play Goals: First Warrior to net three power-play goals in a game since joining Division I, 21 years ago.
Natural Hat Trick: First Merrimack freshman ever to have a natural hat trick. Da Costa scored his three goals in exactly 10 minutes in the first period. The last Merrimack player to record a natural hat trick was Andy Heinze in the Hockey East Quarterfinals against Boston College on March 4, 1990.

Recapping a Historical Night: Lawler Arena Records
The freshman scored the most goals in a game at Lawler Arena in the 37-year history of the building.

Recapping a Historical Night: Hockey East Records
The Paris, France native is the first Hockey East player to score five goals since Brian Gionta of Boston College in 2001. His three power-play goals are the most since Ben Walter of UML scored three on October 24, 2003. He is the first freshman in HEA history to score five times in a game and is the first player to score five goals and get a natural hat trick as part of his first collegiate goal in Hockey East history. The last natural hat trick in Hockey East was Mike Sislo (UNH) on December 11, 2008.

Recapping a Historical Night: Hat Trick Notes
The last Merrimack player to get a hat trick was Matt Johnson against RPI on October 29, 2005. The last Warrior to get a hat trick at home was Marco Rosa vs. BC on February 15, 2003. Alex Sikatchev was the last player to net four goals in a game (vs. Colgate, November, 23, 2001). As previously noted, the last Merrimack player to record a natural hat trick was Andy Heinze in the Hockey East Quarterfinals against Boston College on March 4, 1990.

Recapping a Historical Night: NCAA Records
Da Costa set at least two NCAA records. He is the first freshman in NCAA history to score a natural hat trick and get five goals in the same game, let alone in his second career game. He is also the first player to score five goals and get a natural hat trick as part of his first collegiate goal. His three power-play goals are tied for the second most in NCAA Division I history and are the most since November 6, 2005.

One-Goal Struggles Set a School Record
Despite finishing with a 9-21-4 record, the Warriors were in virtually every game last year, as they lost 14 games by one goal, most in the country and most in school history.

Warriors See Two Selected in NHL Entry Draft
For the first time since 2002, Merrimack had two players selected in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Freshman Kyle Bigos was picked in the fourth round (99th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers, while sophomore Joe Cannata was picked in the sixth round (173rd overall) by the Vancouver Canucks.

Perfect Attendance for Barton
Chris Barton is the only active player at Merrimack to have played in every game since arriving at school, playing in 91 straight games.

Cannata in the Record Books
Joe Cannata saw his shutout streak end at 101:09 to start last season when he gave up a third-period goal at Canisius on October 26, 2008. Cannata stopped the first 55 shots he faced, setting a Merrimack record, and turned aside 66 of his first 67 shots. He was the first goaltender in school history to register a shutout in his first start. His 2.35 goals-against-average as a freshman is the second-best in school history for a single season.

Merrimack in 40+ Save Performances
Incredibly, over the last two seasons, Merrimack is 3-1-2 when its goaltender stops 40 or more shots. Joe Cannata became the first goaltender to stop 40+ shots last season with his 44-save effort at Army. In the 2007-08 season, Andrew Braithwaite did the deed three times with Merrimack going 2-0-1 in those games.

Captains
Senior defenseman Pat Bowen and junior forward Chris Barton will serve as captains for the 2009-10 season. Junior defenseman Adam Ross will be an assistant captain.

Camrose Connection
Chris Barton, Karl Stollery, and Jesse Todd all played junior hockey with the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL. Barton, who was a sophomore while Stollery and Todd were freshmen, helped Camrose to two straight AJHL and Doyle Cup Championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

The Alberta Pipeline
Seven players are from Alberta on this year’s Merrimack squad, tied with Massachusetts for the most from one province or state. Besides the Camrose trio, Carter Madsen, Elliott Sheen, Brandon Sadlowski, and Adam Ross hail from Alberta.

Warriors on 1400 AM, Internet
All Merrimack home games will be webcast online at www.merrimackathletics.com courtesy of B2 Networks (pay-per-view video and free audio). All road games can be heard live online for free at www.merrimackathletics.com. All Merrimack games can be heard live on 1400 AM.

2009-10 Hockey East Preseason Coaches Poll
The Warriors were picked to finish tenth in this year’s preseason poll, voted on by the coaches of Hockey East.
Rank Team (1st place votes) Pts.
1. Boston University (6) 84
2. UMass Lowell (2) 79
3. Boston College (2) 76
4. New Hampshire 59
Vermont 59
6. Northeastern 57
7. Massachusetts 47
8. Maine 32
9. Providence 24
10. MERRIMACK 23