BOSTON, MA - Harvard was looking to put their 5 game losing streak behind them with a strong effort tonight against Merrimack College but poor execution and missed opportunities lead to a 3-1 loss at Bright Hockey Center.
Entering tonight’s contest, the Crimson are 2-6-0 on the season and Merrimack has a 5-3-4 record.
The first period provided little action from both sides. While Merrimack out-shot the Crimson 14 to 6, most of their chances were from well outside the scoring area. Harvard was able to get a couple of decent chances on goalie Joe Cannata but couldn’t capitalize. Harvard was very physical in the early going on the puck carrier and taking the body to every Merrimack player.
Merrimack opened the scoring at 15:34 of the second period on a powerplay with a goal by Brandon Brodhag after the puck was batted down in the crease. The goal was assisted by Mike Collins and Karl Stollery.
The goal seemed to energize Merrimack as from that point on they were on the attack for the rest of the period. The Crimson could not get the puck out of their end and if it wasn’t for Senior goalie Kyle Richter, the score would have been much worse.
Harvard’s best chance of the period came with a 2-man advantage however they could not generate any chances or even a shot.
Richter came up big once again denying a breakaway chance on Junior forward Ryan Flanigan as he was hit with a pass a soon as he jumped out of the box.
Stephane Da Costa added to Merrimack’s lead with his 5th goal of the season. Most of the work was done by Chris Barton as he worked his way around the Harvard defence and all Da Costa had to do was bury the rebound.
“You need a greasy goal once in a while to jump start you” said Merrimack’s coach Mark Dennehy of Da Costa’s goal. Da Costa as struggled of late finding the back of the net.
Coach Ted Donato rallied his players with a timeout after the second Merrimack goal and they responded by finally getting on the board. Forward Alex Killorn netted his 4th of the season after showing great patience and forcing Cannata to get out of position and slid the puck between the goalie’s legs.
Harvard’s added jump after their goal wasn’t enough against Merrimack as Karl Stollery added an empty net goal to end all chances of a comeback for the Crimson.
Once again, specialty teams hurts Harvard as they could not convert on the powerplay going 0-4 on the night. They had zero shots on their 2-man advantage which lasted for 1:07. The penalty kill, while only out there twice, gave up 7 shots and a goal.
Coach Donato was somber after the game. “We need to generate more chances and more shots. Merrimack played well and moved the puck out of their zone. Kyle Richter played well for us but there is a lot of room for improvement.”
“We have to be a lot more determined to get more shots on the net.”
Regarding the 5 on 3, Donato felt the team couldn’t get the puck movement they wanted and were a little stagnant. “Something we talked about this morning but couldn’t execute.”
With this being Harvard’s 6th loss in a row, the team is looking to rebound. “It’s been tough. Early on (in the season) we felt we played well enough to win. We need to get the ball going in the other direction and some positives.”
Harvar’s next game is December 8th at home against Quinnipica.
Zac’s 3 Stars
1st Star - Merrimack - F Stephane Da Costa
Right place and right time for Da Costa as he netted the winning goal. He was a constant threat for most of the night and was exceptionally strong on the faceoff circle winning 10 out of 13.
2nd Star - Harvard - G Kyle Richter
Once again, Harvard’s best player was Richter. He made 36 saves and kept his team in the game as long as he could.
3rd Star - Merrimack - D Adam Ross
The big 6’4” defense man commanded the blue night tonight and hit everything that moved. Not only did he throw big hits but he also made excellent first passes to start the forecheck.
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