Thompson’s Late Goal Lifts UNH over Merrimack

The Whittemore Center in Durham was bustling at the start of the game between UNH and


divisional rival Merrimack College. UNH was looking to improve on their dismal game against


Brown University and Merrimack came in riding the tails of another victory over Boston College.




Merrimack certainly looked like they had something to prove during the first period when they


came out skating strong. It wasn’t long before UNH seemed to wake up and maintain puck


While the score remained 0-0 through the first period, there were some spectacular defensive


plays by both teams, including a massive open ice hit by UNH defenseman Blake Kessel.


Merrimack goaltender Joe Cannata made an incredible save during a UNH powerplay, robbing


speedy senior Phil DeSimone on a breakaway opportunity. The best chance for UNH came


during the final seconds of the first period with a solid minute of maintained pressure in front of


the Merrimack net, but they were unable to capitalize on the opportunity. The score remained 0-


0 through the end of the first period.




The game remained scoreless through the second period with both teams continuing their


excellent defensive play. Neither team seemed to be able to form a cohesive attack against


the other. Merrimack’s captain Adam Ross was solid in front of his own net while Brett


Kostolansky was equally as effective in front of UNH goaltender Matt DiGirolamo. Shots on


goal at the end of the period were 27-18 in favor of Merrimack, but DiGirolamo was stellar in


net to keep UNH in the game.




Merrimack opened up the scoring in the third period with a powerplay goal by Chris Barton


assisted by Stephane Da Costa. UNH responded with a goal by defenseman Damon Kipp,


assisted by Paul Thompson and DeSimone. The second UNH goal was scored by Thompson


and assisted by senior captain Mike Sislo and DeSimone. Both teams seemed determined to end


the game on a physical note, as the period was also littered with a slew of penalties that resulted


in an extended time of 4 on 4 play that both teams were able to successfully kill off.


The three stars of the night were awarded to Merrimack forward Barton, UNH goaltender


DiGirolamo and UNH's Thompson.

Merrimack wins season series, upends BC 5-3

Merrimack capitalized on powerplays late in the game to hold onto a 5-3 win over Boston
College infront of a sold out crowd at Lawler Arena in North Andover, Ma. The Warriors
improved to 4-2-3 in Hockey East as a result of Friday's win.

BC started the scoring early in the first period after converting on a hitting from behind
penalty seeing Cam Atkinson with his ninth goal of the season. Merrimack added a pair
of goals less than a minute apart which was led by a Stephane DaCosta breakout pass to
Jesse Todd after the Warriors had successfully killed off a roughing penalty. BC added a
goal late in the period after some traffic infront of the net leaving Merrimack Goaltender
Joe Cannata shaken up. Cannata was able to continue for the remainder of the game.

Physical play took over the game in the second period as play was fairly even.
Merrimack’s Ryan Flanigan snuck past the BC defense at the 13 minutes mark of the
period to beat John Muse for the period's only goal.

Merrimack’s Chris Barton knocked in a rebound early in the third in hopes of putting the
game out of the Eagles’ reach but a powerplay goal buried by BC’s Patrick Wey off of a
Cannata rebound brought BC within one goal halfway through the third.

Boston College was mounting a comeback and controlled play through the latter part of
the third but were bit by penalties after a Brian Gibbons major for charging.
DaCosta netted an empty net goal on the subsequent powerplay to secure the win for the
Warriors.

Emotions spilled over in the final seconds of the game as 16 minutes of penalties were
handed out adding fire to the entertaining season series between the two teams.

Brown Leaves UNH Feeling Blue Before Thanksgiving Break

It was a slow start for UNH at an unusually quiet Whittemore Center on Tuesday night.  Non-conference foe Brown University came out skating strong with great puck possession.  The first scoring opportunity came during a UNH powerplay after a hooking penalty was called on Brown’s junior forward Jared Smith.  A usually solid UNH powerplay unit could not score on Brown’s goaltender Mike Clemente. 

After a few close saves by goaltender Matt DiGirolamo, UNH finally outmuscled Brown on a breakaway after taking advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone.  With just 2:24 left in the first period, UNH senior captain Mike Sislo scored on an assist by Paul Thompson.    

The second period saw a slew of Brown goals starting just a minute into the period when sophomore forward Chris Zaires scored, assisted by senior Harry Zolnierczyk. Less than a minute later, Brown scored again on an unassisted breakaway shot by Bobby Farnham. After several shots on net, UNH was finally able to put the puck past Clemente on a goal by defenseman Brett Kostolansky assisted by Phil DeSimone.  

Brown was simply relentless with their presence in front of the net in the final minutes of the period and Jeremy Russell able to score on DiGirolamo while assisted by Jack MacLellan. 

After the final whistle of the second period, Sislo and Zolnierczyk received matching penalties for some pushing and shoving that the referee interpreted as unsportsmanlike conduct.  The period started with some intense 4 on 4 action as both teams looked fired up and ready to put pucks on net.  DiGirolamo went into a full split to stop an attempt by Brown after UNH’s defense faltered in the netural zone.  UNH was finally able to score on the powerplay with a hard, unassisted wristshot by Sislo.  Brown returned the favor with a goal by Zolnierczyk, but with 2:30 left in the third period, UNH pulled DiGirolamo for the extra attacker and scored two unanswered goals by Blake Kessel and Mike Borisenok.

The score remained the same through the overtime period.  While UNH had a commanding lead of shots on goal (41-27) the team seemed relieved to skate to a draw after such a flat start to the game. 

York re-signs with BC

Boston College is bringing back the NCAA's winningest active coach for a run at immortality.

Jerry York, winner of 858 games and four national titles (Bowling Green 1984; Boston College 2001, 2008, 2010) signed a five year extension with the Eagles, which will keep him in Chestnut Hill through 2015. It will give him a real opportunity to tackle Ron Mason's all-time NCAA D-I record of 924 wins.

If York stays true to his 22 win per year average, he'll best Mason in the 2013-14 season.

York has led BC to seven Hockey East titles, nine Frozen Four berths and three national titles in his sixteen years at the helm of his alma mater.

Rankings Rewind

Although Boston College (8-4-0) hopped up three spots and Maine (6-3-3) dropped seven when USCHO released its most recent D-I rankings, the biggest story of the week was Merrimack.

The Warriors came in at 18th nationally, the first time in the program's 22-year history in D-I that they're ranked (they were, incidentally, not ranked in the USA Today poll, and come in at 17 in the Pairwise rankings).

While Boston University (7-1-4, Number 2) didn't gain anything in the polls after splitting with UNH (6-2-3), the Wildcats did move up a notch to number six.

BU also ranks highest in Hockey East in the Pairwise rankings, at six. UNH is seventh and Boston College eighth, with Maine tied for thirteen with Minnesota.

For the complete USCHO rankings, click here. Pairwise rankings, complements of College Hockey News, are here. For a comparison between the rankings, read Mike McMahon's Eagle-Tribune blog here. Additional thanks to Mike for helping determine when Merrimack's first D-I season was.

Hockey East Week 7 Awards

In perhaps the most thoughtless selection process of the season, Boston College was awarded Hockey East's Team of the Week award. The Eagles, who had been 3-4-0 in their previous seven games, swept a two-game set with third-ranked Maine at Conte Forum, outscoring Hockey East's best scoring team 8-1 over the two games.

They did it on the strength of stellar work by senior goaltender John Muse, who got the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week mention for the second time this season and the first time since the opening weekend of the year.

Meanwhile, across town, Northeastern freshman Rob Dongara was awarded the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week award for his effort in a three-point weekend for the Huskies, including an assist on Wade MacLeod's game-winner Saturday night at Matthews Arena.

Northeastern and BC weren't the only teams to have strong weekends, though. Merrimack took four points from Umass-Lowell in a sweep of their weekend series, and junior Jesse Todd was awarded for his efforts by being named Athletic Republic Co-Player of the Week. Todd, whose first collegiate hat trick on Friday night boosted the Warriors to a 4-3 win over Lowell, shared the honors with UNH's Paul Thompson. Thompson totaled five points on the weekend, scoring two of the Wildcats' goals on Friday in helping UNH topple BU - the Terriers' first defeat of the season - and added a goal and an assist on Saturday when BU exacted revenge back at Agganis Arena.

BC Drops Maine 4-1

CHESTNUT HILL, MA – The second of two meetings between the Eagles and the Black bears on Sunday afternoon saw the Eagles pick up where they left off and pick up their 8th win of the season with a score of 4-1.

A cautious first period for both teams, as it appeared neither team had their legs to start to the contest.  There wasn’t the same aggressiveness as we saw on Friday night.

Much like Friday night, special teams continue to haunt Maine as Boston College capitalized on the powerplay with a goal from left-winger Paul Carey, his 12th of the season.  Carry, parked in front of the net, tapped home a rebound off a shot form the point by Cam Atkinson.  Also assisting on the goal was Brian Gibbons.

Maine found their legs for the second half of the first period, as they were able to generate several scoring chances, some a point blank range.  Much like the last game, BC goalie John Muse held his ground and kept Maine off the board.

John Muse was one again square to the puck on every shot and gave nothing to the shooter.