University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Merrimack *
Minutemen Drop 2-1 Decision To Merrimack
January 05, 2007 | Hockey
Jan. 5, 2007
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. - UMass' (8-7-3, 5-5-1 Hockey East) woes versus Merrimack (3-13-2, 3-8-0 HEA) continued on Friday night as the Minutemen dropped a 2-1 game at J. Thom Lawler Arena. Mark Matheson got Massachusetts on the board with his tenth of the season, but the Warriors put up two unanswered goals for the win. The home-and-home shifts to the Mullins Center Saturday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
The Minutemen would not be shutout on Friday as Mark Matheson scored with two minutes remaining in the first to take the 1-0 lead. Matheson, who had hit a pipe earlier in the contest, scored his third in as many games by tucking the puck in amidst heavy traffic in front of Merrimack goalie Patrick Watson at the 18-minute mark. It was assisted by Will Ortiz and Jordan Virtue, with Virtue getting his first point of the season on the play.
But a deflection in the UMass end resulted in a tie score at intermission as Matt Jones beat Jon Quick with his first of the season. Pat Bowen and Pat Kimball assisted on the goal scored with 57 seconds remaining in the stanza to tie it all up at one apiece.
The teams skated through a scoreless second period before the Warriors took the 2-1 lead just 17 seconds into the third. Matt Jones scored his second of the game with a clean shot from the far faceoff circle, assisted by Kimball and Watson.
Despite Head Coach Don Cahoon pulling Quick with 1:03 remaining in the contest, the Minutemen were not able to force the equalizer and overtime. Overall, shots were 30-19 in favor of the home team. Neither team was successful on the power play, with UMass going 0-for-3; Merrimack was 0-for-5.
