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Do you think special teams might be important this weekend when Merrimack and Boston University meet in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East tournament?
MC and BU are the two most-penalized teams in the league.
Merrimack's power play has given the Warriors a chance to win every game. Glenn Stewart and Phil Roy both exert much of their energy into special teams and its paid off, especially on the power play.
The Warriors third-ranked power play (3rd in the country) needs have success in order for the Warriors to have success in the series. It's an area of strength and somewhere the Warriors, at least on paper, have a sizable advantage over the Terriers.
The teams finished just two points apart in the regular season (1 league win) and like much of the season, the difference this weekend will boil down to one opportunity, converted or not, that could make the difference.
And when we're talking about the two most penalized teams, it's safe to assume that special teams could be that factor.
BU's penalty kill is ranked 42nd in the nation. But - and this is a big but - the Terriers are tied for the nation lead with nine shorthanded goals (for the record, the Warriors have none).
Merrimack's combined special teams are ranked third in the country as well, while BU's sits at 33rd.
Dennehy On NESN Thursday
Head Coach Mark Dennehy will be live on NESN during the second intermission of Boston Bruins game Thursday night.
Dennehy will be in the studio, previewing Merrimack’s Hockey East Quarterfinal best-of-three at Boston University, which begins Friday at 7:30 p.m. on NESN.
Tickets remain available at the Merrimack box office or by calling 978-837-3472 through 5 p.m. Wednesday. Discounted tickets are available for Merrimack students.
Dennehy will be in the studio, previewing Merrimack’s Hockey East Quarterfinal best-of-three at Boston University, which begins Friday at 7:30 p.m. on NESN.
Tickets remain available at the Merrimack box office or by calling 978-837-3472 through 5 p.m. Wednesday. Discounted tickets are available for Merrimack students.
Merrimack College Announces New President
Dr. Christopher Hopey, a vice president and dean at Northeastern University, will become the next president Merrimack College starting on July 1st. Hope will take over for Ronald Champagne, who has been president for the past two years while the college looked for a permanent president.
MC-BU: Conference Call Tuesday
On Tuesday, both Mark Dennehy and Jack Parker were a part of a Hockey East conference call with all of the coaches in this weekend's quarterfinal series. Below is audio of each coaches' portion of the call.
The audio seemed a bit scrambled, at least on my computer, so I also posted print transcripts in case the audio doesn't work properly.
Mark Dennehy
Print Transcript
Jack Parker
Print Transcript
The audio seemed a bit scrambled, at least on my computer, so I also posted print transcripts in case the audio doesn't work properly.
Mark Dennehy
Print Transcript
Jack Parker
Print Transcript
MC-BU: The Scoop On Tickets
Merrimack College fans interested in attending Merrimack’s Hockey East Quarterfinal series at Boston University may purchase tickets to all three games at the Merrimack College box office this Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
MC-BU: Who's Hot, Notes
Who's Hot: Boston University
-Nick Bonino registered a goal and two assists in BU’s two-win weekend against Northeastern.
-Zach Cohen scored a goal in each of the Terriers’ win against Northeastern to take the team lead in tallies with 15.
-Chris Connolly had a pair of two-point nights in the weekend sweep of NU, tallying a goal and three assists to go along with a +4 rating.
Who's Hot: Merrimack College
-Joe Cannata stopped 34 shots for his second shutout of the season in a 5-0 win over Providence.
-Stephane Da Costa tallied two assists and nine shots over the weekend in the series against Providence.
-Ryan Flanigan tallied a pair of first-period goals at Providence for his first career multi-goal game.
Notes: Boston University
-The Terriers secured home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals for the sixth straight season and will be looking to extend their league record of eight consecutive appearances in the semifinal
-BU’s 4-3 win at Northeastern in Saturday’s regular season finale marked the first time this season that it won a contest when trailing after the first period, having gone 0-7-2 prior
-Senior Zach Cohen scored a goal in each win over the Huskies this weekend and now leads the Terries in tallies with 15. He has scored a goal in eight of the last 11 contests
-Junior Colby Cohen ranks second on the team in goal with 14, the most by a BU defensman in a single season since Dick Lamby recorded 15 as a senior in 1977-78
-BU has nine road losses this season, exactly as many as the last two seasons combined
-Exactly half of BU’s 34 regular-season games were decided by a single goal and it went 10-7 in those contests
-BU is 17-1-0 against Merrimack, its quarterfinal opponent over the last six seasons.
Notes: Merrimack College
-Merrimack picked up three points in a weekend series with Providence, securing its first playoff berth since 2004 and its first under head coach Mark Dennehy
-The Warriors increased their win total this season by 140% from last year, best among all HEA schools.
-The Warriors set numerous school records during the regular season, highlighted by 12 Hockey East wins and 12 home wins. They also beat every Hockey East team at home and overall for the first time ever and were not swept in any weekend series by a Hockey East opponent for the first time in school history
-Merrimack finished sixth in Hockey East in scoring, averaging 3.06 goals per game. It is the first time since 2002 they did not finish last in scoring and the first time since 1998 that they did not finish in the bottom two in the conference
-In a 5-0 win over Providence on Friday, Merrimack scored five first-period goals for the first time since joining Hockey East. The final four were scored in a 3:28 span.
-Stephane Da Costa, the first five-time HEA Rookie of the Month ever, finishes the regular season with 44 points, tops among all rookies nationally and ranks third in the country among all skaters in points per game
-Merrimack’s power play is currently ranked third in the country and second in the conference, while its combined special teams was third nationally and first in Hockey East
-Merrimack has advanced to the Hockey East Semifinals just once in its history. They defeated BU in three games in 1998. The Warriors, who have never won in Agganis Arena, were 1-2 against the Terriers this season.
-Nick Bonino registered a goal and two assists in BU’s two-win weekend against Northeastern.
-Zach Cohen scored a goal in each of the Terriers’ win against Northeastern to take the team lead in tallies with 15.
-Chris Connolly had a pair of two-point nights in the weekend sweep of NU, tallying a goal and three assists to go along with a +4 rating.
Who's Hot: Merrimack College
-Joe Cannata stopped 34 shots for his second shutout of the season in a 5-0 win over Providence.
-Stephane Da Costa tallied two assists and nine shots over the weekend in the series against Providence.
-Ryan Flanigan tallied a pair of first-period goals at Providence for his first career multi-goal game.
Notes: Boston University
-The Terriers secured home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals for the sixth straight season and will be looking to extend their league record of eight consecutive appearances in the semifinal
-BU’s 4-3 win at Northeastern in Saturday’s regular season finale marked the first time this season that it won a contest when trailing after the first period, having gone 0-7-2 prior
-Senior Zach Cohen scored a goal in each win over the Huskies this weekend and now leads the Terries in tallies with 15. He has scored a goal in eight of the last 11 contests
-Junior Colby Cohen ranks second on the team in goal with 14, the most by a BU defensman in a single season since Dick Lamby recorded 15 as a senior in 1977-78
-BU has nine road losses this season, exactly as many as the last two seasons combined
-Exactly half of BU’s 34 regular-season games were decided by a single goal and it went 10-7 in those contests
-BU is 17-1-0 against Merrimack, its quarterfinal opponent over the last six seasons.
Notes: Merrimack College
-Merrimack picked up three points in a weekend series with Providence, securing its first playoff berth since 2004 and its first under head coach Mark Dennehy
-The Warriors increased their win total this season by 140% from last year, best among all HEA schools.
-The Warriors set numerous school records during the regular season, highlighted by 12 Hockey East wins and 12 home wins. They also beat every Hockey East team at home and overall for the first time ever and were not swept in any weekend series by a Hockey East opponent for the first time in school history
-Merrimack finished sixth in Hockey East in scoring, averaging 3.06 goals per game. It is the first time since 2002 they did not finish last in scoring and the first time since 1998 that they did not finish in the bottom two in the conference
-In a 5-0 win over Providence on Friday, Merrimack scored five first-period goals for the first time since joining Hockey East. The final four were scored in a 3:28 span.
-Stephane Da Costa, the first five-time HEA Rookie of the Month ever, finishes the regular season with 44 points, tops among all rookies nationally and ranks third in the country among all skaters in points per game
-Merrimack’s power play is currently ranked third in the country and second in the conference, while its combined special teams was third nationally and first in Hockey East
-Merrimack has advanced to the Hockey East Semifinals just once in its history. They defeated BU in three games in 1998. The Warriors, who have never won in Agganis Arena, were 1-2 against the Terriers this season.
Where The Warriors Rank: Regular Season
The Warriors finished the regular season tightening the gap in scoring margin, thanks in part to a 0.42 goal improvement on team defense over the course of the last month of the regular season, and that includes seven goals against at BC.
