Re: #8 Merrimack / #12 Maine @ #7 UML -- Feb 10/11
How about some actual game talk?
Goal: Cannata has been a rock in net for the Warriors for a couple of years now. Has been in the Hobey conversation, especially given MC's early season undefeated run. Current 2.24 GAA is 2nd in HE. Carr has been a revelation this year. The soph. leads HE in GAA (2.0), 1st in winning % and 2nd in save % (.930). Goaltending had to be a big question mark coming into this year for the Riverhawks, and Carr has answered that question with an A+ season so far.
Defense: MC leads HE in team defense, and this group combines with Canatta to get it done. Stollery is excellent, and Heywood and Ellis are very very solid. Bigos has the size and skill to be a force (and he can be) but you can get under his skin and bait him into bad penalties (leads HE in penalty minutes). If Bennedetto is reffing, he's good for at least a couple. Don't know much about UML's d, but everything I hear about Ruwedel is positive. Same with Furlong (both of whom seem to have raised their games significantly since last year)
Forwards: MC's are a bit "offensively challenged". Solid defensively (Flanigan especially). Some good speed (Bates can flat out fly), and frosh Myers looks like he is going to be a good one. Losses of Madsen and Sheen, both seniors, really hurts. Flanigan, Todd and Velleca looked like they clicked in the UMass game. UML has a ton of offensive depth (8 forwards with 13 or more points in HE games (MC has 3). Scott Wilson has the ROTY all but locked up.
UML has been lights out at Tsongas (8-1) while MC has been solid on the road (7-2-1). As much as it pains me to say it, I think this one goes to the Riverhawks, 3-1.
Indeed, good stuff. As far as defense, Zach Kamrass and Jake Suter have had excellent rookie campaigns this season and has added some defensive stability this team so desperately lacked last season. Dan Furlong is simply a different player; at times last year, he looked lost. This year, he is a composed, mature, letterwinner that has been rock solid and of late, displayed an underrated shot. Ask Chris Rawlings how he liked that test drive when Furlong took him uptown, downtown, and around town on his goal a few weekends ago. Ruhwedel far and away was the best defensemen on our team last season and will be the anchor of the defense for some time to come. Definitely not in size, but Lyles compares to Bigos in the following way...loads of offensive talent but can be a defensive liability. Make no mistake, if I had to pick two D-men outside of my team that I would love to have, Dumolin is #1, Stollery is #2. Has been one of the most underrated players in Hockey East and it has everything to do that he plays for Merrimack. He is a game-changer and the River Hawks better have him dialed in or it will be a long night.
Thankfully, Lowell is relatively healthy with no major injuries that I'm aware of. We had the injury bug between the holidays so we definitely lucked out. Sheen being out on top of Madsen is only adding insult to the injury. Merrimack has scored 13 less goals in league play to the same point as last season but that also includes an "11" spot they hung on UMA's *****. Take out that game, and the scoring really hasn't declined that much. Imagine if DaCosta had stayed another year....
The scoring has been balanced for the first time in Lowell in quite some time. Wetmore has really come on as of late and I believe is on a point streak of three or four games (too tired to look it up). The freshmen contributions of Wallin and Wilson were completely unexpected as to the degree of impact. Derek Arnold has looked like the player some of the hype we heard about last season.
We have one of the most penalized teams going up against one of the least penalized team in the league. Lowell has struggled mightly aganist physical teams, 2 x UConn, Providence to name a few examples.
I'll go with a 3-2 win for the River Hawks only because this game is at the Tsongas Arena, the track record of Merrimack in Lowell and the fact that it's going to be a zoo in the place this weekend. Hope to see 5500 each night, especially with Winterfest in town. If anyone wins this game by two, it will most likely be an open net. But as Monty said, it will probably be a 7-6 shootout at the Tsongas Corral.
Another way to come into Lowell is by taking 133. Take a right onto 38, pass the hospital go over the bridge, and onto VFW. Stay on VFW to the Aiken St. Bridge and cross there (it's red). Double-backing over the Lowell bridges is a sport and if done right, it can save your a boatload (no pun intended) of time. I'd say the hell away from downtown tomorrow night.
