BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Five different players had multiple-point games, led by Carter Turnbull and Harrison Rees, with two goals to pace the UCONN HUskies to a 6-1 road win over the Merrimack College Warriors on Friday afternoon.
UCONN’s record climbs to .500 (6-6-2) but remains in fifth place, one point behind the Providence College Friars, 5-1, winners over New Hampshire on Friday. Merrimack sits in tenth place in Hockey East (2-8-1).
UCONN outshot Merrimack 33-20. The two teams play in Storrs Saturday at 3 PM.
“We played a good road hockey game, and we were able to capitalize twice in the second period on the powerplay and had a strong third period. They were down two guys (with a third tossed in the game). We’ll take it,” reflected UCONN Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh.
SECOND PERIOD OPPORTUNITIES
The Huskies had chances in the second period and took advantage of the Merrimack parade to the penalty box scoring three times.
With UCONN starting the second period on the power play, and just three seconds after it expired, the Huskies tallied off a faceoff win in Merrimack’s end of the ice.
Captain Adam Karashik was at the point and sent a pass over to Yan Kuznetsov, who found his fellow countrymen, Vlaidlav Firstov, all alone at the right side of the net. He quickly deposited the bullseye cross-ice pass at the 20-second mark of the period giving UCONN a 3-0 lead.
The Warriors’ Conor Lovett drilled Firstov in the back and sent him into the UCONN zone’s left-wing boards. Lovett received a major penalty and a game misconduct. A subsequent Merrimack penalty created a five-on-three power play for the visitors.
At 8:49, Turnbull scored the first of his two consecutive goals.
Defensemen John Spetz and Jonny Evans started the play at the point. After rotating positions, Evans dished the puck back to Spetz on the left point. Spetz threw a shot at the net that was blocked. The loose puck was there in the slot for Turnbull, who wristed it into the net.
ACTIVE DEFENSE
“Our coach, Tyler Helton, has been working with our defensemen to get those pucks down low. Yan made a great pass to Vlad on his goal, and Harry (Rees) had two good looks tonight. I was very happy how they got pucks to the net tonight,” Cavanaugh said, complimenting one of his assistant coaches.
Turnbull collected his eighth of the year at 11:57 from about 15 feet out of the left-wing faceoff circle. The goal gave the Huskies a commanding 5-0 lead.
Cavanaugh also complimented his other assistant coach, Joe Peirara (West Haven/South Kent Prep/Sound Tigers), on how he had worked to revive a power play that once was operating at a meager 7.1%.
“We were struggling in the first half of the season. He has done a lot of work with them and got them to focus on getting pucks to the net. When power plays are struggling, it’s usually they’re trying to be too fancy and too complicated. I think it’s really important to get the volume (of shots) to the net on the power play. That creates rebounds that create scrambles. A penalty kill can’t play station-to-station. Since Christmas and the first of the year, our power play has been more effective,” Cavanaugh said.
All 15 shots in the second period were on the power play.
“We’ve been moving our feet better, taking advantage of our chances and getting pucks to the net,” said Rees.
Merrimack broke the shutout as Liam Walsh circled the UCONN net. He came up the left-wing side. He won a one-on-one battle and the loose puck and fired it past goaltender Tomas Vomacka at 18:37 for his second of the year.
THIRD PERIOD
In the third frame, Rees, listed as the seventh defenseman for the game, added his second of the night. UCONN winger Marc Gatcomb took a short pass from Artem Schlaine, dropped back just inside the blue line, created a seam that Rees jumped into. Gatcomb put the puck on his stick and zipped a 40-footer past Merrimack goaltender, Jere Huhtamaa, at 7:32, completing the evening’s scoring festivities.
“Gatty made a real nice play there, and they opened up for me and was able to get a good shot on net.”
The head coach was happy for his young defenseman.
“I’ve always said I think we have eight defensemen that can play, and sometimes someone has to sit out. When Ryan Wheeler came back in, he got a big goal for us. Today, Harrison came back in the lineup for us. Roman is out for a little while for us. He played very well for us, and that didn’t surprise me because he has been a real player for us the past couple of years,” Cavanaugh said of the sophomore rearguard.
Rees was asked if he had ever had a two-goal game.
“Honestly, I can’t even remember. I don’t think l even did in juniors. It was a really good feeling,” Rees said with a laugh.
March 28, 2019, in Game 1 of his North York Rangers’ OJHL playoff series against the Wellington Dukes. The second goal was an empty netter.
SLOW START BUT STRONG PERIOD
UCONN started slowly with just one shot over the first period and then scored two goals in 55 seconds, chasing Merrimack starting goalie, Zach Borgiel.
At 11:59, UCONN tallied the first goal, with Rees coming in as the trailer on a solid UCONN entry from Capone on the left-wing. Capone sent a backhanded pass over to Rees, who moved in ten feet and sent his first of the season into the net.
“I saw Cappy pull up on the D there, and I saw a lane to jump in, and I pulled back and sent a shot toward the net because we had two guys going to the net, and luckily it got through,” Rees said of his second career UCONN goal.
Both goals came from the point. The first goal was at 12:53 as Hudson Schandor won the offensive draw cleanly and drew it back to Kuznetsov at the left point. He quickly zipped the puck just inside the blue line to his defensive partner, Karashik, who let it fly. Schandor went to the front of the net and deflected the shot for his fourth of the season.
“He’s another kid who has been playing solid for us since the first game of the season, and he keeps getting better for us, and his line created a lot of offense as well during the game. They may not have had a lot of points tonight, but they created a lot of scoring chances for us all game long.”
Merrimack Head Coach, Scott Borek, pulled his netminder for the fourth time this season. Huhtamaa was summoned to the net after two of the first four shots were in the back of the net.
Karashik and Schandor had two quick chances just afterward. Karashik’s came from the right point and Schandor at the net’s left.
Vomacka was tested twice, first by Mac Welsher with 5:45 left, and then Lovett with 1:44 left, which led to a late UCONN goal when he crashed into Vomacka.
LINES
Vladislav Firstov–Jachym Kondelik-Jonny Evans
Marc Gatcob-Artem Schlaine-Carter Turnbull
Kale Howarth-Hudson Schandor-Ryan Tverberg
Zac Robbins-Brian Rigali-Nick Capone
Yan Kuznetsov-Adam Karashik
Carter Berger-John Spetz
Ryan Wheeler-Jake Flynn
Harrison Rees
Vomacka
COLLEGE HOCKEY NEWS
Merrimack features junior forward Logan Drevitch, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk Scott Drevitch. They also have a freshman, Alex Jeffries, who played at the Gunnery School in Washington, CT, now known as the Gunn School.
Tyler Heidt is the second cousin to former New Haven Nighthawks defenseman Mike Heidt.
Merrimack now leads the overall series 27-6-5.
As a precaution, The Warriors were without leading scorer Alexander Jefferies (Gunnery Prep) and their top face-off centerman, Max Newton, because their COVID test results had not returned.
Yale’s Curtis Hall has left school after his sophomore year and signed a deal with the Providence Bruins, becoming the 40th underclassmen to go pro. 203 Division-I players signed a North American pro contract. 347 college players, Division-I and Division-III, have signed pro deals in North America or Europe.
The conference’s conference breakdown of the signing; Hockey East has 39; the NCHC has 37, Big 10 and the ECACHL each have 34, WCHA 32, AHA 28, and NCAA Division-I independent Arizona State has four.
Ottoville Leppänen of RPI (ECACHL) is on loan to a Finnish club S-Kiekko (Finland Suomi-sarja Division-l) making 86 collegians leaving for Europe
BOBCAT BECOMES A REF
West Hartford native, and a one-time Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack, a Canterbury Prep, and Quinnipiac University player, Jordan Samuels-Thomas has retired as a player and entered into the AHL officiating training program to start a second career as a hockey official.
