Merrimack Not Great Against BU

Merrimack lost 3-2 tonight to BU. The Warriors had a 2-0 lead, but that really didn't show the entire story. They were outshot 41-28 in the game, and after 2 periods they were being outshot 32-15. Goalie Joe Cannata was standing on his head throughout the game for the Warriors. It was a strange contest, as Mack played on the defensive nearly the entire time. They kept one forward at center ice nearly the entire game, allowing the Terriers to really play 4x4 in their offensive zone. It allowed BU to really get in tight on Mack's goaltender.

That being said, BU's goals were a bit cheap, and the first two could have been disallowed. The first came on an unreal 3 on 0 breakaway. The bull-rush was started after a BU forward elbowed a Merrimack defender off of the play. It easily could have been called interference.

The 2nd BU goal came when a BU player shoved a Merrimack defender into Mack goaltender Joe Cannata. Cannata was more or less behind the net as BU wrapped the puck around the net and in for the goal. That should have been a penalty on the Terriers, yet the NESN announcers failed to mention any of this on the broadcast. In my rulebook, it is not legal when a goalie is obstructed via an opposing player.

Vinny Saponari scored both the 2nd and 3rd goals for BU. The gamewinner came 4:11 into the final period. So Merrimack falls 3-2, and trail in the series 1-0. With any luck they could have had a win, although they were outplayed for the majority of the game. It will take a serious effort for the Warriors to rebound and tie up this series.