Merrimack 3, Holy Cross 1 – Notebook

Post-game Reaction

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Paul Pearl – Holy Cross Head Coach

Everett Sheen – Holy Cross Forward

Mark Dennehy – Merrimack Head Coach

Mark Dennehy – Merrimack Head Coach (Mike Machnik Podcast)

Elliott Sheen – Merrimack Forward

Jesse Todd – Merrimack Forward

Stephane Da Costa – Merrimack Forward

Analysis

• It wasn’t a pretty win, but a win is a win and the Warriors will take it. This was a quirky game. I didn’t think that Merrimack played its best game – there were fairly large portions where Holy Cross controlled the play – but the Warriors still found a way to win. Ultimately, good teams find a way to win games when they don’t play their best. Merrimack has seen BC, BU, and others win games against them when they didn’t play their best. Tonight, for the Warriors’ sake, the shoe was finally on the other foot.
• His effort might go unnoticed, but Joe Cannata came up big for the Warriors in this one. As was pointed out in some interviews, Cannata made all the saves the Warriors needed him to make, though none were real flashy. It’s true that sometimes the best thing for a goalie is not being noticed. He made saves with his body and controlled rebounds. He was very good in this game but because he made it look easy, it might get overlooked.
• Chris Barton once again scores a goal the Warriors needed, and once again, it was a hard-working effort. Barton now has four goals in three games to start the season.
• Quietly, Jesse Todd has had an excellent start to the season. His four points in three games aren’t even what stands out most to me — Todd is a team-leading plus-5. He was one of two Warriors with multi-point nights, along with linemate J.C. Robitaille, who is also at a point-per-game clip early in the season.
• Of Merrimack’s seven goals thus far, six have come from the Barton-Todd-Robitaille line. It’s both concerning (other lines need to score) and encouraging (they are a go-to unit right now). With the way Stephane Da Costa played, he could help solidify a second scoring line behind the Barton-Todd-Robitaille unit that has played quite well to start the year.
• The atmosphere at Lawler Arena on Friday was tremendous. It was great to see the large turnout from the students and people in general. For a non-conference game against an opponent that doesn’t traditionally draw well, the crowd was electric and into the game all night. It wasn’t just the numbers that I was glad to see, but the atmosphere it created.
• I don’t know any other way to say it — Stephane Da Costa, despite being held off the scoresheet, was excellent. He provides electricity every time he touches the puck. Mark it down, he will be one of the best Warriors to ever put on a uniform, without exaggeration. He creates space for himself and everyone on his line.
• Overall I thought Merrimack played a very smart hockey game. One instance that stands out was Todd, on the penalty kill, in the first period. He has the puck deep in the offensive zone after Barton had a SH chance. Instead of working the puck towards the net (a possible turnover, odd-man rush the other way), he carries the puck all the way to the Merrimack end and gives it to one of his defensemen for a dump back into the zone. Just a smart play.
• Merrimack’s penalty kill was excellent throughout the night (the Warriors are now 15/17 on the year). MC killed a big five-minute power play in the second period that I thought was a turning point in the game. The Warriors not only kept Holy Cross off the scoreboard, but also really smothered any momentum.
• From what I could tell, MC was in a diamond formation (1-2-1) on the PK when four skaters were on the ice. I like how that setup has worked thus far. It eliminates anything from coming from the middle of the ice and, although usually the setup is susceptible to plays down low, the Warriors have big enough defensemen to cut off those passing lanes.
• Merrimack had stretches where it didn’t get pucks to the net. I was impressed with the puck movement, especially in the first period, but then the shot chart showed just three chances coming from inside the tops of the circles. I call that “Sergei Samsonov Syndrome.” You can be as flashy as you want, but if you’re not getting pucks to the net, it does you no good. Merrimack did a much better job getting pucks to the cage in the second period, with a whole bunch of shots coming from the low slot (see shot charts below)

This is the chart from the first period (my highlighter didn’t come through well, but can you see it slightly). Notice all the shots on the perimeter. This was all with MC moving the puck very well in all situations. And really, the shots weren’t even from the perimeter. Most aren’t even from the side walls inside the tops of the circles, they’re all right up the middle and from a long distance. 

This is the second period. A much better job by the Warriors getting their shots off in close, and making plays off of rebounds. Not only are those shots in close, but they’re in the middle. Takin those shots from the low slot keeps the goalie off balance. A noticeably better job by the Warriors. Even the shots from the point were in closer and spread a bit more (in a half-circle formation, you’ll notice). Those shots from different angles keep the opposing goalie off balance.

Warriors Merrimack in the second period.