Entering the Hockey East Tournament 0-8-1 in their last nine games, most thought the Merrimack Warriors were no match for Northeastern.
That is why they play the games.
It took overtime Friday night, and double-overtime Saturday, but 11th-seeded Merrimack completed a two-game sweep of the Huskies behind a goal by Mathieu Tibbet 15:42 into the second overtime period, ending the fifth-longest game in Hockey East history.
Rasmus Tirronen was once again the hero for the Warriors (16-16-4), stopping 63 of the 64 shots he faced on the afternoon, 30 of which came in the overtime periods. Huskies netminder Clay Witt ended the game with 47 saves on 49 shots.
“I am not going to apologize for having a good goalie,” said Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy. “That’s probably one of the most important parts of the game, and we got a good one. I thought our team played really well in front of him. We believe if he sees it he’s going to stop it.”
The loss is Northeastern’s fifth in six games, ending their season at 16-16-4, after going 15-3-3 throughout the middle of the season, after starting 0-8-1.
“Empty, disappointed, emptiness,” said Northeastern coach Jim Madigan. “It came to an abrupt end. With where we were trending and how we were playing, we had high hopes in that locker room.”
For the second consecutive night, Merrimack was able to win despite penalty issues, taking seven in Saturday’s game, killing off six of them.
“Special teams was big all weekend,” Dennehy said. “Our penalty kill was enormous.”
Despite outshooting Merrimack 14-4 in the first period, the Huskies were not able to find the back of the net.
The best opportunity came when junior Kevin Roy wrapped around the net and put a shot from close range on goal, but Tirronen was there to corral it in his chest.
Merrimack started to apply pressure in the second period, outshooting Northeastern 12-10 in the frame.
Despite this, Northeastern drew first blood courtesy of a power-play goal by Zach Aston-Reese.
With Quinn Gould off for interference, John Stevens shot a puck in the slot that was blocked down by Tirronen. Aston-Reese picked up the rebound and jammed it through a wall of Merrimack defenders into the back of the net for the lead.
Just over four minutes later, Jace Henning answered for Merrimack. On a power play off a Dustin Darou interference call, Henning found a rebound of a Marc Biega shot from the point that he was able to tap past a diving Witt.
Both teams had plenty of chances in the third period, with Northeastern controlling the pace of play, but Merrimack getting the better of those opportunities.
It was Tirronen and Witt who shined brightest though, combining to stop all 19 shots (10 by Tirronen) they faced, forcing overtime for the second consecutive day.
It was more of the same in the extra 20. 17 saves by Tirronen and 10 by Witt forced the game into double overtime.
Merrimack almost ended the game in the first overtime, digging away at a puck in the crease. Witt, who was sprawled out, was somehow able to hold the post and keep the puck out of the net.
A couple minutes later, the Warriors had a two-on-one going down ice, forcing Witt to go right-to-left in a hurry. Witt came flying across the ice, saving the puck with his glove hand.
At 15:42 in double overtime, the Warriors were awarded a five-on-four power play on a Kevin Roy goaltender interference call. Merrimack took less than a minute to capitalize.
With the puck in their offensive zone, Tibbet shot a puck off Witt’s skate that slowly trickled toward the goal line. Aston-Reese rushed to the aid of Witt, trying to keep the puck out of the net, but was a second short, sending Merrimack to the Hockey East quarterfinals.
“Their goalie was the difference in the series, plain and simple,” said Madigan. “If it’s not for him, I think I’m singing a different song here. We just couldn’t solve him.
“Credit him for keeping his team in it and winning the series for his team in my opinion.”
The Warriors knew they were underdogs heading into the weekend.
“We’ve never hid from who we are,” Dennehy said. “We are a small school playing against behemoths. I like to tell the story about David vs. Goliath. Most people forget David won.”
