“I put down after one period the word ‘purpose,’ ’’ said Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy, whose team enters the break at 10-3-2. “I thought that throughout the game [Union] played with a purpose. It was as if they knew what they wanted to do and they were ready to do it from the get-go.
“I thought that we had some indecision at times, probably most evident on the power play. And you can’t play against a team that is going to pressure you that much with any sort of hesitation. We were good at times but not long enough. I thought they played the way they wanted to play longer than we did.’’
The Dutchmen (9-3-5) took a 1-0 lead at 13:47 of the opening period. When defenseman Kyle Bigos, who took three minor penalties in the first 20 minutes, was whistled off for boarding at 13:09, it gave Union a five-on-three advantage for 46 seconds and the visitors cashed in.
With the Dutchmen applying heavy pressure in the Warriors’ end, left wing Daniel Carr punched a shot through netminder Joe Cannata (31 saves) for his eighth goal of the season.
Merrimack, which managed only six shots in the first period to 11 by Union, received a scare at 14:27 of the second when Cannata was shaken up in the crease after making a point-blank stop on right wing Trevor Mingoia.
When he was being attended to by the team’s medical staff, with the crowd silent, a fan yelled, “Joe, you’re the only reason we’re in this game!’’
That wasn’t exactly true but it was certainly one of the reasons because Merrimack wasn’t sharp on faceoffs and was even less sharp on the power play (0 for 5 with only two shots).
But the crowd and team were relieved when after a couple of minutes, Cannata felt well enough to stay in.
Just 33 seconds later, the Warriors pulled even when center Shawn Bates skated into the left circle and flung the puck at the net, beating Troy Grosenick (19 saves) for his seventh strike of the year.
But penalties continued to be a problem for the home team. A hooking call on right wing Jesse Todd proved costly. Just under a minute into the power play, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere beat Cannata on a shot from the slot at 17:59.
