The Hockey East playoff picture may have become more jumbled on Friday but No. 17 Merrimack posted its third-straight victory over a ranked opponent, edging past No. 19 UMass Lowell, 5-3.
The Warriors move up to second place in the Hockey East standings and have ensured themselves a first-round bye and home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
Merrimack never trailed, jumping to a 2-0 lead on goals by Matt Copponi and Mike Brown early in the first. Lowell answered with tallies from TJ Schweighardt in the first and Carl Berglund in the second before Merrimack regained the lead on the power play on Ben Brar’s tally at 10:45 of the second.
The River Hawks again had a bounce back when Bergland netted his second, but a Mac Welsher goal with 11:09 remaining put the Warriors ahead for good. Will Calverley tallied in the final minute for the 5-3 final.
GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!
It's a Mac Attack! Welsher gives us the lead back!
4-3 MC | 11:09 | P3#GoMack https://t.co/7f8GdBU1dB pic.twitter.com/xgZB0oB49a
— Merrimack Men’s Hockey (@MerrimackMIH) February 25, 2023
The win not only keeps Merrimack’s hopes alive to capture its first-ever Hockey East regular season title, but also advances their NCAA at-large hopes, elevating them towards the PairWise bubble with he victory.
SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS | PAIRWISE RANKINGS
Massachusetts 3, No. 15 Northeastern 2
UMass hasn’t exactly put together the season it hoped, but that won’t prevent the Minutemen from potentially playing the role of spoiler as they did on Friday night, knocking off No. 15 Northeastern, first place in Hockey East entering the game, 3-2, at the Mullins Center.
The Minutemen answered an early Justin Hryckowian goal with tallies by Elliott McDermott later in the first and Reed Lebster 41 seconds into the second.
.@ElliottMcDermo2's first tally in a UMass uniform…set up by @Kiefiuk13 and @Cole_Brady_ 🙌
Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/uwcBq7mWWY#NewMass X #Flagship 🚩 pic.twitter.com/g8xYC2eFYf
— UMass Hockey (@UMassHockey) February 25, 2023
After Liam Walsh tied the game for the Huskies at 8:57 of the middle frame, UMass had an answer on Scott Morrow’s goal less than three minutes later.
UMass held Northeastern to just six shots in the third as Cole Brady earned the win by making 22 saves.
The loss for Northeastern could be crippling to the Huskies at-large NCAA bid given then entered Friday in 14th, just inside the PairWise bubble.
No. 11 Michigan Tech 2, No. 12 Minnesota State 0
Michigan Tech struck first-blood in the second ending series against Minnesota State that will decide the CCHA champion.
Trailing the Mavericks by two points entering the night, a 35-save shutout for Blake Pietila and third period goals by Kyle Kukkonen and Logan Pietila earned the win for the Huskies propelling them into first place in the CCHA by a single point with one game left between the two clubs on Saturday.
Kyle Kukkonen buries his 15th of the season for the lead! #mtuhky #FollowTheHuskies pic.twitter.com/LobbnZUktG
— Michigan Tech Hockey (@mtuhky) February 25, 2023
Minnesota State needs a regulation win to clinch the CCHA title outright or an overtime/shootout victory to earn a share of the crown with Michigan Tech. Anything besides a regulation loss for Michigan Tech and it will clinch its first regular-season league title since winning the WCHA in 1975-76.
No. 3 Denver 5, No. 5 Western Michigan 2
No. 3 Denver has brought itself to the brink of clinching the Penrose Cup for the third time with a convincing 5-2 road victory versus No. 5 Western Michigan.
Should the Pioneers earn one point in its final three games, it would minimally earn a share of the regular-season crown.
Mike Benning scored twice and added two assists for a career-high four points, while Denver goaltender Magnus Chrona made 17 saves to earn the win.
Chrona did leave the game late after a collision with Jason Polin with 1:07 remaining. Polin was whistled for goaltender interference while Matt Davis entered the game for the final 67 seconds.
Polin was also assessed a major penalty earlier in the third period with a Pioneers leading, 3-2. During the ensuing power play, Denver scored twice one from the stick of Bending and a second by Massimo Rizzo to put the game out of reach.
No. 20 Notre Dame 3, No. 5 Michigan 3 (F/OT, Notre Dame wins shootout)
Notre Dame and Michigan skated to a 3-3 tie on Friday but the Irish grabbed the extra Big Ten point with a shootout win, keeping alive Notre Dame’s hopes to earn a home ice spot in the Big Ten quarterfinals next weekend.
Per 3 | That was filthy, @J_danglefest2 😎 we like it.
📈 https://t.co/JFHmsttr4N
📻 https://t.co/dhUJa1nPQr
💻 B1G+#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/UyYporAwne— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) February 25, 2023
Though Notre Dame still remains in sixth place in the league standings, they are just a point behind both Michigan State, which is idle this weekend, and Penn State while trailing Ohio State by three points.
Penn State routed Wisconsin, 6-1, on Friday while Ohio State fell, 4-0, in Minnesota.
A regulation victory for combined with losses for Penn State and Ohio State on Saturday could give the Irish the fourth and final home ice spot in next weekend’s best-of-three quarterfinal.
Notre Dame was less than two minutes away from earning a regulation win and a third point on Friday. But Michigan’s Adam Fantilli scored on the power play with 1:57 remaining to force the overtime and shootout.
