Merrimack battles back to tie Boston College 2-2

Brian Billett had 22 saves for BC

It was a game that had a lot of pairwise and Hockey East implications on the line but no blood was drawn as BC and Merrimack settled for a 2-2 tie in their first matchup this year. No one was able to pot any goals in the first as it was a period in which both goalies made some great stops. BC finally struck in the second on a great individual effort by Paul Carey. BC added another just five minutes later when Steve Whitney put home a great pass from Barry Almeida on the penalty kill, to put BC up 2-0. In the last half of the game, Merrimack out worked BC, as they were able to create chances, keep BC at bay and eventually make it a one goal game going into the third. BC held off MC the whole third until Connor Toomey recorded his second goal of the game on a tip in to tie the game up for Merirmack. In the overtime, Merrimack appeared to have scored the winning goal with just 12 seconds left but it was called back due to a high stick. A couple of observations I made were that Brian Billett continued to play pretty solid as he stopped 22 Warrior shots. I think Billett is turning into the every night goalie for BC. My second observation is that this team is really struggling offensively. 24 shots in the game and just one single shot in the third period is terrible. I didn't think the line of Kreider, Arnold, and Carey created as much offense as they should have but I liked they way Whitney-Mullane-Gaudreau played for the Eagles. I thought the way Merrimack was able to battle back and tie that game was just stunning. They kept battling all night long and were rewarded for it with that tie.


Why the Game ended in a Tie

1. Both goalies were pretty sharp. I though Billett and Cannata were both very good tonight.

2. Merrimack outworked BC in the third period. The 6-1 advantage in shots tells the story as Merrimack dominated the third.

3. Both teams played pretty solid in their own zones. I like the way the BC defenseman played except the last goal was terrible.

Problems 

1. The offense. Never really say this about BC but they are not creating enough chances on 5-5 or on the power play.

2. The penalties. Yes, MC did not have any PP goals but BC took 6 penalties and 3 in the third.

Next Up- Huge road game @ UMass on Friday