Box score

Despite outshooting Merrimack 12-2 in the third period, Northeastern was not able to break through in the final moments and had its five-game winning streak against the Warriors put to rest, 3-1, at Lawler Arena on Friday night.

Senior Kyle Kraemer stretched his scoring spell to seven-straight games (5-3-8) with an assist on Jake Newton's tally at 11:03 of the first period. Kraemer's scoring streak is second in Hockey East play behind Merrimack's Stephane Da Costa and Gustav Nyquist's eight-game spurts.

Newton potted his second-career tally and has crafted a four-game streak of his own (1-3-4). Junior captain Tyler McNeely aided on the play for his third helper on the year.

Rookie goaltender Bryan Mountain earned his first start in between the pipes for the Huskies on Friday night. The Bryn Mawr, Pa. turned away 14-of-17 Warriors' attempts on the evening. Mountain cleaned up 9:22 of the 6-2 loss against Maine on Nov. 13.

The Huskies faced a two-goal deficit heading into the final stanza. Northeastern was bestowed with two 5-on-3 opportunities in the waning moments, but Merrimack's defense thwarted NU's attack to spoil any notion of a comeback.

Merrimack put the first goal on the board at 11:03 when John Heffernan accepted a pass from Brandon Sadlowski at mid-ice and crafted a nifty deke around Mountain's stick side for the 1-0 edge. Simon Demers reaped the credit for the second helper.

Northeastern wasted no time to sew it back up 27 seconds later at 11:30. Kraemer and Newton formed a two-on-one in the neutral zone but the Warriors' defense broke up the play on the far boards. The puck kicked out near the goalmouth where McNeely was able to pull it out of the scrum and connected with Newton's blade to tie it, 1-1.

At 14:28, senior Chris Donovan was cited for charging and Merrimack cashed in on the five-on-four opportunity with a Bonitatibus tally at 15:56. Da Costa shifted the puck from behind the far post and connected with Bonitatibus in the crease for the one-timer to reclaim the lead, 2-1.

Northeastern took control in the early portion of the second period and sustained what appeared to be a powerplay for almost three minutes. Kraemer fooled MC netminder Andrew Braithwaite with the backhand, but was greeted by iron around the 3:30 of the second.

It was Merrimack that capitalized on its opportunity to double up, 3-1, at 12:25. Bonitatibus broke up NU's play and streaked down the slot with nobody around, but Mountain was able to block his initial attempt. Elliott Sheen was in pursuit and positioned himself to tip in the loose carom through Mountain's pads.

The Huskies outshot Merrimack, 27-17. Braithwaite stopped 26 Northeastern shots on the evening.

Northeastern runs it back with Merrimack tomorrow, Dec. 5, for the final installment at Matthews Arena of 2009. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. Following Saturday's contest, the Huskies venture north to Orono for a rubber match with Maine on Saturday, Dec. 12. NU and Maine split the two-game set at Matthews Arena on Nov. 13-14.

Tomorrow's game against Merrimack features the “Dog House Toy Drive”. Fans are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy (crayons, coloring books, hot wheels, arts and crafts kits, etc). Any sort of gift certificate to a notable retailer (Walmart, Toys R Us, Target, etc.) would also be greatly appreciated. For those that choose to bring a gift, a discounted ticket voucher will be presented to you for either the Jan. 9 or Jan. 10 game. Northeastern takes on UMass Lowell on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Massachusetts on Sunday at 8 p.m.