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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Trailing 3-1 midway through the third period, the Northeastern men's ice hockey team (1-9-1, 1-5-1) fought back to make it 3-2 late in regulation before Merrimack (8-3-1, 4-2-0) added an empty netter to defeat the Huskies in the frontend of a home-and-home series on Friday night at Lawler Rink, 4-2.
 
Torin Snydeman and Kevin Roy both scored power play tallies for NU, which received 25 stops from Clay Witt. Merrimack, which was 3-of-8 on the man advantage and outshot 32-30 in the game, got 30 saves from Collin Delia, who replaced starter Rasmus Tirronen just 20 seconds into the game.
 
The Huskies got off to a rocky start in the first period, going a man down just 20 seconds into the contest before surrendering a power play goal less than a minute in. NU, however, battled back to even the score at one to send the teams into the dressing room tied. After Torin Snydeman was assessed a minor for goaltender interference, forcing MC to enter Collin Delia into the game, Merrimack went up 1-0 when Chris LeBlanc took a centering pass from Brian Christie for a one-timer past Witt.
 
Northeastern struck back about three minutes later with a power play tally of its own. After Snydeman dumped the puck in on goal from just outside the blue line, Delia tried to swipe the puck into the corner, but the puck got under his stick and into the goal for Snydeman's second of the season.
 
The pace to the game picked up as the teams skated five-on-five, with the Warriors holding a slight 12-11 edge in shots on goal during the stanza. Each team had an opportunity to take the lead as Colton Saucerman rang a shot off the post following a centering feed from Kevin Roy before Clayton Jardine hit a post of his own at the other end later in the frame.
 
The line of Roy, Dalen Hedges and Mike McMurtry created havoc in the Merrimack zone during the opening minutes of the second period, testing Delia and the Warrior defense with several scoring bids during sustained zone time in the MC end. NU nearly went up 2-1 six minutes into the frame when a Husky defenseman rimmed the puck around the glass, which popped right out into the feet of Delia. Northeastern crashed the crease in search of the loose puck, but couldn't knock it home.
 
Merrimack was awarded four power plays during the final 8:36 of the period, and capitalized on one to take a 2-1 advantage through 40 minutes of play. The goal came when Mathieu Tibbet fed Jared Kolquist with a pass at the point. Kolquist then let a low shot go that found its way through a screen and past Witt for Kolquist's first of the year.
 
Tanner Pond almost brought the Huskies back to even with five minutes left in the frame when he intercepted a clearing bid and went in on Delia, but the Merrimack netminder squeezed his pads shut to deny Pond trying to go five-hole.
 
The Huskies carried the play during the first five minutes of the third period in search of the game-tying goal, but Kolquist potted his second of the night six minutes into the frame to give the Warriors a two-goal cushion. Dan Kolomatis hit Kolquist with a pass on the left side before Kolquist ripped a wrister that best Witt shortside for the score.
 
NU had its chances to cut into the deficit during three power play opportunities midway through the stanza, and made it 3-2 with 4:07 left in regulation on a goal from Roy. With Witt pulled in favor of the extra skater, Hedges fired a shot from the point that was stopped by Delia. Saucerman followed up with another chance from in tight before Roy roofed a loose puck for his second goal of the season.
 
Despite being down a man with 1:07 left in the game, NU pulled Witt again to make it five-on-five hockey, but an empty netter from Jace Hennig iced the game for the Warriors.
 
The Huskies and Warriors will meet again tomorrow night in the series finale at Matthews Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m.

Season tickets, as well as individual game tickets, are available for men's ice hockey and can be purchased by visiting GoNU.com/tickets. In addition, the student sale for the 2015 Beanpot will take place on Saturday, January 17, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Matthews Arena lobby. Please contact the Ticket Office by calling 617-373-4700 or emailing huskytix@neu.edu with any questions.

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