Mavs split home series with Merrimack

The Minnesota State men’s hockey team toppled Merrimack College Saturday after a tough loss on Friday in a two-game home series at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.

In the Friday showdown, Merrimack scored early and kept the Mavs locked down for a 1-0 victory. However, the Mavericks dominated Saturday, splitting the series with a strong 4-1 win.

Head Coach Luke Strand said the team couldn’t seem to capitalize on offensive opportunities and left the game feeling “lousy.” Dominating Merrimack would take another level of play.

“Merrimack’s no slouch. They’re gonna win games, there’s no question on that part,” said Strand. “We didn’t give up next to nothing, but we didn’t generate what we could’ve or should’ve at the same time. You gotta be a harder brand of hockey.”

The energy was intense throughout the arena as the Mavericks came into night two of the series. The team was evidently hungry for redemption after the Warriors’ Friday night win.

Coming into night two, the Mavericks were faster, more aggressive and ready to shut down Merrimack goaltender Max Lundgren and their defense.

The Warriors scrambled as the Mavericks controlled the puck with quick passes, a lot of movement and creative plays.

Early in Saturday’s first period, the Mavericks pulled ahead as right-wing Brendan Olson fired a top-shelf backhand into the net. However, the Warriors came back and tied the score toward the end of the first.

After many attempts to pull ahead, Rhett Pitlick, Josh Groll and Evan Murr made some magic happen at the very end of the first with a beautiful power-play goal, putting the Mavericks on top coming into the second period.

The energy in the arena and on the ice was electric as the Mavericks took the lead during the power play and the fans loudly chanted to exhibit their excitement and pride for the team.

Capitalizing on the momentum from Pitlick’s goal, the Mavericks put another one on the board early as Luigi Benincasa scored the third goal of the game, distancing victory further from Merrimack.

In desperation to close the gap in the score and shut down Maverick goaltender Alex Tracy, the Warriors grew more physical, but this didn’t stop the Mavericks from playing their game.

Maintaining control of the puck, the Mavericks kept the pressure on Merrimack and Brian Carrabes scored the fourth and final goal for the Mavericks off the rebound.

As the buzzer sounded, signifying the end of night two in the weekend’s series, the crowd and players were elated. The Mavericks demonstrated they are a force to be reckoned with.

Finishing the game with a well-earned victory and 23 shots on goal, the Mavericks shut down Merrimack. Tracy with 18 saves, played a great defensive game against the Warriors.

The Mavericks take on the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks during this weekend’s home series, looking for a win after tying them in their last meeting. Make sure to grab your tickets for what is sure to be an entertaining weekend.

Photo caption: The Minnesota State Mavericks took on Merrimack College where the Warriors won 1-0 Friday and the Mavericks took the 4-1 win Saturday night. The Mavericks will take on University of North Dakota this weekend. (Troy Yang/The Reporter)

Write to emma.benjamin@mnsu.edu