Merrimack owns second

Hockey
Joe Meloni

UMass 2, Merrimack 2

Another weak second period from UMass allowed Merrimack back into the game. The Warriors tied the game at 11:58 when Joe Cucci beat Paul Dainton with a wrister over the net minder's glove.

The Minutemen struggled to find their rhythm in the period while the Warriors moved the puck crisply from zone-to-zone.

After the first period, shots on goals were tied at 10. But the Warriors jumped in front on the second, matching their first-period total while halving UMass's.

A win for UMass or a Maine tie or loss puts the Minutemen in the Hockey East Tournament. The Black Bears are tied, 1-1, with UMass Lowell midway through the second period.

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