BOSTON- Caelan Fitzpatrick scored the game winning goal early in the third period on Saturday night at TD Garden, as the underdog Merrimack College Warriors continued their run and their season with a 2-1 victory over UConn in the Hockey East Championship game.
Ryan O’Connell opened the scoring burying one after a bounce off the back boards behind the Huskies net for a 1-0 Warriors lead at 2:28 of the second period. Ethan Whitcomb equalized for the #3 seeded Huskies on a rebound at 17:22 of the stanza. The game winner by Fitzpatrick came just 26 seconds into the third at the net front off an assist from Parker Lalonde. MC goaltender Max Lundgren was spectacular with several grade A saves, stopping 49 of 50 shots. Merrimack (21-15-2), after an opening round win over #9 UMass-Lowell, beat the #1, #2, and #3 seeds consecutively to win their first ever Lamoriello Trophy in school history in their 37th season in the league. They were also the lowest seed to even play in a title game. Both schools will be in the NCAA Tournament, with the Warriors getting the automatic bid and the Huskies getting in as an at-large. UConn (20-12-5), who has now made back to back appearances in the final, were also seeking their first championship since joining the league in the 2014-15 season. After the game, Hockey East named their All-Tournament Team:
Hockey East All-Tournament
Goaltender- Max Lundgren- Merrimack
Defense- Nathan King- Merrimack
Defense- Thomas Messineo- UConn
Forward- Dean Letourneau- Boston College
Foward- Ryan O’Connell- Merrimack
Forward- Trevor Hoskin- Merrimack
Bill Flynn Award (MVP)- Max Lundgren, Merrimack
