The UConn Huskies (5-6-2) are heading to North Andover, Massachusetts on Friday to take to the ice against the Merrimack Warriors (2-7-1). The Huskies will play the Warriors on Friday with a 3 p.m. start and will host Merrimack on Saturday for a 3 p.m. puck drop at the Freitas. This is the first meeting between the two teams this season. Last season Merrimack won two of the three games played against the Huskies, both times on UConn’s home ice. UConn is 3-6-5 overall against Merrimack since joining Hockey East, 5-29-5 in program history.
Merrimack is coming into this weekend with a win against the New Hampshire Wildcats under their belt. This includes a 5-2 win in Durham and a shootout loss on home ice at the Volpe Athletic Complex. UConn is entering this meeting No. 5 in Hockey East after their series with the No. 1 ranked Boston College Eagles, whom the Huskies beat in a shootout to take two points away from the weekend.
This could be a big weekend for UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh who is coming close to earning 100 career wins with the Huskies, currently sitting at 98 since he took over as the team’s head coach. As much as matchup history says otherwise, the Merrimack Warriors are almost always a bottom two team in Hockey East and should prove no trouble to the Huskies. All season UConn has been able to punch above its weight class and perform against top teams like the Boston College Eagles without being rolled over. I expect UConn to take both games against the Warriors without much trouble and carry coach Cavanaugh to a well-deserved 100 career wins.
