After the first period, Merrimack leads the University of New Hampshire 2-1.
Merrimack survived a scare early, when a goaltender Joe Cannata thought he was covering up a UNH shot when it trickled past him just two minutes into the game. The officials ruled the UNH skater offsides, disallowing the goal.
UNH did strike first, with junior right wing Stevie Moses scoring a goal in the third straight game. Soon after, Merrimack junior left winger Ryan Flanigan continued his scoring pace from last weekend’s quarterfinal games with a short-handed goal with help from sophomore center Stephane Da Costa.
Junior right wing Elliot Sheen then tipped in freshmen defender’s Branden Ellis shot to give Merrimack the 2-1 lead.
Cannata had 12 saves for Merrimack in the first, while UNH goalie Matt Di Girolamo had 9.