MANCHESTER – Sean Leahy scored two goals in the first six minutes and that was all the Oyster River High School boys hockey team needed in a 3-1 win over Merrimack Monday at Manchester’s West Side Arena.
Merrimack's Erik Glendye skates by Connor Clark of Oyster River on his way toward goalie Dylan Strogen during Monday's game at the West Side Arena in Manchester. For more photos from the game, check out the Photo Album.
Leahy’s first goal came just 13 seconds into the contest and was just the start of a bad all-around period for the Tomahawks.
“The other team wanted to win more,” Merrimack coach Dan Legro said. “They outskated us in the first period. They hustled more, they were faster, they had more fight in them. They skated circles around us.”
The loss was the second straight for the ’Hawks at the hands of the Bobcats. Oyster River (11-2-1) pulled out a 3-2 win in Durham on Saturday, and moved into second place in Division II, one spot ahead of Merrimack.
Tyler Caron had the lone goal for the ’Hawks (10-3) and Pat Parker had an assist. Leahy had an assist to go with his two goals, while Connor Clark had a goal and two assists.
The Bobcats controlled the opening face-off and drove into Merrimack’s end. A turnover gave Oyster River a second chance in the ’Hawks zone and Leahy found the back of the net.
“We made some careless mistakes and we’re already down 1-0,” Legro said. “It was deflating. It was aggravating. They came out harder than they did on Saturday.”
Merrimack's Chris Fortin moves the puck up ice.
The Bobcats were celebrating less than two minutes later, but this time, the goal was waved off. Oyster River didn’t have to wait long for a goal that held up, as Leahy added a power play goal with 9:04 left in the first period.
The ’Hawks took two more penalties before the first intermission, but caught a break on the second one. Oyster River’s Steven Rohde was sent to the box just 37 seconds into the power play, the first of three Bobcats’ penalties that gave Merrimack a 5-on-3 advantage that carried over into the second period for 27 seconds.
Caron opened the period with his goal, scoring off a deflected shot by Parker, but the goal came after the two-man advantage had expired, meaning both teams were at full strength.
“I was disappointed,” Legro said. “We should have scored six seconds earlier. There were some missed opportunities on our part.”
With 10:07 left in the second period, Clark scored what proved to be an insurance goal. After Merrimack goal Alex Scanlon made a save with his left leg, he seemed to lose sight of the puck. Clark found it sitting in the crease and tapped it in for a 3-1 lead.
Legro felt the ’Hawks outplayed the Bobcats in the third period, but “didn’t shoot enough and their goalie made some good saves.”
Merrimack returns to the ice on Wednesday when it hosts first-place Bow (10-1-2).