NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — The Holy Cross men's ice hockey team suffered a 5-1 loss to no. 13 nationally-ranked and nonconference opponent Merrimack Tuesday afternoon at Lawler Rink.
 
The win is the seventh straight for the Warriors (10-3-0) while the Crusaders (2-11-1) have lost their fourth in a row.
 
THE GOALTENDERS:

• Crusaders: freshman Louden Hogg 0-3-0, 18 saves, .783 save percentage.
• Warriors: Zachary Borgiel 5-0-0, 23 saves, .958 save percentage.

THREE STARS OF THE GAME: 

• 1st star: Matt Copponi, Merrimack: goal, assist, two points.
• 2nd star: Ottoville Leppanen, Merrimack: two goals, assist, three points, +1
• 3rd star: Hugo Esselin, Merrimack: goal, assist, two points, three blocked shots, +2

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Zach Bookman shot an attempt from the point and Ben Brar got a stick on it that resulted in a knuckle puck that snuck by Hogg for the 1-0 lead at the nine minute mark.  
• Merrimack added on another goal from the near circle as Esselin squeaked the puck by Hogg's pads to make it 2-0 with 5:13 left.
• The Warriors expanded the lead 2:46 into the second period with a Copponi tally.
• Senior Alex Peterson netted his second goal of the season with under seven minutes to go in the second period assisted by junior Jack Ricketts and freshman Mack Oliphant to trim the deficit to 3-1.
• Merrimack added a fourth and fifth goal in the third period.

BEYOND THE BOX:

• Merrimack improved to 8-0 when scoring the first goal this season.
• Holy Cross outshot the hosts 12-to-3 in the second period.
• The Crusaders are 0-for-19 on the man advantage since their last power play goal on Friday, Nov. 4 at Canisius.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders play at Brown on Friday, Nov. 25.
• Puck drop is set for 2 p.m.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
Be sure to follow the Holy Cross men's ice hockey team — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!
Twitter - @HCrossMHockey | @goholycross
Instagram - @hcrossmhockey | @goholycross
Facebook - Holy Cross Men's Ice Hockey | Holy Cross Athletics
YouTube - GoHolyCross