NCAA: Warriors Steal one From Minutemen

With only three wins on the season, the Merrimack College Warriors are looking for any spark to get this team going. In a tough league like the Hockey East, there are no easy games and this night they would have to face the University of Massachusetts Minutemen and one of the Hockey East's top goalies, Jon Quick. Two goals by Merrimack's freshman Matt Jones would prove to be enough in a 2-1 win.

Jon Quick (LA), G, UMass (SO)

Mr. Everything for this team and every win seems to be on the shoulders of a Jon Quick performance .. his win-loss (8-6-1) record may not be a revelation, but his GAA of 2.09 and save percentage of .933 is top-3 in Hockey East .. ultimately, he gives a low scoring UMass team a chance to win every game .. has tremendous post-to-post quickness, but does need to control how far he slides, as sometimes he slides a little too far .. challenges all shooters and covers all rebounds .. has tremendous flexibility and can handle the puck well .. the first goal was deflected, but the second goal he would probably wish to have back .. a top prospect and potentially could spend another year in college before making the jump to the pro level.

Will Ortiz (2007), F, UMass (FR)

The transition from prep school (Salisbury) to college has been going well .. in 21 games, he has 13 points (4 goals and 9 assists) .. despite his size (5-foot-9), he plays an aggressive style in the corners and can take and dish-out hits .. shows the quick release and good hands he displayed last season at Salisbury .. has a quick stride with strong speed .. had an assist on the only UMass goal, as he battled through a check from behind the net and passed it out front to his linemate Mark Matheson .. very surprised he has not made any draft list to be at least a late round pick, but similar to teammate Chris Davis, his size remains an issue.

Martin Nolet (LA), D, UMass (FR)

Has good size (6-3, 205) .. a strong defenseman and playing in all of his teams games so far (22 total with 3 points – 1 goal) .. moves the puck up the ice well and has a strong shot from the point with a quick release .. received a lot of playing time .. will need a lot more time to develop and get stronger, but could be a decent pick for the Kings.

Kevin Jarman (CBJ), F, UMass (SR)

A decent forward with glimpses of offensive talent .. has played in 18 of the 22 games this season and has 11 points (5 goals) .. displayed a strong shot and tough play along the boards .. will need to pick it up a notch if looking to get a contract from the Blue Jackets.

Joe Loprieno (2007), D, Merrimack (FR)

A freshman defenseman coming in from the Chicago Steel, USHL .. has good size (6-3, 205) .. a definite presence on the ice and loves to look for the big hits .. physical in the corners and tough in front of his net .. uses his stick well on the pk and gets it in the passing lane .. offensively needs to be better at the point .. has played in 22 out of the 23 games for Merrimack and collected three points (1 goal).

Matt Jones (2007), F, Merrimack (FR)

Another freshman from the USHL (Sioux City) .. listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, but looks very lanky .. a very good skater with above average speed .. does not stretch out his stride enough for someone his size .. plays a physical game, as evident from his team-leading 53 PIM's .. scored both goals against UMass in the 2–1 win .. his second goal was a nice snapshot coming down his off-wing from the faceoff dot .. has five points in 21 games (3 goals) .. seems to play well on the top line with fellow classmates and the top-scorers Pat Kimball and J.C. Robitaille .. on a team with the leading scorer only having 9 points, Jones will need to step-up his play and become more consistent offensively.