NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Despite outshooting Merrimack 49-15 Saturday afternoon, Colgate was handed its first loss of the season in a 4-2 decision.

The first period saw both teams notch a goal. Paige Voight got on the board for Merrimack, while Colgate's Bailey Larson netted her second power play marker of the season.

The Warriors then were able to sneak the puck past Ashlynne Rando midway through the second frame, creating a one-goal gap between the teams.

Down 2-1 going into the final period of play, Colgate rallied early thanks to a big tally from Lauren Wildfang to tie it up.

Merrimack, however, received goals from Marie Dalarbre and Megan Martin to gain the final 4-2 margin.

The Warriors were looking to avenge Friday's loss and got on the board first. Voight netted one halfway through the first period with assists went to Jessica Bonfe and Katelyn Rae.

Jessie Eldridge then had two great chances for Colgate. Her first shot hit the post and her second forced netminder Samantha Ridgewell to make a big save.

Colgate's offense took advantage of a man-up advantage a few minutes later after Merrimack was called for checking. First-year Larson was the one to capitalize on the power play thanks to a great feed from Annika Zalewski.

During the second frame, the Warriors made it 2-1 off a goal from Dalarbre, who collected her own rebound and slid it past Rando.

Sophomore Wildfang attempted to spark a third-period rally early in the period when she registered her third goal of the season. Meghan Brennan was awarded the helper.

But Dalarbre put Merrimack back up 3-2 just five minutes later.

Even though the Raiders upped their offensive pressure over the next few minutes, the Warriors added an unassisted insurance goal 11:42 into the period.

With less than three minutes remaining in the contest, Colgate pulled Rando to add an extra attacker. There were several great opportunities for the Raiders, but Ridgewell was ultimately able to keep the puck out of the net.

Rando ended the game with 11 saves, while Ridgewell recorded 47.

The Raiders finally return home to the comfy confines of Starr Rink next weekend for contests against Union on Friday and Rensselaer on Saturday. These games mark the first ECAC Hockey matches of the season. Both games are also slated for 3 p.m. Live stats and video will be available for both contests.
 
Bottom Line
• Merrimack 4, Colgate 2
 
Won-Lost Records
• Merrimack improves to 2-6-0
• Colgate shifts to 4-1-1 on the season
 
Key Raider Info
• Larson and Wildfang had the Raider goals.
• Cat Quirion led Colgate with eight shots. Eldridge, Wildfang and Breanne Wilson-Bennett were close behind with five each
• Four Raiders had one point each throughout the contest.
 
Raider Goals
• 1st period: Larson, assist by Zalewski.
• 2nd period: No goals.
• 3rd period: Wildfang, assisted by Brennan.
 
Facts & Figures
• The Raiders were 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Warriors were 0-for-1.
• Colgate outshot Merrimack by a margin of 49-15, which was a season-high in shots.
• Four players recorded a point in the contest for Colgate.
• Rando finished with 11 saves, bringing her career saves total up to 1,988.
 
From The Source
• Head coach Greg Fargo (on his overall thoughts from the game): "Hats off to Merrimack and their goalie, (Samantha) Ridgewell. I thought she was outstanding all weekend. We took a lot of shot attempts today from a good range and she came up big for them."

"After the start we had, I liked how we played in that last period but it just wasn't enough today to get the result we were looking for."
 
Up Next
• The Raiders are back in action next weekend at home against Union on Friday and RPI on Saturday.
• Puck drop is scheduled for 3 p.m. on both days.
• Live stats and video will be available at the start of the games.