WMU's Foster Shines in Emergency NHL Debut

Emergency goaltender Scott Foster (Western Michigan) made his NHL debut on Thursday night, stopping all seven shots he faced in the final 14 minutes of play as his Chicago Blackhawks defeated the visiting Winnipeg Jets, 6-2.

Foster, 36, an accountant who played in 55 NCAA games at WMU from 2002 to 2006 and currently skates in a Chicago-area senior league, was pressed into service after starting goaltender Collin Delia (Merrimack), who also made his NHL debut in the same game, could not finish the contest due to cramps. Foster actually wore his WMU mask in his first professional appearance, and ultimately earned First Star of the Game accolades.

The Blackhawks' other goaltender on the night, Anton Forsberg, sustained a lower-body injury in pre-game warm-ups and was unable to play. Chicago forward Dylan Sikura (Northeastern), who signed with the Blackhawks earlier this week, registered his first two career assists on Thursday in his own inaugural NHL appearance.

The Blackhawks, who most recently won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015, have been eliminated from playoff contention for this season.

Merrimack's Delia Signs with Blackhawks

Merrimack College has lost its most experienced goaltender less than three months before the start of the 2017-18 NCAA campaign.

Rising junior Collin Delia passed up his senior season in North Andover to sign a free agent contract with the NHLs’ Chicago Blackhawks last week. The deal is for two years, according to the Blackhawks’ web site. Delia has taken part in the Blackhawks Prospects Camp in each of the last two seasons.

In three years with the Warriors, the 6-foot-2, 200-lb. native of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. fashioned a 17-20-3 record in 56 collegiate appearances to go with a 2.60 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, and four shutouts, according to USCHO.com.

Delia finished ninth among NCAA Division I netminders last season with a .927 save percentage over 21 games, while going 9-8-3 with a 2.15 GAA and three shutouts. The Warriors will return rising sophomores Drew Vogler (18 games) and Craig Pantano (one game) in net next season.

Merrimack Sweeps No.1 BU

Boston University may have been the No. 1 team in the nation this past week, but that will come to an end when the polls are released Monday.

Merrimack College completed a two-step sweep of the top-ranked Terriers with a 4-1 victory at BU's Agganis Arena on Friday night. Michael Babcock scored two goals in the third period, one shorthanded, to break open a 2-1 game, while Collin Delia made 37 saves.

The Warriors had originally posted a 3-1 victory over BU at Merrimack's Lawler Arena on Tuesday, as Logan Coomes tallied the game-winning goal on a second-period power play, while Delia made 30 stops. Merrimack scored four of its seven goals in the series with a man advantage.

BU is now 16-7-2 overall and 9-4-2 in Hockey East, where it resides in second place behind Green Line rival Boston College. Merrimack improved to 10-13-3 overall, and stands ninth in Hockey East with a 4-7-3 mark.