The Massachusetts men’s club hockey team showcased its improving offensive strength in a 7-3 win against Merrimack College Friday night.

The Minutemen went up 4-1 in the first period when Zach Sideropoulos got his name on the scoresheet. Skating up from UMass’ side of the ice, Sideropoulos got around two Merrimack defenders, shooting twice before finding the back of the net.

Sideropoulos got the puck into the back of the net for the second time during the first three minutes of the second period.

Receiving the puck on the left side of the net from Matthew Haskell, he was able to chip the puck over Dean for the second time during the matchup.

He also provided one assist on UMass’ third goal, assisting Haskell with just over 10 minutes left in the first period. Passing to him in close range to Merrimack’s net, he set up a straight shot for Haskell, giving the Minutemen a two goal lead.

“We’ve been working really hard in practice… It’s just kind of coming together lately, guys are learning how to play with each other, and it was really good to see,” head coach Sean Prendergast said.

With six different Minutemen on the scoresheet, UMass’ cohesion was apparent.

After conceding a goal early to Merrimack in the first minute of play, Nick Salvatore quickly responded about a minute later to kickstart UMass’ offensive onslaught.

Receiving the puck from the Warriors blue line, Salvatore was able to slide it in under Dean into the back of the net to even the score.

“[Coming back] shows our team’s resilience, one goal isn’t going to deter us,” Prendergast said. “That’s something we’ve kind of made a staple of UMass hockey. We don’t give up no matter what, we’re going to keep going.”

From there, the Minutemen continued to extend their lead, only allowing Merrimack to score once in the second and third periods.

Recording four goals in the first frame, two in the second and one in the third, UMass continuously extended its lead and kept hold of the matchup.

Despite UMass’ dominance of the 60 minutes of playtime Merrimack put pressure on goaltender Sam York. Facing 33 shots on net, York was able to save 30 of them, a pillar of its defense for the night.

The Minutemen tallied 35 shots on Dean, with seven finding the back of the net. They were able to exploit holes in the Warriors defense and gain momentum over three periods of play.

UMass will be back in action on Saturday Oct. 27 against Bentley University on the road. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

“Bentley’s going to be a good test, they beat us earlier this year,” Prendergast said. “I think we’ve come a long way since then. Everyone was still trying to find their game, find their stride… we’re a different team and I’m really excited.”

Emma Bensley can be reached at [email protected].