Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey
Current season
Merrimack Warriors athletic logo
UniversityMerrimack College
ConferenceHockey East
Head coachScott Borek
6th season, 71–95–11(.428)
Assistant coaches
  • Dan Jewell
  • Chris Ross
ArenaJ. Thom Lawler Rink
North Andover, Massachusetts
ColorsBlue and gold[1]
   
NCAA Tournament championships
DII: 1978
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
DII: 1978, 1984
NCAA Tournament appearances
DII: 1978, 1984
DI: 1988, 2011, 2023
Conference Tournament championships
ECAC 2 (DII): 1967, 1968, 1977, 1980 East
ECAC East (DIII): 1987, 1988, 1989
Conference regular season championships
ECAC 2 (DII): 1968, 1969, 1975, 1976
ECAC East (DIII): 1987, 1988, 1989
Current uniform

The Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Merrimack College. The Warriors are a member of Hockey East. They play at the 2,549-seat J. Thom Lawler Rink in North Andover, Massachusetts, which underwent renovation in 2010. Merrimack's 92.08% capacity during the 2013–14 season was second in Hockey East.[2]

History

The Warriors started intercollegiate play in 1954–55, as the college offered more support to the program in the form of a modest budget, new uniforms and varsity letters. Babson, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Keene Teachers were among the first intercollegiate competition Merrimack hockey faced that year. And for the first time, the college recognized hockey as a varsity sport.[3]

They were successful in the late 1970s and early 1980s while playing in the ECAC Division II. Merrimack won the division II national title in 1978 and were the runner up in 1984. They became an NCAA Division I independent team in 1984 but did not play a schedule against predominantly Division I teams until they joined the Hockey East conference in 1989.[4][5]

Led by Coach Ron Anderson, a new era began for Merrimack hockey in 1989 when the Warriors competed in their first season as a member of the Hockey East Association. That team posted an overall record of 10–24–1, but pulled off the surprise of the season by taking eventual league champion Boston College to a third and decisive playoff game. And after being picked for the bottom part of the league in three of the last four seasons, the Warriors continued to baffle the experts by battling for home-ice advantage all season long while defeating several Top 20 teams. And with the roots of the Merrimack hockey tree that were planted in Hockey East seven years earlier firmly entrenched, the 1996–97 Warriors entered a new chapter in history by qualifying for a Hockey East playoff home ice berth. The 1997–98 team raised the bar a little higher by upsetting top-ranked Boston University in the quarterfinals and earning a trip to the conference semifinals at Boston's FleetCenter.

The 1998–99 season began yet another era in Merrimack hockey history with the dawning of the Serino age. On April 24, 1998, Chris Serino became just the sixth head coach in the program's history. The Warriors posted a mark of 11–24–1 in Serino's inaugural campaign, and senior forward and captain Rejean Stringer was named an All-American, Merrimack's first ever in the University Division. In Serino's second season, the Warriors set an NCAA record for consecutive overtime contests by playing in six straight at the end of January, and in 2000–01, the Warriors notched 14 victories, the most for Merrimack since 1996–97. Several of those victories were over nationally ranked opponents.

In 2002–03, senior goaltender and captain Joe Exter led Merrimack to a surprising race for home ice throughout much of the season, including the team's first-ever regular season Division I tournament title with wins over host Rensselaer and Wayne State at the 52nd Annual Rensselaer/HSBC Holiday Hockey Tournament in late December. Exter was selected to the All-Hockey East Team by league coaches. Long-time assistant coach Stu Irving was also honored, as the American Hockey Coaches Association presented him with its Terry Flanagan Memorial Award in recognition of an assistant coach's career body of work. The season also saw the inauguration of the Blue Line Club, the program's official support organization.[6]

The program struggled in the highly competitive Hockey East. The 2006–07 season, in which they won only 3 games, was the nadir of their struggles. In the 2010–11 season, however, they had unprecedented success against several of the nation's top teams.[2] They finished the regular season 22–8–4 and were ranked 9th in the nation. Merrimack gained a home ice advantage for the first round for the first time since 1997.[4]

The program received its first No. 1 ranking in the USCHO Poll during the 2011–12 season.

Mark Dennehy was fired as the team's head coach at the conclusion of the 2017–18 season following a 12–21–4 record and a sixth straight losing season. Scott Borek was hired as the team's head coach on April 9, 2018.

Season-by-season results

Source:[7]

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2022–23 season[7]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1956–1964Jim Reynolds846–45–3.505
1964–1965Ron Ryan16–8–0.429
1965–1978J. Thom Lawler13218–138–10.609
1978–1983Bruce Parker5100–76–5.566
1983–1998Ron Anderson15254–253–24.501
1998–2005Chris Serino778–149–27.360
2005–2018Mark Dennehy13168–243–60.420
2018–PresentScott Borek563–86–10.428
Totals 7 coaches 67 seasons 933–998–139 .484

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual awards

All-American Teams

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

Hockey East

Individual awards

All-Conference teams

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Rookie Team

Statistical Leaders

Source:[8]

Career points leaders

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Jim Vesey 1984–1988 140 110 134 244
Richard Pion 1985–1989 124 103 128 231
Mike Reynolds 1972–1976 124 113 111 224
Tom Lawler 1977–1981 138 102 119 221
Jim Toomey 1976–1980 140 99 121 220
Mickey Rego 1977–1981 136 94 108 202
Mark Ziliotto 1985–1989 136 84 100 184
Bob Magnuson 1976–1980 132 90 91 181
Billy Dunn 1972–1975 102 81 96 177
Andy Heinze 1986–1990 144 77 89 166

Career goaltending leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

minimum 30 games played

Player Years GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA
Hugo Ollas2021–Present40215620150826.9172.28
Sam Marotta2010–201447236014194943.9172.39
Rasmus Tirronen2011–2015683893223481593.9182.45
Joe Cannata2008–201212271455946162947.9152.47
Collin Delia2014–20175632402124101344.9112.48

Statistics current through the end of the 2022–23 season.

Current roster

As of September 26, 2023.[9]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Sweden Hugo Ollas Junior G 6' 8" (2.03 m) 253 lb (115 kg) 2002-04-24 Linköping, Sweden Linköping J20 (J20 Nationell) NYR, 197th overall 2020
2 Ohio Christian Felton Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-04 Medina, Ohio Bentley (AHA) —
4 Massachusetts Mike Brown Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 202 lb (92 kg) 2001-04-03 Belmont, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL) —
5 Florida Trevor Griebel Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2001-03-07 Tampa, Florida Fargo (USHL) —
7 Sweden Max Wattvil Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-08-11 Stockholm, Sweden Minnesota (NAHL) —
8 Ontario Liam Dennison Graduate D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1999-02-07 Manotick, Ontario Youngstown (USHL) —
9 Nova Scotia Brady Hunter Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2002-07-27 Enfield, Nova Scotia Trail (BCHL) —
10 Newfoundland and Labrador Mark Hillier Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-03-18 Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador Summerside (MHL) —
11 Ontario Devlin O'Brien Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-04-05 Toronto, Ontario Penticton (BCHL) —
13 British Columbia Chase Stevenson Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-01-13 West Kelowna, British Columbia New Hampshire (HEA) —
14 Massachusetts Tyler Young Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-05-08 Lancaster, Massachusetts Maryland (NAHL) —
15 Massachusetts Mark Gallant Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-05-01 Concord, Massachusetts Dartmouth (ECAC) —
16 Russia Nikita Borodayenko Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-06-17 Dmitrov, Russia Dubuque (USHL) —
17 Michigan Mac Welsher Graduate F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 1999-04-24 Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Des Moines (USHL) —
18 British Columbia Ben Brar Graduate F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-11-19 Abbotsford, British Columbia Prince George (BCHL) —
19 Massachusetts Alex Jefferies Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-11-08 Lunenburg, Massachusetts The Gunnery (USHS–CT) NYI, 121st overall 2020
20 British Columbia Ethan Bono Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 2004-01-15 Port McNeill, British Columbia Alberni Valley (BCHL) —
21 Massachusetts Matt Copponi Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2003-06-04 Mansfield, Massachusetts Dexter Southfield (USHS–MA) EDM, 216th overall 2023
22 Pennsylvania Michael Citara Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2002-04-22 New Hope, Pennsylvania Providence (HEA) —
23 New York (state) Frank Djurasevic Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 2002-03-09 New Rochelle, New York Penticton (BCHL) —
24 Massachusetts David Sacco Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2002-01-03 Middleton, Massachusetts Alberni Valley (BCHL) —
25 Illinois Luke Weilandt Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2002-04-04 Northbrook, Illinois Wenatchee (BCHL) —
26 Sweden Ivan Zivlak Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-08-08 Gislaved, Sweden Linköping J20 (J20 Nationell) —
27 Sweden Adam Arvedson Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 169 lb (77 kg) 2001-08-30 Karlstad, Sweden Färjestad (J20 Nationell) —
28 Sweden Filip Forsmark Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 1998-06-23 Skövde, Sweden Tri-City (USHL) —
29 Michigan Zachary Borgiel Senior G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 212 lb (96 kg) 2000-04-27 Fort Gratiot, Michigan Cowichan Valley (BCHL) —
37 New York (state) Zach Bookman Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2002-03-29 Syracuse, New York Brooks (AJHL) —
43 Alberta Ty Daneault Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2004-12-20 Red Deer, Alberta Drumheller (AJHL) —

Olympians

This is a list of Merrimack alumni were a part of an Olympic team.

Name Position Merrimack Tenure Team Year Finish
Karl StolleryDefenseman2008–2012Canada CAN2018 Bronze

Warriors in the NHL

As of January 7, 2024.

Player Position Team(s) Years Games Stanley Cups
Declan Carlile Defenseman TBL 2024–Present 1 0
Greg Classen Center NSH 2000–2003 90 0
Mark Cornforth Defenseman BOS 1995–1996 6 0
Stéphane Da Costa Center OTT 2010–2014 47 0
Collin Delia Goaltender CHI, VAN 2017–Present 52 0
Matt Foy Right Wing MIN 2005–2008 56 0
Jim Hrivnak Goaltender WSH, WIN, STL 1989–1994 85 0
John Jakopin Defenseman FLA, PIT, SJS 1997–2003 113 0
Bob Jay Defenseman LAK 1993–1994 3 0
Johnathan Kovacevic Defenseman WPG, MTL 2021–Present 117 0
Steve McKenna Defenseman LAK, MIN, PIT, NYR 1996–2004 373 0
Darrel Scoville Defenseman CGY, CBJ 1999–2004 16 0
Brett Seney Left Wing NJD, TOR, CHI 2018–Present 65 0
Karl Stollery Defenseman COL, SJS, NJD 2013–2017 23 0
Jim Vesey Center STL, BOS 1988–1992 15 0

Source:[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Merrimack College Brand Guidelines". Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Buckley, Steve (February 13, 2011). "Merrimack foundation... rock solid". The Boston Herald. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Warrior Hockey".
  4. 1 2 Powers, John (March 10, 2011). "New ice age dawns at Merrimack". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Merrimack Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved March 11, 2011.
  6. ↑ [warriorhockey.org/history "warriorhockey.org/history"]. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  7. 1 2 "Merrimack Warriors men's Hockey 2018-19 Year-By-Year Results" (PDF). Merrimack Warriors. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Merrimack men's Hockey 2018-19 Record Book without Year-By-Year" (PDF). Merrimack Warriors. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  9. ↑ "2023-24 Merrimack College Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Merrimack Warriors. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Alumni report for Merrimack College". Hockey DB. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
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