Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey | |
---|---|
Current season | |
University | Merrimack College |
Conference | Hockey East |
Head coach | Scott Borek 6th season, 76–103–11 (.429) |
Assistant coaches |
|
Arena | J. Thom Lawler Rink North Andover, Massachusetts |
Colors | Blue 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]
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.
Source: [7]
As of the completion of 2023–24 season [7]
Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1956–1964 | Jim Reynolds | 8 | 46–45–3 | .505 |
1964–1965 | Ron Ryan | 1 | 6–8–0 | .429 |
1965–1978 | J. Thom Lawler | 13 | 218–138–10 | .609 |
1978–1983 | Bruce Parker | 5 | 100–76–5 | .566 |
1983–1998 | Ron Anderson | 15 | 254–253–24 | .501 |
1998–2005 | Chris Serino | 7 | 78–149–27 | .360 |
2005–2018 | Mark Dennehy | 13 | 168–243–60 | .420 |
2018–Present | Scott Borek | 6 | 76–103–11 | .429 |
Totals | 7 coaches | 68 seasons | 946–1019–140 | .483 |
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AHCA Second Team All-Americans
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Source: [8]
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 |
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 Ollas | 2021–Present | 40 | 2156 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 82 | 6 | .917 | 2.28 |
Sam Marotta | 2010–2014 | 47 | 2360 | 14 | 19 | 4 | 94 | 3 | .917 | 2.39 |
Rasmus Tirronen | 2011–2015 | 68 | 3893 | 22 | 34 | 8 | 159 | 3 | .918 | 2.45 |
Joe Cannata | 2008–2012 | 122 | 7145 | 59 | 46 | 16 | 294 | 7 | .915 | 2.47 |
Collin Delia | 2014–2017 | 56 | 3240 | 21 | 24 | 10 | 134 | 4 | .911 | 2.48 |
Statistics current through the end of the 2022–23 season.
As of September 26, 2023. [9]
No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 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 | Christian Felton | Senior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2000-02-04 | Medina, Ohio | Bentley ( AHA ) | — | |
4 | Mike Brown | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 2001-04-03 | Belmont, Massachusetts | Youngstown ( USHL ) | — | |
5 | Trevor Griebel | Sophomore | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 2001-03-07 | Tampa, Florida | Fargo ( USHL ) | — | |
7 | Max Wattvil | Freshman | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2002-08-11 | Stockholm, Sweden | Minnesota ( NAHL ) | — | |
8 | Liam Dennison | Graduate | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 1999-02-07 | Manotick, Ontario | Youngstown ( USHL ) | — | |
9 | Brady Hunter | Freshman | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 174 lb (79 kg) | 2002-07-27 | Enfield, Nova Scotia | Trail ( BCHL ) | — | |
10 | Mark Hillier | Junior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2002-03-18 | Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador | Summerside ( MHL ) | — | |
11 | Devlin O'Brien | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2002-04-05 | Toronto, Ontario | Penticton ( BCHL ) | — | |
13 | Chase Stevenson | Graduate | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1999-01-13 | West Kelowna, British Columbia | New Hampshire ( HEA ) | — | |
14 | Tyler Young | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2001-05-08 | Lancaster, Massachusetts | Maryland ( NAHL ) | — | |
15 | Mark Gallant | Graduate | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 2000-05-01 | Concord, Massachusetts | Dartmouth ( ECAC ) | — | |
16 | Nikita Borodayenko | Sophomore | F | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 2002-06-17 | Dmitrov, Russia | Dubuque ( USHL ) | — | |
17 | Mac Welsher | Graduate | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 1999-04-24 | Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan | Des Moines ( USHL ) | — | |
18 | Ben Brar | Graduate | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1998-11-19 | Abbotsford, British Columbia | Prince George ( BCHL ) | — | |
19 | 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 | Ethan Bono | Freshman | F | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 201 lb (91 kg) | 2004-01-15 | Port McNeill, British Columbia | Alberni Valley ( BCHL ) | — | |
21 | 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 | Michael Citara | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 2002-04-22 | New Hope, Pennsylvania | Providence ( HEA ) | — | |
23 | Frank Djurasevic | Freshman | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 2002-03-09 | New Rochelle, New York | Penticton ( BCHL ) | — | |
24 | David Sacco | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 194 lb (88 kg) | 2002-01-03 | Middleton, Massachusetts | Alberni Valley ( BCHL ) | — | |
25 | Luke Weilandt | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | 2002-04-04 | Northbrook, Illinois | Wenatchee ( BCHL ) | — | |
26 | Ivan Zivlak | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2002-08-08 | Gislaved, Sweden | Linköping J20 (J20 Nationell) | — | |
27 | Adam Arvedson | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 169 lb (77 kg) | 2001-08-30 | Karlstad, Sweden | Färjestad (J20 Nationell) | — | |
28 | Filip Forsmark | Graduate | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | 1998-06-23 | Skövde, Sweden | Tri-City ( USHL ) | — | |
29 | Zachary Borgiel | Senior | G | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 2000-04-27 | Fort Gratiot, Michigan | Cowichan Valley ( BCHL ) | — | |
37 | Zach Bookman | Sophomore | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 2002-03-29 | Syracuse, New York | Brooks ( AJHL ) | — | |
43 | Ty Daneault | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 2004-12-20 | Red Deer, Alberta | Drumheller ( AJHL ) | — | |
This is a list of Merrimack alumni were a part of an Olympic team.
Name | Position | Merrimack Tenure | Team | Year | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Karl Stollery | Defenseman | 2008–2012 | CAN | 2018 | Bronze |
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]
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