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Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey
Hockey current event Current season
Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey athletic logo
University Merrimack College
Conference Hockey East
Head coach Scott Borek
3rd season, 16–46–6 (.279)
Captain(s) Tyler Irvine
Sami Tavernier
Chase Gresock
Arena J. Thom Lawler Rink
Capacity: 2,549
Surface: 200' x 85'
Location North Andover, Massachusetts
Colors Blue and Gold[1]
         
NCAA Tournament championships
1978 (DII)
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
1978 (DII), 1984 (DII)
NCAA Tournament appearances
1978 (DII), 1984 (DII), 1988, 2011
Current uniform
HE-Uniform-MC

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]

John Leahy serves as the team's play by play announcer.

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[7][]

All-time coaching records[]

As of the completion of 2019–20 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 2 16–46–6 .279
Totals 7 coaches 64 seasons 886–958–135 .482

Awards and honors[]

NCAA[]

Individual Awards[]

Tim Taylor Award

All-American Teams[]

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

Hockey East[]

Individual Awards[]

Rookie of the Year

Three-Stars Award

Goaltending Champion

Coach of the Year

All-Conference Teams[]

First Team All-Hockey East

Second Team All-Hockey East

Third Team All-Hockey East

Hockey East All-Rookie Team

Statistical Leaders[8][]

Career points leaders[]

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Vesey, JimJim Vesey 1984–1988 140 110 134 244
Pion, RichardRichard Pion 1985–1989 124 103 128 231
Reynolds, MikeMike Reynolds 1972–1976 124 113 111 224
Lawler, TomTom Lawler 1977–1981 138 102 119 221
Toomey, JimJim Toomey 1976–1980 140 99 121 220
Rego, MickeyMickey Rego 2005–2009 136 94 108 202
Ziliotto, MarkMark Ziliotto 1985–1989 136 84 100 184
Magnuson, BobBob Magnuson 1976–1980 132 90 91 181
Dunn, BillyBilly Dunn 1972–1975 102 81 96 177
Heinze, AndyAndy 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
Marotta, SamSam Marotta 2010–2014 47 2360 14 19 4 94 3 .917 2.39
Tirronen, RasmusRasmus Tirronen 2011–2015 68 3893 22 34 8 159 3 .918 2.45
Cannata, JoeJoe Cannata 2008–2012 122 7145 59 46 16 294 7 .915 2.47
Delia, CollinCollin Delia 2014–2017 56 3240 21 24 10 134 4 .911 2.48
Vogler, DrewDrew Vogler 2015–Present 44 2416 12 22 6 111 1 .902 2.76

Statistics current through the start of the 2018-19 season.

Current roster[]

As of September 8, 2020.[9]

# S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Flag of Finland Huhtamaa, JereJere Huhtamaa Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-04-10 Helsinki, Finland Jokerit U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga)
2 Flag of Massachusetts Holway, PatrickPatrick Holway Senior D 6' 5" (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1996-10-01 Cohasset, Massachusetts Maine (HEA) DET, 170th overall 2015
3 Flag of Michigan Carlile, DeclanDeclan Carlile Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-05-18 Hartland, Michigan Muskegon (USHL)
4 Flag of Massachusetts Lovett, ConorConor Lovett Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-04-07 Franklin, Massachusetts Lawrence Academy (USHS–MA)
5 Flag of California Modry, JacobJacob Modry Sophomore D 6' 5" (1.96 m) 212 lb (96 kg) 1999-01-23 El Segundo, California Wenatchee (BCHL)
6 Flag of Alberta Vinnell, ZachZach Vinnell Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-04-03 Cochrane, Alberta Camrose (AJHL)
7 Flag of Ontario Uens, ZachZach Uens Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-05-13 Belleville, Ontario Wellington (OJHL) FLA, 105th overall 2020
8 Flag of Ontario Dennison, LiamLiam Dennison Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-02-07 Manotick, Ontario Youngstown (USHL)
9 Flag of Pennsylvania Walsh, LiamLiam Walsh Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-07-14 Bridgeville, Pennsylvania Cedar Rapids (USHL)
11 Flag of Wisconsin Messner, MickMick Messner Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1999-04-20 Madison, Wisconsin Wisconsin (Big Ten)
12 Flag of Pennsylvania Seyfert, JordanJordan Seyfert Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-04-03 Annville, Pennsylvania Fargo (USHL)
13 Flag of Ohio Gresock, ChaseChase Gresock (C) Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-08-13 Powell, Ohio Youngstown (USHL)
14 Flag of Massachusetts Kramer, PatrickPatrick Kramer F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-03-06 Bridgewater, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL)
15 Flag of Sweden Esselin, HugoHugo Esselin Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-07-15 Stockholm, Sweden Djurgårdens J20 (J20 SuperElit)
16 Flag of Ontario Kimens, ReganRegan Kimens Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-03-28 Vaughan, Ontario Coquitlam (BCHL)
17 Flag of Michigan Welsher, MacMac Welsher Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-04-24 Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Des Moines (USHL)
18 Flag of British Columbia Brar, BenBen Brar Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1998-11-19 Abbotsford, British Columbia Prince George (BCHL)
19 Flag of Massachusetts Jefferies, AlexAlex Jefferies Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-11-08 Lunenburg, Massachusetts The Gunnery (USHS–CT) NYI, 121st overall 2020
20 Flag of Ontario Lee, JakobJakob Lee Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1999-02-12 Owen Sound, Ontario Brooks (AJHL)
21 Flag of Massachusetts Simeone, ChristianChristian Simeone Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1997-02-12 Milton, Massachusetts Alberni Valley (BCHL)
22 Flag of Massachusetts Drevitch, LoganLogan Drevitch Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-04-14 Middleborough, Massachusetts Boston Bandits (NCDC)
23 Flag of Florida Sadovski, KevinKevin Sadovski Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-07-06 Palm Coast, Florida Utica (NCDC)
24 Flag of Illinois Nolan, RyanRyan Nolan Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998-07-14 Winnetka, Illinois Victoria (BCHL)
25 Flag of Sweden Karlsson-Tägtström, FilipFilip Karlsson-Tägtström Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1999-07-14 Stockholm, Sweden Sioux Falls (USHL)
26 Flag of Saskatchewan Heidt, TylerTyler Heidt Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-11-07 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Melfort (SJHL)
27 Flag of New York Dockery, DominicDominic Dockery Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-01-02 Lockport, New York Youngstown (USHL)
28 Flag of Sweden Forsmark, FilipFilip Forsmark Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-23 Skövde, Sweden Tri-City (USHL)
29 Flag of Michigan Borgiel, ZacharyZachary Borgiel Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-04-27 Fort Gratiot, Michigan Cowichan Valley (BCHL)
30 Flag of New Jersey Kobryn, TroyTroy Kobryn Sophomore G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-02-14 Hillsborough, New Jersey Cedar Rapids (USHL)
31 Flag of Massachusetts Corcoran, JamesJames Corcoran Sophomore G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-02-23 Walpole, Massachusetts Winchendon (USHS–MA)

Warriors in the NHL[]

Merrimack Warriors

Player Position Team(s) Years Stanley Cups
Greg Classen Center NSH 2000–2003 0
Brett Seney Left Wing NJD 2018–present 0
Mark Cornforth Defenseman BOS 1995–1996 0
Stéphane Da Costa Center OTT 2010–2014 0
Collin Delia Goaltender CHI 2017–Present 0
Matt Foy Right Wing MIN 2005–2008 0
Jim Hrivnak Goaltender WSH, WIN, STL 1989–1994 0
John Jakopin Defenseman FLA, PIT, SJS 1997–2003 0
Bob Jay Defenseman LAK 1993–1994 0
Steve McKenna Defenseman LAK, MIN, PIT, NYR 1996–2004 0
Darrel Scoville Defenseman CGY, CBJ 1999–2004 0
Karl Stollery Defenseman COL, SJS, NJD 2013–2017 0
Jim Vesey Center STL, BOS 1988–1992 0

References[]

  1. Merrimack College Brand Guidelines. Retrieved on February 22, 2017.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Buckley, Steve. "Merrimack foundation... rock solid", February 13, 2011. 
  3. Warrior Hockey.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Powers, John. "New ice age dawns at Merrimack", March 10, 2011. 
  5. Merrimack Men's Hockey Team History. USCHO.com.
  6. [warriorhockey.org/history warriorhockey.org/history].
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Merrimack Warriors men's Hockey 2018-19 Year-By-Year Results", Merrimack Warriors. 
  8. "Merrimack men's Hockey 2018-19 Record Book without Year-By-Year", Merrimack Warriors. 
  9. 2020–21 Merrimack College Men's Ice Hockey Roster. Merrimack Warriors.

External links[]

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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