Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey


The Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association 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.

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.
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.
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.
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. 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.
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

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2019–20 season

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual Awards

Tim Taylor Award
AHCA Second Team All-Americans

Individual Awards

Rookie of the Year
Three-Stars Award
Goaltending Champion
Coach of the Year
First Team All-Hockey East
Second Team All-Hockey East
Third Team All-Hockey East
Hockey East All-Rookie Team

Career points leaders

PlayerYearsGPGAPtsPIM
1984–1988140110134244
1985–1989124103128231
1972–1976124113111224
1977–1981138102119221
1976–198014099121220
2005–200913694108202
1985–198913684100184
1976–19801329091181
1972–19751028196177
1986–19901447789166

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
PlayerYearsGPMinWLTGASOSV%GAA
2010–201447236014194943.9172.39
2011–2015683893223481593.9182.45
2008–201212271455946162947.9152.47
2014–20175632402124101344.9112.48
2015–Present442416122261111.9022.76

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

Current roster

As of January 1, 2020.

Warriors in the NHL

PlayerPositionTeamYearsStanley Cup|
Greg ClassenCenterNSH2000–20030
Brett SeneyLeft WingNJD2018–present0
Mark CornforthDefensemanBOS1995–19960
Stéphane Da CostaCenterOTT2010–20140
Collin DeliaGoaltenderCHI2017–Present0
Matt FoyRight WingMIN2005–20080
Jim HrivnakGoaltenderWSH, WIN, STL1989–19940
John JakopinDefensemanFLA, PIT, SJS1997–20030
Bob JayDefensemanLAK1993–19940
Steve McKennaDefensemanLAK, MIN, PIT, NYR1996–20040
Darrel ScovilleDefensemanCGY, CBJ1999–20040
Karl StolleryDefensemanCOL, SJS, NJD2013–20170
Jim VeseyCenterSTL, BOS1988–19920