# Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey

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.

## 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.
In the 1964 the warriors joined the ECAC 2 conference. After the 1964-65 season the Warriors hired J Thom Lawler as their new head coach. From there Lawler lead the warriors to great success in the late 1960s winning back to back ECAC 2 tournament championships in 1967 and 1968. They also won the regular season Titles in 1968 and 1969.
They were very successful in the 1970s and 1980s still Lead by coach J Thom Lawler from 1973-1978 they had 5 straight seasons of 20 or more wins. Which resulted in 2 more ECAC 2 regular season titles in 1975 and 1976 as wells as their third tournament title in 1975. The warriors won the division II national title in 1978 beating Lake Forest 12-2. Tragically just two months after winning the tournament head coach Lawler passed away after suffering from an heart attack. Bruce Parker was named as the new head coach and lead the warriors to the division II frozen four in 1980 and 1982. Coach Ron Anderson took over the program during the 1983-84 season. In just his first year he took the warriors all the way to the 1984 division II national championship where they became runners up. For the next 5 seasons they became a concurrent NCAA Division I independent and a ECAC East member. During this time the warriors seen even more success. Winning the ECAC East regular season and tournament championships three years in a row in 1987, 1988 and 1989. They also boasted a program best 34 wins during the 1987-1988 season. Which led to them getting their first bid at the NCAA DI Tournament. This was the first time an Independent program had been invited to the tournament sense 1960. The warriors faced the Hockey east champions Northeastern in the first round. They lost the first game 5-3 but routed the huskies in the second game 7-3 which gave them the series win 10-7 on aggregate. The Warriors went on to play Lake Superior in the quarterfinal’s. Where their season ultimately came to an end as they as they lost on aggregate 5-8. This was the deepest run the Warriors have made in the D1 tournament. Warriors player Jimmy Vesey was named Division II Hobey Baker Award winner in 1988 after having a 95 point season with 40 goals and 55 assists. Merrimack did not play a schedule against predominantly Division I teams until they joined the Hockey East conference in 1989.
Still 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 Warriors made it all the way to the 2011 hockey east championship but fell to Boston college 5-3.
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. After a couple of unsuccessful seasons under Borek things started to change for him and the warriors. During the 2021-22 season the warriors had there first winning season in nearly 10 years going 19-15-1. They kept this momentum going during following year in 2022-23 season. As Borek lead the warriors to a 23-14-1 record. They were ranked in the top 20 for most and finished 2nd in hockey east. This gave them a first round by in the 2023 Hockey east Tournament. They played Boston college in the quarterfinals and won 1-0 in double overtime advancing to the semifinals in the TD garden. Where they would face bitter rival Umass Lowell. The warriors would once again win in double overtime 2-1. but after making it to the championship game they fell to Boston university 2-1 in overtime. But the warriors season was not over yet as they got a at large bid to the 2023 NCAA tournament as the 14th seed. This was the third time the warriors had made the D1 tournament. They faced Quinnipiac in the first round and lost 5-0.

## Season-by-season results

Source:

## Championships
### National Championships

| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up | City |
| 1978 | Merrimack College | 12-2 | Lake Forest | Springfield Massachusetts |
Runners-up in 1984.

### ECAC 2 Tournament championships

| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
| 1967 | Merrimack College | 6-4 | Colby |
| 1968 | Merrimack College | 5-4 | Hamilton |
| 1977 | Merrimack College | 6-4 | Union |
| 1980 | Merrimack College | 4-0 | UMass Lowell |
Runners-up in 1966, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982
(in 1978 the ECAC 2 spilt into east and a West conferences)

### ECAC 2 regular-season championships

| Year | Conference record | Overall record | Coach |
| 1967-68 | 10-1 | 18-8 | J Thom Lawler |
| 1968-69 | 7-2 | 8-13 | J Thom Lawler |
| 1974-75 | 22-2-1 | 23-8-1 | J Thom Lawler |
| 1975-76 | 21-2 | 24-7 | J Thom Lawler |

### ECAC East Tournament championships

| Year | Champion | Score | Runner-up |
| 1987 | Merrimack College | 3-0 | Babson |
| 1988 | Merrimack College | 4-1 | Bowdion |
| 1989 | Merrimack College | 9-4 | Bodion |
Runners-up in 1966, 1976, 1978, 1981, 1982

### ECAC East regular-season championships

| Year | Conference record | Overall record | Coach |
| 1986-87 | 22-2 | 29-7 | Ron Anderson |
| 1987-88 | 22-0 | 34-6 | Ron Anderson |
| 1988-89 | 14-2 | 27-7 | Ron Anderson |

#### In-season tournament and event championships

* Codfish Bowl (2): Seasons 1970-71 1975-76
* Merrimack Christmas Tournament (3): Seasons 1971-72, 1973-74, 1977-78
* Bishop's University Tournament (1): Seasons 1973-73
* Merrimack invitational (1): Seasons 1974-75
* Lowell Thanksgiving Tournament (2): Seasons 1974-75, 1975-76
* Skate 3 tournament (1): Seasons 1976-77
* Merrimack Thanksgiving Tournament (4): Seasons 1977-78, 1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83
* Oswego Classic (1): Seasons 1979-80
* Blue Gold tournament (3): Seasons 1979-80, 1981-82, 1983-84
* National Capital Hockey Tournament (1): Seasons 1993-94
* Rensselaer Holiday Tournament (1): Seasons 2002-03
* Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Pot (1): Seasons 2004-05
* Turkey Leg Classic (1): Seasons 2023-24

## All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2023–24 season
| 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 | 7 | 89–124–12 | .422 |
| Totals | 7 coaches | 68 seasons | 956–1040–141 | .480 |

## Awards and honors
### NCAA
#### Individual awards

NCAA Division II tournament Most Outstanding player
* Jim Toomey, F: 1978
Division II-III Hobey Baker award
* Jim Vesey, F: 1988

#### All-American Teams

AHCA Second Team All-Americans
* 1998–99: Rejean Stringer, F
* 2010–11: Stéphane Da Costa, F
* 2011–12: Joe Cannata, G
* 2012–13: Mike Collins, F
* 2022–23: Alex Jefferies, F

### Hockey East
#### All-Conference teams

First Team
* 1994–95: Martin Legault, G
* 1996–97: Martin Legault, G
* 2011–12: Joe Cannata, G
* 2012–13: Mike Collins, F
* 2022–23: Alex Jefferies, F
Second Team
* 1998–99: Rejean Stringer, F
* 2000–01: Anthony Aquino, F
* 2002–03: Joe Exter, G
* 2004–05: Bryan Schmidt, D
* 2009–10: Stéphane Da Costa, D
* 2010–11: Stéphane Da Costa, D
* 2011–12: Karl Stollery, D
* 2012–13: Jordan Heywood, D
* 2021–22: Declan Carlile, D
Third Team
* 2016–17: Collin Delia, G
* 2017–18: Brett Seney, F
* 2022–23: Hugo Ollas, G
Rookie Team
* 1992–93: Mark Goble, F
* 1993–94: John Jakopin, F
* 1994–95: Casey Kesselring, F
* 1995–96: Darrel Scoville, D
* 1998–99: Greg Classen, F
* 1999–00: Anthony Aquino, F
* 2000–01: Joe Exter, G
* 2002–03: Bryan Schmidt, D
* 2003–04: Jim Healey, G
* 2005–06: Rob Ricci, F
* 2008–09: Karl Stollery, D
* 2009–10: Stéphane Da Costa, F
* 2010–11: Mike Collins, F
* 2018–19: Chase Gresock, F
* 2019–20: Declan Carlile, D
* 2020–21: Alex Jefferies, F
D2 All Americans
* 1972-73: Mark Petit, D
* 1974-75: Billy Dunn, F
* 1975-76: Mike Reynolds’s, F
* 1976-77: Paul Dunn, F
* 1978-79: Bob Magnuson, D
* 1979-80: Dean Fraser, F
* 1979-80: Tom Lawler, F
* 1980-81: Tom Lawler, F
* 1985-86: Jim Vesey, F
* 1986-87: Bob Fowler, D
* 1986-87: Jim Hrivnak, G
* 1986-87: Mike Boyce, D
* 1986-87: Jim Vesey, F
* 1987-88: Jim Vesey, F
* 1987-88: Mike Boyce, D
* 1987-88 Jim Hrivnak, G

## Statistical Leaders

Source:

### Career points leaders

| Player | Years | GP | G | A | Pts |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Hugo Ollas | 2021–2024 | 62 | 3319 | 27 | 27 | 0 | 82 | 6 | .914 | 2.48 |
| Collin Delia | 2014–2017 | 56 | 3240 | 21 | 24 | 10 | 134 | 4 | .911 | 2.48 |
Statistics current through the end of the 2023–24 season.

## Merrimack athletic hall of fame

The following is a list of people associated with the Merrimack men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Merrimack college Athletic Hall of Fame (induction date in parentheses)
* Dave Pollard (1984)
* J. Thom Lawler (1984)
* Paul Thabault (1984)
* Mike Reynolds (1984)
* Peter Melchiono (1985)
* Jim Reynolds (1985)
* Mark Petit (1985)
* Paul Dunn (1986)
* Bill Dunn (1986)
* John Twomey (1989)
* Thomas Keeling (1991)
* Gilles Moffet (1991)
* James Toomey (1993)
* Robert C. Magnuson Jr. (1993)
* Jim Vesey (2003)
* Michael Boyce (2004)
* Jim Hrivnak (2018)
* Richard Pion (2023)
* Ron Anderson (2023)

## Lawler Arena

Merrimack Plays its home games at Lawler Arena. Which is located in the Merrimack athletic complex in North Andover Massachusetts. The rink is named after former warriors coach J. Thom Lawler who led the warriors to a division II national championship in 1978. It has a capacity of 2,549 making it the smallest arena in hockey east. In 2023 the arena seen new renovations adding a new video board and the all new Gallant Pavilion.

## Current roster

As of September 7, 2024.

## Olympians

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 |

## Warriors in the NHL

As of February 7, 2025.
| Player | Position | Team(s) | Years | Games | Stanley Cups |
| Declan Carlile | Defenseman | TBL | 2023–Present | 4 | 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 | 2017–2023 | 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, NJD | 2021–Present | 199 | 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 | 66 | 0 |
| Karl Stollery | Defenseman | COL, SJS, NJD | 2013–2017 | 23 | 0 |
| Jim Vesey | Center | STL, BOS | 1988–1992 | 15 | 0 |
* Stéphane Da Costa
* Karl Stollery
Source:

## NHL Entry Draft Selections

As of May 17, 2024.
| Player | Position | Draft Year | Selection | Team |
| Bob Magnuson | Forward | 1978 | Round 14 Pick 230 | Montreal Canadians |
| Jim Vesey | Center | 1984 | Round 8 Pick 155 | St Louis Blues |
| Mark Ziliotto | Forward | 1984 | Round 12 Pick 230 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Chris Kiene | Defenceman | 1984 | Round 12 Pick 231 | New Jersey Devils |
| Doug Greschuk | Defenceman | 1985 | Round 11 Pick 212 | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Jim Hrivnak | Goalie | 1986 | Round 3 Pick 61 | Washington Capitals |
| Robert Kelley | Left Wing | 1987 | Round 7 Pick 143 | Montreal Canadians |
| Sean Dooley | Defenceman | 1987 | Round 8 Pick 148 | Buffalo Sabers |
| Alex Weinrich | Defenceman | 1987 | Round 12 Pick 238 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| Ben Lebeau | Forward | 1988 | Round 5 Pick 101 | Winnipeg Jets |
| Matt Hentges | Defenceman | 1988 | Round 9 Pick 194 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Mike Doneghey | Defenceman | 1989 | Round 12 Pick 237 | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Dan Hodge | Defencemen | 1991 | Round 9 Pick 194 | Boston Bruins |
| John Jakopin | Defenceman | 1993 | Round 4 Pick 97 | Detroit Red Wings |
| Gaetan Poirier | Left Wing | 1996 | Round 6 Pick 156 | Florida Panthers |
| Marco Rosa | Center | 2001 | Round 8 Pick 255 | Dallas Stars |
| Anthony Aquino | Forward | 2001 | Round 3 Pick 92 | Dallas Stars |
| Matt Foy | Forward | 2002 | Round 6 Pick 175 | Minnesota Wild |
| Kyle Bigos | Defenceman | 2009 | Round 4 Pick 99 | Edmonton Oilers |
| Joe Cannata | Goalie | 2009 | Round 6 Pick 173 | Vancouver Canucks |
| Chris LeBlanc | Forward | 2013 | Round 6 Pick 161 | Ottawa Senators |
| Brent Seney | Left Wing | 2015 | Round 6 Pick 157 | New Jersey Devils |
| Patrick Holway | Defenceman | 2015 | Round 6 Pick 170 | Detroit Red Wings |
| Johnathan Kovacevic | Defencemen | 2017 | Round 3 Pick 74 | Winnipeg Jets |
| Zachary Uens | Defencemen | 2020 | Round 4 Pick 105 | Florida Panthers |
| Alex Jeffries | Left Wing | 2020 | Round 4 Pick 121 | New York Islanders |
| Hugo Ollas | Goalie | 2020 | Round 7 Pick 197 | New York Rangers |
| Matt Copponi | Center | 2023 | Round 7 Pick 216 | Edmonton Oilers |