2021–22 Merrimack Warriors men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2021–22 Merrimack Warriors Men's ice hockey season was the 67th season of play for the program, the 33rd at the Division I level, and the 33rd season in the Hockey East conference. The Warriors represented Merrimack College and were coached by Scott Borek , in his 4th season.
Season
Merrimack entered the season having posted losing records in each of the previous nine seasons. Early in the season it appeared that trend would continue when the Warriors lost four consecutive games and then turned to a freshman goaltender to try and salvage their season. Hugo Ollas had a bit of a rough go at first, but he helped stabilize the back end for Merrimack and enabled the team to play .500 hockey in November and December.
While their record was still under water, the team had a bigger problem to contend with after returning from the winter break. A pair of games against Clarkson and St. Lawrence were cancelled due to COVID-19 .[ 1] Bentley was swiftly added to the schedule and kicked off a 5-game winning streak that saw Merrimack score four victories over ranked teams.
The quality wins earned the Warriors the first appearance in the national rankings in years and made it possible for their supporters to hope for a tournament bid. Their time in the top 20 was short-lived and Merrick lost their very next game. The team flirted with the rankings for most of the remainder of the season, but sweep at the hands of Northeastern in the regular season finale ended any chance of an at-large bid.
Entering the postseason, Merrimack knew they would likely have to win the Hockey East championship in order to make the NCAA tournament. After a solid win over Maine in the opening round, the Warriors travelled to Lowell to take on the River Hawks. Despite outshooting their opponents, Ollas and Borgiel combined to allow 7 goals and the Warriors were drubbed out of contention. Regardless of the sour end, this was the most successful season for the program in a decade and was Scott Borek 's best season behind the bench since 1997 .
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Adam Arvedson
Defenseman
Sweden 20
Karlstad, SWE
Colby Bukes
Defenseman
United States 22
Littleton, CO ; transfer from Minnesota State
Matt Copponi
Forward
United States 18
Mansfield, MA
Jake Durflinger
Forward
United States 23
Walnut Creek, CA ; graduate transfer from Denver
Christian Felton
Defenseman
United States 21
Medina, OH ; transfer from Bentley
Mark Hillier
Forward
Canada 19
Labrador City, NL
Steven Jandric
Forward
Canada 24
Prince George, BC ; graduate transfer from Denver
Devlin O'Brien
Forward
Canada 19
Palm Coast, FL
Hugo Ollas Goaltender
Sweden 19
Linköping, SWE ; selected 197th overall in 2020
Ivan Zivlak
Defenseman
Sweden 19
Gislaved, SWE
Roster
As of August 24, 2021.[ 2]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Hugo Ollas Freshman
G 6' 8" (2.03 m)
238 lb (108 kg)
2002-04-24
Linköping, Sweden Linköping J20 (J20 Nationell )NYR 2020
2
Christian Felton Sophomore
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-02-04
Medina, Ohio Bentley (AHA —
3
Declan Carlile A Junior
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
2000-05-18
Hartland, Michigan Muskegon (USHL —
4
Mike Brown Freshman
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
209 lb (95 kg)
2001-04-03
Belmont, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL —
5
Kevin Sadovski Sophomore
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-07-06
Palm Coast, Florida Utica (NCDC )
—
6
Zach Vinnell Junior
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1998-04-03
Cochrane, Alberta Camrose (AJHL —
7
Zach Uens Junior
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2001-05-13
Belleville, Ontario Wellington (OJHL FLA 2020
8
Liam Dennison Junior
D 5' 9" (1.75 m)
172 lb (78 kg)
1999-02-07
Manotick, Ontario Youngstown (USHL —
9
Liam Walsh A Junior
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
191 lb (87 kg)
1999-07-14
Bridgeville, Pennsylvania Cedar Rapids (USHL —
10
Max Newton C Graduate
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-11-14
Vancouver, British Columbia Alaska (WCHA —
11
Mick Messner Senior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
1999-04-20
Madison, Wisconsin Wisconsin (Big Ten —
12
Jordan Seyfert Senior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
179 lb (81 kg)
1999-04-03
Annville, Pennsylvania Fargo (USHL —
13
Steven Jandric Graduate
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-08-18
Prince George, British Columbia Denver (NCHC —
14
Jake Durflinger Graduate
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1997-10-06
Walnut Creek, California Denver (NCHC —
15
Hugo Esselin Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
199 lb (90 kg)
2000-07-15
Stockholm, Sweden Djurgårdens J20 (J20 SuperElit —
16
Regan Kimens Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
192 lb (87 kg)
1999-03-28
Vaughan, Ontario Coquitlam (BCHL —
17
Mac Welsher Junior
F 5' 8" (1.73 m)
182 lb (83 kg)
1999-04-24
Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Des Moines (USHL —
18
Ben Brar Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
193 lb (88 kg)
1998-11-19
Abbotsford, British Columbia Prince George (BCHL —
19
Alex Jefferies Sophomore
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
199 lb (90 kg)
2001-11-08
Lunenburg, Massachusetts The Gunnery (USHS–CT NYI 2020
20
Mark Hillier Freshman
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2002-03-18
Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador Summerside (MHL —
21
Matt Copponi Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
161 lb (73 kg)
2003-06-04
Mansfield, Massachusetts Dexter Southfield (USHS–MA —
22
Logan Drevitch A Senior
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
168 lb (76 kg)
1998-04-14
Middleborough, Massachusetts Boston Bandits (NCDC )—
23
Devlin O'Brien Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2002-04-05
Toronto, Ontario Penticton (BCHL —
24
Ryan Nolan Junior
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
1998-07-14
Winnetka, Illinois Victoria (BCHL —
25
Filip Karlsson-Tägtström Sophomore
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
1999-07-14
Stockholm, Sweden Sioux Falls (USHL —
26
Ivan Zivlak Freshman
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
179 lb (81 kg)
2002-08-08
Gislaved, Sweden Linköping J20 (J20 Nationell )—
27
Adam Arvedson Freshman
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
176 lb (80 kg)
2001-08-30
Karlstad, Sweden Färjestad (J20 Nationell )—
28
Filip Forsmark Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
166 lb (75 kg)
1998-06-23
Skövde, Sweden Tri-City (USHL —
29
Zachary Borgiel Sophomore
G 6' 2" (1.88 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
2000-04-27
Fort Gratiot, Michigan Cowichan Valley (BCHL —
30
Troy Kobryn Junior
G 6' 0" (1.83 m)
198 lb (90 kg)
1999-02-14
Hillsborough, New Jersey Cedar Rapids (USHL —
Standings
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular Season
October 7
7:00 PM
at #11 Providence
Schneider Arena • Providence , Rhode Island NESN
Borgiel
L 2–5 2,587
0–1–0 (0–1–0)
October 9
7:00 PM
Sacred Heart *
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
W 4–2 1,152
1–1–0
October 15
7:00 PM
at Colgate *
Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton , New York
Ollas
L 1–2 OT
917
1–2–0
October 16
4:00 PM
at Colgate *
Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton , New York
Borgiel
W 5–3 614
2–2–0
October 22
7:00 PM
at #16 Boston University
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
W 3–2 2,174
3–2–0 (1–1–0)
October 23
7:00 PM
at #16 Boston University
Agganis Arena • Boston , Massachusetts
Kobryn
L 6–8 5,339
3–3–0 (1–2–0)
October 29
7:00 PM
#12 Massachusetts
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts NESN+
Borgiel
L 4–5 OT
3,477
3–4–0 (1–3–0)
October 30
7:00 PM
at #12 Massachusetts
Mullins Center • Amherst , Massachusetts
Borgiel
L 1–2 2,083
3–5–0 (1–4–0)
November 5
7:00 PM
#14 Boston College
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
L 4–1 2,314
3–6–0 (1–5–0)
November 6
4:00 PM
at #14 Boston College
Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill , Massachusetts
Ollas
W 4–3 4,246
4–6–0 (2–5–0)
November 12
7:30 PM
at Maine
Alfond Arena • Orono , Maine
Ollas
L 5–6 OT
3,007
4–7–0 (2–6–0)
November 13
7:30 PM
at Maine
Alfond Arena • Orono , Maine
Borgiel
W 2–0 3,189
5–7–0 (3–6–0)
November 23
7:00 PM
at Holy Cross *
Hart Center • Worcester , Massachusetts
Ollas
W 3–2 214
6–7–0
November 27
4:00 PM
Union *
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Ollas
L 2–3 1,746
6–8–0
December 9
7:00 PM
#12 Massachusetts
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
L 2–3 2,122
6–9–0 (3–7–0)
December 12
3:00 PM
USNTDP
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts (Exhibition)
W 8–2
December 17
7:00 PM
Dartmouth *
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
T 2–2 OT
1,022
6–9–1
January 2
4:00 PM
Brown *
Meehan Auditorium • Providence , Rhode Island
Ollas
W 7–1 160
7–9–1
January 3
6:00 PM
at #10 Massachusetts *
Mullins Center • Amherst , Massachusetts
Borgiel
L 3–4 OT
529
7–10–1
January 8
7:00 PM
Bentley *
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Ollas
W 4–1 1,093
8–10–1
January 14
7:00 PM
#17 Providence
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Ollas
W 3–2 1,587
9–10–1 (4–7–0)
January 15
5:30 PM
at #17 Providence
Schneider Arena • Providence , Rhode Island
Borgiel
W 2–1 2,128
10–10–1 (5–7–0)
January 21
7:00 PM
#10 Massachusetts Lowell
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Ollas
W 3–1 2,471
11–10–1 (6–7–0)
January 22
6:05 PM
at #10 Massachusetts Lowell
Tsongas Center • Lowell , Massachusetts
Borgiel
W 3–2 5,471
12–10–1 (7–7–0)
January 25
7:05 PM
at Connecticut
#19
XL Center • Hartford , Connecticut
Ollas
L 2–3 2,429
12–11–1 (7–8–0)
February 4
7:00 PM
New Hampshire
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
W 5–2 2,177
13–11–1 (8–8–0)
February 5
7:00 PM
Maine
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Ollas
W 5–0 2,215
14–11–1 (9–8–0)
February 8
7:00 PM
Connecticut
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
L 2–6 1,953
14–12–1 (9–9–0)
February 13
1:05 PM
at Vermont
Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont
Ollas
W 4–1 2,158
15–12–1 (10–9–0)
February 18
7:00 PM
Vermont
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Ollas
W 3–2 1,873
16–12–1 (11–9–0)
February 19
7:30 PM
Vermont
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
W 3–2 1,689
17–12–1 (12–9–0)
February 26
7:00 PM
at New Hampshire
Whittemore Center • Durham , New Hampshire
Borgiel
W 4–3 5,348
18–12–1 (13–9–0)
March 4
7:00 PM
#13 Northeastern
Matthews Arena • Boston , Massachusetts
Borgiel
L 1–6 1,779
18–13–1 (13–10–0)
March 5
7:00 PM
#13 Northeastern
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover , Massachusetts
Borgiel
L 0–1 2,549
18–14–1 (13–11–0)
Hockey East Tournament
March 9
7:00 PM
Maine *
J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts
Ollas
W 6–2 2,549
19–14–1
March 12
7:00 PM
at #14 Massachusetts Lowell *
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts (Quarterfinals)
Ollas
L 2–7 5,782
19–15–1
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . [ 3]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Max Newton F 35
14
24
38 16
Steven Jandric LW 34
8
20
28 10
Filip Forsmark LW /RW 33
11
16
27 35
Liam Walsh LW 34
10
17
27 41
Declan Carlile D 35
7
17
24 8
Alex Jefferies LW 33
10
13
23 10
Ben Brar F 35
11
9
20 20
Zach Uens D 34
2
17
19 28
Zach Vinnell D 35
4
12
16 12
Logan Drevitch LW 35
5
8
13 18
Matt Copponi C 25
3
6
9 14
Jake Durflinger RW 34
3
6
9 18
Mac Welsher C 32
6
2
8 10
Jordan Seyfert C 20
2
6
8 2
Filip Karlsson-Tägtström C 18
3
4
7 2
Mick Messner LW 21
1
5
6 4
Christian Felton D 27
2
2
4 16
Adam Arvedson D 19
1
3
4 10
Hugo Esselin C 8
2
1
3 0
Regan Kimens LW 10
2
1
3 8
Mark Hillier G 13
1
2
3 2
Ryan Nolan G 15
1
2
3 6
Ivan Zivlak D 12
0
2
2 2
Liam Dennison D 32
0
2
2 10
Mike Brown D 21
0
1
1 6
Troy Kobryn G 2
0
0
0 0
Kevin Sadovski D 2
0
0
0 0
Devlin O'Brien LW 11
0
0
0 2
Hugo Ollas G 18
0
0
0 0
Zachary Borgiel G 20
0
0
0 4
Total
109
198
307
314
[ 4]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV % GAA
Hugo Ollas 18
964
10
6
0
36
414
1
.920
2.24
Zachary Borgiel 20
1087
9
8
1
55
448
1
.891
3.03
Troy Kobryn 2
47
0
1
0
4
20
0
.833
5.05
Empty Net
-
22
-
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
Total
35
2121
19
15
1
99
882
2
.899
2.80
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
19
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
-
NR
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24. [ 5]
Awards and honors
References
