Can Reigning Hockey East Champion Merrimack do the Spectacular Again? Season Preview

What Merrimack did at the end of last season was nothing short of spectacular. It was simply staggering watching the Warriors win their first ever Hockey East Tournament and finally reach the NCAA tournament.

Merrimack was a young and inexperienced team during the first half of the year, and the major bumps on the road proved that, but a second-half surge thanks to a combination of young energy and a calming veteran presence powered the Warriors past ninth-seeded UMass Lowell, and then the top three teams in the conference standings in order, first-place Providence, second-place UMass and third-place UConn en route to conference glory.

The biggest challenge, however, will be matching any of that during the 2026-27 season.

Thankfully, Merrimack’s personnel and roster maintenance won’t be a massive issue. Ninth-year head coach Scott Borek has 18 players returning from last year’s title run, including both Parker Lalonde and Justin Gill. The two sophomores finished on last season’s conference All-Rookie Team, and are returning to North Andover. Lalonde led the Warriors in points with 37, finishing fourth in Hockey East behind only James Hagens (Boston College), Josh Nadeau (Maine) and Brandon Holt (Maine). The Canadian also came up big in the championship run, tallying at least a point in all four elimination games.

Gill wasn’t far behind Lalonde with 35 points. The Quebec talent registered three points during the tournament run and was huge in the face-off dot, winning 62 percent of draws.

As he heads into his second season, Gill’s discipline will have to be a point of emphasis. The forward led the conference in penalties, and had multiple infractions in six games. His 43 minutes in the box in conference games tied Diego Buttazzoni (UMass Lowell) for the most in Hockey East, and his 71 minutes in all games was 11th nationally.

On top of all the young fire power, forwards Trevor Hoskin and Caelan Fitzpatrick both finished in the top 15 in the conference for points. Hoskin scored the dramatic overtime winner against Providence in the quarterfinals, and Fitzpatrick had the third-period goal to seal the championship against UConn. Both players now head into their junior years.

Despite the scoring brigade the Warriors will maintain, they lost easily their biggest piece on their historic run, that being goaltender Max Lundgren.

The Swedish netminder helped Merrimack become the only No. 8 seed to ever capture the Hockey East championship. The tournament MVP was the first goalie to get a shutout in the semifinals since Connor Hellebuyck. Lundgren broke the Merrimack single-season saves record (1,134), and played every single minute in net for the Warriors during the season. All those performances earned him an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins over the offseason.

Replacing him will practically be impossible, but Merrimack isn't short of options. Ryan Keyes is returning for his junior season, but he hasn’t appeared since the 2024-25 season. Freshman Charlie Durkin is heading to North Andover for his freshman campaign after posting a .904 save percentage in the USHL. It’s unclear who will separate from the rest of the pack as of now.

Defensively, Merrimack will have to improve after finishing third-to-last in goals allowed last season. The Warriors have returned important pieces including Nathan King, Seamus Powell and Cam Kungle, but a similar back-end performance with a new goaltender will make it increasingly difficult to repeat as champions.

Borek and his staff made a handful of freshman adds, bringing in mostly Canadian Hockey League recruits. Mavrick Lachance put up 30 points in the QMJHL last season, and Simon-Pier Brunet added 26 points as a defenseman. Connor Dale forward scored 55 points in the WHL for the Tri-City Americans.

Despite losing Lundgren, this Merrimack team proved all of last year that Borek built the roster to compete. If someone is able to step up in goal, expect the reigning Hockey East champions to remain in the thick of the conference race throughout the 2026-27 season.

Almost time for another Hockey Night in North Andover!!!

Introducing the schedule for the 2024-2025 season 〽️#GoMack x #MissionMerrimack pic.twitter.com/XJChZZZrGQ
— Merrimack Men’s Hockey (@Merrimack_MIH) September 6, 2024

The School

Location: North Andover, Mass.
Founded: 1947
Enrollment: 6,500
Nickname: Warriors
Colors: Blue, Gold
Arena: Lawler Arena (2,549)

The Team

Coach: Scott Borek ninth season (110-136-14)
2025-26 record: 21-16-2 (10-12-2 Hockey East)
Last NCAA Tournament appearance: 2026
Last Frozen Four: N/A
Last national championship: N/A
Last conference titles: N/A regular season; 2026 tournament
Key departures: GK Max Lundgren
Key returning players: F Parker Lalonde, F Justin Gill, F Trevor Hoskin

This is the third story in a series of season and conference previews for the upcoming 2026-27 season. Check out the previous story on Connecticut

Add us as a preferred source on Google