PROVIDENCE, R.I. — There’s just something about this Merrimack team.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is. Whatever it is, it was on full display Saturday night when Merrimack knocked off top-seeded Providence, 3-2, in overtime in the Hockey East quarterfinals.
The Warriors have shown all season that they can take a punch.
Time and again, it has looked as though a knockout blow had arrived — only for the Warriors to respond with a flurry of their own and stay firmly in the fight.
The story traces all the way back to opening night. Merrimack dropped a 4-0 decision to UMass Lowell, and frankly, it wasn’t particularly competitive. Lowell more than doubled the Warriors in shots, 36-17, and even accounting for it being the season opener, there was a creeping sense of existential dread that the year might be in trouble before it had truly begun.
How did the Warriors respond? By winning their next four games.
Then November arrived, and Merrimack stumbled through a 2-9 stretch over 11 games. They coughed up games in the third period to BU, Long Island, and Notre Dame. The feelings from opening night crept back in, and it began to feel as though that four-game surge had been the exception rather than the rule.
How did they respond? With a 10-2-1 run over their next 13 games.
Later in the season came another setback — a last-second loss at Boston College followed by a sweep at Maine, pushing the Warriors into a three-game losing streak.
How did they respond?
They’ve gone 4-0-1 in their last five games and just knocked off the No. 1 seed in the Hockey East tournament.
“We’re a family,” Merrimack forward Justin Gill said. “It’s a different feeling here right now.”
Even Saturday night followed a familiar script. Providence struck first and carried a 16-9 edge in shots after the opening period, aided in large part by two power plays that Merrimack narrowly survived.
How did the Warriors respond?
Well, you know what happened next.
Nathan King tied the game, and Nolan Flamand gave the Warriors the lead.
Then John Mustard scored a miracle goal on a tip in the high slot off a centering feed that floated over Max Lundgren’s shoulder.
You could see it on the bench. The sense of, “how did that just happen?”
That was on the heels of potentially losing one of their best players, Gill, who had gone down after taking a knee-to-knee hit in the second period. Everything felt stacked against them.
How did the Warriors respond?
Trevor Hoskin won the game in overtime. … off a feed from Gill, who had returned to the game.
“Our group has a different feeling to it,” Hoskin said. “We have a huge belief in our team. We believed we were going to do this all week. I’ve never been on a team that believed more than we believe, and that’s because of how close we are as a group. That’s what gets you through hard games.”
Another test now awaits.
Merrimack will face UMass in the Hockey East semifinals Friday at TD Garden (4 p.m.), with a chance to avenge a two-game sweep at the hands of the Minutemen back in January. UMass may have landed the first punches in that series, but as the Warriors have shown repeatedly this season, they have a habit of punching back.
“When you have nights like this, I’m happy for everyone,” Merrimack coach Scott Borek said. “I’m happy for our team, for our school, for our program, for our alums. This is the type of thing that brings your whole school together.
“I know it’s a thing that coaches say, but the closeness this team has is not easy to find every year. The best teams I’ve coached in my career all have that in common — they’re all super close. That’s really hard to find, especially today, but this group has it. That’s what gives you that extra push late in the third period or in overtime to block a shot or get back on a backcheck. You don’t want to let anyone in the room down. I couldn’t be prouder to coach this team.”
You can read Mike McMahon’s coverage of Merrimack College and college hockey at The Mack Report — www.themackreport.com — a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.