It's starting to feel a lot like ... 2011! 10 things to know about Merrimack hockey's resurgence

Mar. 3—It feels a little like 2011 again.

The Merrimack men's hockey team enters the final weekend of the regular season this weekend with a home-and-home series against Northeastern. Merrimack is tied for second place in the Hockey East standings and has an 18-12-1 record.

Just like it was around here this time in 2011, when Merrimack lost in the Hockey East finals to Boston College, a huge milestone for the program, later falling to Notre Dame in the NCAA Div. 1 tourney.

Merrimack has only two games remaining, both against Northeastern this weekend.

Here are 10 things you should know and appreciate about the Merrimack resurgence ahead of the stretch run:

1. Second time?This could be the first Merrimack team to make the NCAA Tournament since 2011. Currently, if the Warriors win out but lose in the conference championship game, they would still have a 78 percent chance of making the tournament. Most simulation models give the Warriors roughly a 25 percent chance of qualifying for the NCAAs. The only Merrimack team that has made the NCAA Tournament in the Division I/Hockey East era is the 2010-11 team. The following season (2011-12), Merrimack was the first team left out of the tournament by a fraction of an RPI point. Generally, the top-15 in the Pairwise qualify for the tournament. That number can slide down if teams outside of the top-16 win automatic bids by winning their conference tournaments.

2. NHL picks

The Warriors currently have three NHL Draft picks on their roster. Junior defenseman Zach Uens is a fourth-round pick of the Florida Panthers, forward Alex Jefferies is a fourth-round pick of the New York Islanders, and freshman goaltender Hugo Ollas is a seventh-round pick of the New York Rangers. Ollas is the first drafted goalie to suit up for the Warriors since Joe Cannata in 2012.

3. Winning begets winningThe Warriors won their 13th Hockey East game of the season last weekend at UNH. Merrimack will not be able to set a program record for Hockey East wins (16, set in 2010-11) but if they win just one game this weekend, it will mark the second-most Hockey East wins in program history. Currently, this team is tied with the 2011-12 team, which also posted 13 HEA wins. Merrimack has 18 wins entering this weekend, which is the second-most wins of any Merrimack team in the Division I/HEA era. The 2011-12 team also won 18 games, but that included one playoff victory at Maine in the Hockey East quarterfinals. With at least three games remaining (including playoffs), this year's team has a chance to eclipse the 2011-12 win total, and has already won more regular-season games than that team. The Warriors are also guaranteed to finish with a winning record for just the third time in the D-I/HEA era (2010-11, 2011-12).

4. Coach of the Year?Merrimack head coach Scott Borek could be named the Hockey East Coach of the Year in a few weeks. The other candidates probably include Norm Bazin, Mike Cavanaugh, Jerry Keefe, and Greg Carvel. But I'd argue that Borek's season has been the most impressive. The Warriors were predicted to finish near the bottom of the Hockey East standings and they're challenging for a league title heading into the last weekend. If Borek is named the Hockey East Coach of the Year, he would join some elite company. The only current coaches who have won Coach of the Year awards for teams in two different leagues at Jerry York (Bowling Green/CCHA, Boston College/HEA), Greg Carvel (St. Lawrence/ECAC, UMass/HEA), and Nate Leaman (Union/ECAC, Providence/HEA). Borek won the CCHA Coach of the Year Award as the head coach at Lake Superior State in 2000.

5. New pact should be in offingSpeaking of Merrimack head coach Scott Borek, does he deserve a contract extension? You bet he does. Terms of Borek's initial deal were never announced, but it was believed to be a five-year contract. If true, that would make next season the last one on his deal. Merrimack cannot allow him to go into the last year of his contract without a new extension. There's an argument to be made that this year's Merrimack team is the second or third best team in the last 30 years of the program. Some of the core players were recruited under the staff headed up by Mark Dennehy and Curtis Carr — Uens, Jefferies, Declan Carlile — but the bulk of this roster was put together by Borek and his new staff, which also included Carr for one season. Borek also had to re-recruit Jefferies when Boston College made him an offer just before the signing period. Seven of the team's top-10 scorers were brought in within the last three years. If Merrimack hasn't opened a dialogue yet on a new deal, they need to do so as soon as the season is over and get it done quickly.

6. New playoff formatHockey East changed its playoff format for this season. All 11 teams qualify for the postseason. The first round will take place on March 9 on campus sites. No. 6 will host No. 11, No. 7 will host No. 10 and No. 8 will host No. 9. Then, the winners move to the Hockey East Quarterfinals on March 12 with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds. The top-5 seeds in the tournament receive a first-round bye. Merrimack has only hosted a quarterfinal game twice, with the last one coming in 2011 against Maine. The Warriors also hosted Boston College in a quarterfinal in 1997 as the No. 5 seed, but that was only due to Maine's ineligibility due to NCAA sanctions.

7. Carlile entering elite companyDeclan Carlile is undrafted, but the junior defenseman has a chance to join elite company within the Merrimack program. Carlile enters this weekend with 24 points. If he can hit the 25-point mark, he'll have the most points in a season by a Merrimack defenseman since Karl Stollery in 2011 (27 points). Stollery went on to play in the NHL and for Team Canada in the 2018 Olympics. If Carlile can pass Stollery and hit 28 points, he'll have the most points by a Merrimack defenseman since Brian Schmidt scored 31 points as a junior in 2005.

8. Alaskan grad talentGrad transfer Max Newton has made a huge impact since his arrival last season from Alaska. Newton enters the final weekend of the season with 34 points. If Newton can hit the 35-point mark this weekend he'll have the most points by any Merrimack player since Mike Collins scored 38 points in 2013. Point totals include the playoffs, and if Newton can eclipse Collins and score at least 39 points, he'll have the most points by any Merrimack player in a single season since Stephane Da Costa scored 45 points in 2011 (Da Costa also scored 45 points in 2010 as a freshman).

9. Unsung heros galoreIf you check out the Warriors the rest of the way, keep your eye out for the unsung heroes. Liam Walsh has had a terrific season and is second on the team in points. Grad transfer Steven Jandric has turned it on in the second half and has helped solidify the top line with Newton and Jefferies. Filip Forsmark has 23 points in 29 games on the second line and Ben Brar has 11 goals. Zach Vinnell has 16 points as a defenseman and Logan Drevitch, Jake Durflinger, Filip Karlsson-Tagtstrom Jordan Seyfert, Matt Copponi, and Mac Welsher have all set the tone on the third and fourth lines for much of the season. Lastly, keep an eye on freshman defenseman Mike Brown. He doesn't have a point this season, but there's a reason he's in the lineup every night when healthy. He brings a physical presence and is as mistake-free as you can get in the defensive zone.

10. Power play eliteMerrimack's power play has been one of the best units in the nation. Thanks to a run since January, the Warriors' power-play is ranked No. 8 nationally and has scored at least one goal in 14 straight games. Merrimack's power-play conversion rate is 25 percent, which is four points better than it was last season and 14 points better than Borek's first season. The Warriors are on pace to have their best power-play success rate in more than 20 years. Yearly statistics were kept on success rate dating back to 2001, and the Warriors have not had a better rate than 22.8 percent (2011).

Mike McMahon covers college hockey for The Eagle-Tribune. You can email him at mcmahonmj@gmail.com. He also runs The Mack Report (www.themackreport.com), chronicling all Merrimack sports news.