Calverley joins elite company with 50th collegiate goal
NORTH ANDOVER — Last summer, Will Calverley was the final piece of the puzzle for Merrimack.
Last night, Calverley joined some elite company.
Last offseason the Ontario native entered the transfer portal with 91 career points after a standout career at RIT. Granted a fifth year by the NCAA due to COVID, he entered the portal and Merrimack made a call not long after.
Good thing.
Calverley scored two goals, including the game-tying goal with 4:51 left in the third period as the Warriors salvaged a 3-3 tie against Yale last night at Lawler Arena.
Calverley’s game-tying goal was also the 50th of his college career; he’s one of only three active players who hit that mark.
“I forgot about it to be honest,” he said of his 50th. “It’s special obviously. It’s a team game and those 50 goals don’t happen without a lot of teammates at RIT and Merrimack. It’s been a special ride so far, and more to go I hope. The biggest thing about that goal was it tied the game.”
The Warriors fell behind after self-inflicted turnovers resulted in pucks finding the back of their own net.
But Calverley helped the Warriors dig out of that hole.
In fact, it was his entire line. The Ontario native has helped solidify a unit with Ben Brar and Filip Forsmark. Calverley now has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) in 20 games for the Warriors. He finished last night’s game with a pair of goals and two assists.
“That whole line was dominant,” said Merrimack head coach Scott Borek. “I couldn’t play them enough. Every time they went over the wall they had chances. They have really good chemistry and they play hard. Will was disappointed last week against Providence, and he felt bad about the game because he cares so much. He had a great week of practice and he earned it this week.”
Calverley has the third-most career goals in college hockey among active players. Only Northeastern’s Aidan McDonough (58) and Northern Michigan’s AJ Vanderbeck (51) have more.
He was one of the top-scoring players in the transfer portal last summer and the Warriors were persistent in their pursuit. Merrimack had already landed Ryan Leibold, Ottoville Leppanen, and Slava Demin in the portal. Calverley was the final piece, in part because the Warriors lost Liam Walsh in the portal to Northeastern.
Calverley made an impact almost immediately upon his arrival. He scored in the Hockey East opener against UNH and since he found a steady home alongside Brar and Forsmark in November, he has 10 points in his last 12 games.
“I loved the commitment from the coaching staff,” he said. “Going through the transfer process, they showed that they were interested in me right away and they were calling me all the time. They stayed on top of me. That just showed me that they really wanted me and when you’re wanted, it’s special. It seemed like it was going to be a great fit for me and it felt like home from the minute I talked to the coaches.”
Calverley is the latest grad transfer to come to Merrimack and make an impact. Last season two of the team’s top scorers — Max Newton and Steven Jandric — were both transfers.
“I wouldn’t change a thing,” Calverley said. “I love it here.”
The preceding story will appear in Saturday’s edition of The Eagle Tribune