Game Report: Pierre strikes twice in Merrimack's win over Quinnipiac
NORTH ANDOVER — When Nick Pierre scored his first goal of the night early in the third period to give the Warriors a two-goal cushion over Quinnipiac, he immediately skated toward the Merrimack bench and pointed up into the stands — a nod to his parents, who made the trip from Minnesota for the weekend.
“They were right there, I had to give them a little point,” he said with a grin. “It’s great to have them here.”
They couldn’t have picked a better weekend to visit. Pierre buried two third-period goals on Friday night to help lift Merrimack to a 4-1 win over No. 6 Quinnipiac at Lawler Arena.
“We wanted to do simple things,” Pierre said. “Get the puck behind them, hit their D, and we did that really well tonight. I really need to credit Mark Hillier, Caelan Fitzpatrick, and Michael Emerson. That line led by example and set the tone all night. They gave us our momentum tonight.”
Pierre finished tied for the team lead with four shots on goal and now has three goals in just four games this season.
As a group, the Warriors have found their stride offensively — scoring 13 goals over their last three games after being shut out on opening night at UMass Lowell.
“We need to keep this going,” Pierre said. “We’ve gotten better in every game, we found a second gear, then a third gear, and then our fifth gear. We just need to keep pushing every game.”
Warriors pull a page out of Quinnipiac’s playbook
In many ways, the Warriors beat the Bobcats at their own game on Friday night. The Bobcats are known for dictating possession and clogging up the neutral zone, but Merrimack turned the tables — disrupting Quinnipiac’s transition game with smart stick work and timely physicality.
The Warriors held the Bobcats to just 28 shots on goal — their lowest total of the season — and limited them to 3.3 expected goals, matching their season low set against Boston College on Oct. 3.
“We didn’t give up many second chances,” Scott Borek said. “We were good on the attack.
“Their structure is so elite. They’re so committed to it in the neutral zone that if you start trying to make plays coming over the blue line, it often ends up with them coming right back at you, and they have numbers. We got the puck deep and hunted, which led to our success.”
At times, the Warriors appeared more passive on the forecheck than in earlier games. That wasn’t necessarily by design, but Borek said his players made the right reads and adapted as the game unfolded.
“They can move the puck quickly, so I think that was puck reads by our guys,” he said. “We weren’t necessarily looking to do that, because we want to be very aggressive, but I thought it showed the hockey sense of our guys. We didn’t jump with the second guy and give them any space.”
Hoskin happy with his move to Merrimack
Trevor Hoskin found the back of the net again for the Warriors, extending his point streak to three games with two goals and three assists over that span.
The Niagara transfer had no shortage of interest when he entered the transfer portal last spring. The reigning AHA Rookie of the Year didn’t stay on the market long — Merrimack reached out almost immediately.
“It’s kind of funny, it took me a little bit to get into the portal,” Hoskin said. “Once I got my name in there, [Scott Borek] called me about 15 seconds later. When I came here for a visit, I just loved it from the beginning. All the guys, all of the coaches. They welcomed me here with open arms. It was the best decision for me. I love this place.”
A fourth-round pick of the Calgary Flames in the 2024 NHL Draft, Hoskin remains in regular contact with the organization. The Flames’ player development staff — which was at the game on Friday — often sends him video clips and feedback, and he participated in their development camp over the summer.
As for his new home at Merrimack, Hoskin said the transition has been seamless.
“Coach Borek probably has the best culture in the country,” Hoskin said. “It makes it easy for us to go out and play the right way. We’re clicking in the room and on the ice right now.”
Richard makes his Merrimack debut
Jack Richard made his long-awaited debut for Merrimack on Friday night, marking his first game action since March 2024. The forward, who transferred to the program in 2024, missed all of last season after suffering a preseason injury.
Richard nearly found the scoresheet twice in his return, generating a pair of partial breakaways, but Quinnipiac goaltender Matej Marinov turned him away on both chances.
“He had the two breakaways, but that wasn’t the best part of his game,” Borek said. “He was physical, and he got up and down the ice. He kept it really simple. He was a great addition to the lineup. He did some really good things. He had not played in a while, and he didn’t overcomplicate things. He did a really nice job.”
Richard finished the night with four shots on goal, tying for the team lead.
Merrimack 4, Quinnipiac 1
Scoring Summary:
1st Period, 12:12 – Merrimack: Michael Emerson (assists: Mark Hillier, Caelan Fitzpatrick)
1st Period, 19:29.2 (PP) – Quinnipiac: Chris Pelosi (assists: Ethan Wyttenbach, Markus Vidicek)
2nd Period, 7:09 – Merrimack: Trevor Hoskin (assist: Hunter Mayo)
3rd Period, 1:30 – Merrimack: Nick Pierre (assists: Daniel Astapovich, Caden Cranston)
3rd Period, 6:06 (PP) – Merrimack: Nick Pierre (assists: Nolan Flamand, Seamus Powell)
Power Play Summary:
Quinnipiac: 1 goal on 3 power-play opportunities.
Merrimack: 1 goal on 4 power-play opportunities.
Additional Details:
Attendance: 2,478
Officials: Referees – Marty Hughes, Steven Rouillard; Linesmen – Steven Murray, Anthony Valle.