Hillier's long road helped lead the Warriors back to the NCAA Tournament
SIOUX FALLS — The last time Merrimack found itself in this position, Mark Hillier was still a sophomore, a piece of the puzzle rather than the one holding it together.
A lot has changed since then.
Back in 2023, the Warriors reached the Hockey East championship game, only to fall to Boston University in overtime — a night decided by a single flash of brilliance from Lane Hutson. They pushed on to the NCAA Tournament, where Quinnipiac ended their run in the opening round before ultimately skating off with the national title.
Merrimack brushed up against champions that spring. Both teams that delivered them heartbreak raised trophies.
That changed on Saturday night.
The Warriors captured their first Hockey East championship and punched their return ticket to the NCAA Tournament, where they’ll face North Dakota in Sioux Falls on Thursday. And at the center of it all is Hillier — no longer the underclassman, but the captain.
His path here wasn’t linear. It wasn’t even guaranteed.
Do the math, and it doesn’t quite add up. Sophomore in 2023. Junior in 2024. Senior in 2025. So why is he still here?
Because hockey, like life, rarely follows a script.
In preseason practice ahead of the 2024–25 season, Hillier — slated to wear a letter as a captain — suffered a devastating lower-body injury that required surgery and sidelined him for the entire year. It opened the door for a redshirt season and one final return, but only after months of uncertainty and rehab.
Had things gone according to plan, Hillier wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t have been the one lifting the Lamoriello Trophy on Saturday night.
Instead, he leaned in.
Even at his lowest point, Hillier never detached. During preseason media day, still fresh off the injury and navigating the rink on a scooter, he insisted on being part of the team photo. His teammates gathered around him, subtly shielding the injury, but reinforcing something more important — he still belonged at the center of it.
Unless he was rehabbing, he was there. Practices. Games. Every day.
“That’s just the human he is,” Merrimack coach Scott Borek said. “Mark Hillier is one of the most A+ humans that I have ever coached. I’ll never forget the things he did for Merrimack.”
Borek often points out that Hillier’s impact began long before even his freshman season. A highly recruited forward out of St. Andrew’s Prep in Canada, Hillier broke the program’s scoring record — previously held by NHL forward Warren Foegele — yet chose Merrimack over a host of other opportunities.
That opened the door for Merrimack to get other players.
Moments like Saturday don’t happen by accident.
“That’s a feeling I’m not sure if I’ll ever know how to describe,” Hillier said of raising the trophy. “I’m so proud of this group. We worked so hard to get here. To get that trophy first is probably the best thing that will ever happen to me. I’ll carry that with me as long as I live. It’s an unbelievable moment for our whole team.”
If there’s a thread that runs through Hillier’s story, it’s this — it has never been about him.
Last season, when three of his roommates left the program, Borek posed a simple question.
“I remember asking Mark, ‘Are you going to be good with that?’” Borek said. “And he said, ‘Whatever is best for our team.’ He gets it. He’s going to make an unbelievable coach one day if that’s what he decides to do.”
That mindset surfaced again in the closing moments of the Hockey East title game.
Protecting a one-goal lead against UConn, Hillier chased down a puck to negate an icing call — a small play on paper, but massive in context. It allowed Merrimack to burn precious seconds and keep control.
“He might be the slowest guy on the rink,” Borek said. “But he won that race, and that was a huge play for us. After he got back to the bench, he almost collapsed. I asked him if he needed a shift off, and he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, I do.’ Most players wouldn’t have said that. They want to be on the rink. You’re winning the game. But he never makes it about him. Mark always puts the team ahead of himself, and that’s why he’s a captain.”
Now comes the next chapter.
The Lamoriello Trophy stayed behind in North Andover. The Warriors are chasing something bigger now.
And fittingly, they’ll begin that pursuit Thursday night in Sioux Falls — with their captain, improbably but deservedly, still leading the way.