Mailbag: Borek's contract, buy games, NCAA changes impacting the MAAC, and more
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Q. Hey Mike, great job covering the Warriors this year. Watching Merrimack win Hockey East this year, I couldn’t help but think about how long Merrimack will be able to keep [Scott] Borek? I think within the next five years, he’ll get poached by a bigger school with more resources. What are your general thoughts on that? Thanks.
A. I genuinely believe Scott Borek wants to be at Merrimack. The school last announced a contract extension for Borek in 2022. They are a private institution, so they aren’t required to disclose the details, but most extensions commonly run four to five years — which means his deal likely expires in either 2027 or 2028.
Coming off a Hockey East title, he’s due for a new extension. That should be a priority for the school this summer, especially if his deal ends in 2027. But even if it runs through 2028, I wouldn’t leave anything to chance when the program has something this good going. Not only did they win Hockey East, they were able to retain a significant chunk of that roster — no easy feat in today’s college athletics landscape.
The Warriors could be in jeopardy of losing Dan Jewell, which from a Merrimack standpoint would concern me. Jewell has been the architect of some of Merrimack’s best Division I teams, serving as the primary evaluator and recruiter over the last several years. Ryan Durocher is more involved in that role now, but he’s only one season into the job. Going back to 2022, I believe Jewell has handled the bulk of that work himself. He could be in line for a head coaching job or a higher-paying assistant position elsewhere.
