Mar-quis Moment: Merrimack's student manager more than shines in NCAA debut

Spencer Marquis makes a glove save in the second period (Photo: James Stankwiecz/Merrimack Athletics)

If things had worked out differently, Spencer Marquis wouldn't have been in North Andover on Sunday. He might have been on a golf course in Maine.

He was supposed to have an internship lined up at a golf course close to his home in Brunswick, Maine. Last minute, it fell through. So, the Merrimack senior found a spot as an intern with the Merrimack men's hockey program.

Sunday was supposed to be his first official game as part of the equipment staff.

Instead, he was the starting goaltender.

You read that correctly ... he was the starting goaltender in Merrimack's 3-2 loss to Stonehill on Sunday. Marquis made 22 saves.

"Not the result we wanted, but it's a dream come true for me," he said. "It's been the craziest 48 hours of my life.

"Every kid grows up dreaming of playing college hockey. I got my chance a little different than some other people, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity."

The craziness began on Friday. Merrimack knew it would be without Max Lundgren for two games due to his NCAA-imposed suspension for playing one minor pro game in Sweden before he enrolled.

Nils Wallstrom, a transfer from AIC, has been hurt and will miss the season's first few weeks.

Merrimack's third goalie, Ryan Keyes, was expected to get the start all week. But, an eligibility issue forced him out of the lineup, and the Warriors were suddenly in the position of not having an eligible goalie on the roster.

Enter Spencer Marquis.

Marquis last played for Brunswick High School in 2020. The coaching staff talked to him about the issue the Warriors were in, and Marquis didn't hesitate.

"I'm happy to be a part of it," he said. "They knew I played goalie in high school and they said to me that I might need to dress as a backup. Then it was that I might have to start. It all happened really quickly.

"The guys have been so great. I was just trying to soak it all in."

Around three o'clock on Friday, Marquis made a call to his family to get his gear down to Merrimack.

“My brother drove it down for me," Marquis said.

Marquis said he last skated about nine months ago. Because the issue with Keyes happened so late in the week, he never even participated in a full team practice. He took some shots late Friday night and skated in a morning skate before the game on Sunday.

He took the ice with the Warriors at 4 p.m. and nearly helped them win. Merrimack led 2-1 and had an empty-net chance to make it 3-1, but the Warriors turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Stonehill scored with 8.9 seconds left to tie the game.

In overtime, another turnover turned into a 2-on-1, and former Warrior Devlin O'Brien scored the game-winner for the Skyhawks.

"Spencer played great," Merrimack coach Scott Borek said. "He gave us a chance to win the hockey game. I'm so disappointed for him. He played so hard and came out of nowhere to do that for us. I feel terrible for him. He deserved to win the hockey game, and we weren’t able to get that done for him."

Marquis might get another chance next weekend. Merrimack has waivers pending with the NCAA to clear up Lundgren’s and Keyes' cases. If those aren't approved by Friday, Marquis will get another chance to start at Minnesota State.

"I'm living in the moment," he said. "We got through warmups, I made the first save, and then after that I felt like I could settle in and I could play my game. All of the guys here have been so supportive."