Merrimack vs. Northeastern: Playoff history
Merrimack's upset win in 1988 and one of the best goaltending performances in program history in 2015 highlight the playoff meetings
Wednesday’s meeting between Northeastern and Merrimack in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs will mark the fourth time the programs have met in the postseason.
Every meeting in the Hockey East playoffs has been in the first round. The teams also met in an epic series during the 1988 NCAA Tournament.
Here is a complete history of Merrimack vs. Northeastern in the playoffs.
2024: Hockey East First Round
Winner: Northeastern
Venue: Mathews Arena
Score: 4-0
Date: March 13, 2024
This is still fresh in the minds of Merrimack fans.
Northeastern defeated the Warriors 4-0 in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs last season. Hugo Ollas made 22 saves for the Merrimack (NU added an empty-net goal) and Northeastern out shot the Warriors 26-22.
2015: Hockey East First Round
Winner: Merrimack
Venue: Matthews Arena
Scores: 3-2 (OT), 2-1 (2OT)
Date: March 6-7, 2015
We’ll call this the Rasmus Tirronen series.
The former Merrimack goaltender made 99 saves over two games and only allowed three goals in a series sweep.
In Game 1, the Warriors went ahead 2-0 on goals from Justin Hussar and Jace Hennig. Northeastern score twice in the third period to send the game to overtime, where Kyle Singleton scored (his first goal of the season) to win the game for the Warriors just 2:24 into the extra period.
Tirronen stopped 36 out of 38 shots. The Warriors also lost No. 1 center Hampus Gustafsson less than one minute into the game for a misconduct penalty after he was called for a hit from behind.
Northeastern opened the scoring in Game 2 but Hennig tied the game late in the second period. No one scored in the third period or first overtime, but Mathieu Tibbet scored with 4:18 left in the second overtime to clinch the series win for the Warriors.
Tirronen made an eye-popping 63 saves in the second game, including all 40 shots he saw in the third period and two overtimes.
After the season, Tirronen signed an NHL contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.
1988: NCAA First Round
Winner: Merrimack
Venue: Matthews Arena
Scores: 3-5, 7-3 (total goals series)
Date: March 18-19, 1988
This was wild.
At the time, the NCAA playoffs were two-game, total-goal series.
Merrimack trailed by five goals before the Warriors stormed back, scoring seven straight to win the series, 10-8, stunning the heavily-favored Huskies. Merrimack made the NCAA Tournament that season as an independent team. At the time, one at-large bid was guaranteed to go to an independent team.
Mark Ziliotto scored three goals for the Warriors as part of the comeback.
Northeastern won the first game 5-3 and scored the first three goals of the second game (all on the power play) to take an 8-3 lead.
The Warriors scored five goals in the third period of Game 2 to win the series and move on to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Jim Alcott scored at 1:24. Ziliotto then beat Husky goalie Bruce Racine on a rush at 3:23 and Jocko Magadini scored his first goal of the season at the 11-minute mark of the third period which tied the series, 8-8.
Ziliotto completed his hat trick at the 17:13 mark, which gave the Warriors a 9-8 lead, and Richard Pion scored an insurance goal with one minute left.
The Warriors faced Lake Superior the following weekend (in another total-goals series) and beat the Lakers 4-3 in Game 1. Lake Superior won the second game 5-0 to take the series 8-4. The Lakers went on to win the national championship that season over St. Lawrence.