Merrimack will face North Dakota in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday

NORTH ANDOVER — Merrimack is headed to Sioux Falls.

The Warriors will face North Dakota in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, skating as the No. 4 seed in the regional. Merrimack enters the field as the No. 15 overall seed after capturing its first Hockey East championship Saturday at TD Garden.

“We’re excited,” said Scott Borek. “We’re playing one of the best teams in the country. We’re playing in their home rink, essentially. You’re guaranteed a great atmosphere. It should be a great experience for our players and our program.”

It’s a rare meeting between the programs. The only previous matchup came in a two-game series in Grand Forks at the start of the 2009 season.

“Our guys understand there are bigger games now in front of us,” Borek said.

Merrimack is expected to travel to Sioux Falls on Tuesday ahead of Thursday’s 8:30 p.m. ET puck drop.