SIOUX FALLS, SD –
Scott Borek and the Warriors are perfectly fine with how it all shook out.
The Merrimack men's hockey team will face North Dakota in the Sioux Falls Region of the NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Tournament. The Fighting Hawks are the top seed in the region and No. 2 overall seed in the tournament.
While there was chance the Warriors would follow up their successful trip to TD Garden with another bus ride to the DCU Center in Worcester, they instead flew some 1,500 miles Tuesday afternoon ahead of Thursday night's puck drop. It's essentially a home game for the Fighting Hawks.
"But that's what you want," Borek said after the ESPNU selection show on Sunday. "I'm excited we're going there because there are some other sites that won't feel like you're in the national tournament. The minute we arrive in Sioux Falls, we're going to know we're in the national tournament."
The Fighting Hawks (27-9-1, 17-6-1) finished first in National Collegiate Hockey Conference during the regular season before being eliminated in the semifinal round of the conference tournament. North Dakota has won eight Division I national championships in the program's history.
"I have a world of respect for North Dakota," Borek said. "I'm well-aware that building is going to be insanity."
Borek and the group, however, aren't phased.
And who could blame them? The Warriors were arguably the hottest team in college hockey during a regular-season stretch and then recorded four postseason wins in roughly a week's time.
"We know that they have a lot of talent, but we know we do too," Merrimack captain
Mark Hillier said. "We're excited to get out there. We've won one tournament, but what's better than winning one is winning two. We're going to be ready to go Thursday."
Merrimack sophomore
Caelan Fitzpatrick added: "Obviously, they're a very skilled and talented team. I think we are, too. We've been building for this moment all season long. The work we started with in July gives us the confidence that we can go into a building and beat any team on any given night when we're playing our best hockey."
Borek also reflected on the team's postseason run. Merrimack went into top-seeded Providence and won in overtime. The Warriors bested UMass standout goaltender Michael Hrabel and the Minutemen at TD Garden. Merrimack then had the best player of the ice, junior goaltender
Max Lundgren, in the Hockey East Championship. The Warriors sat them down in order – No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3.
The group is prepared for the moment and the opponent, Borek believes.
"North Dakota is the second-best team in the country," Borek said. "If we're going to win this thing, we got to go through them. Let's play them on their turf right away. It makes it even a better story."
