BOSTON - Max Lundgren stopped 49 of 50 shots to backstop eighth-seeded Merrimack to a 2-1 win over third-seeded UConn in the championship of the 41st annual Hockey East Tournament Saturday evening in front of 15,759 fans at TD Garden. The title is the first-ever for Merrimack, a member of Hockey East since 1989-90.
Merrimack, the first eighth-seed to win the championship, went through the toughest possible path to the title with wins over top-seeded Providence in the quarterfinals, second-seeded UMass in Friday’s semifinal and beating the third-seeded UConn tonight. They are the first program to defeat the top three teams in the Hockey East Tournament.
Lundgren made 37 stops in the final two periods of the title game after stopping all 24 in the semifinal blanking of second-seeded UMass en route to claiming Tournament MVP honors.
After a scoreless first, the Warriors opened the scoring at 2:29 of the second on a goal by Ryan O’Connell, who snapped one home after a blast by teammate Trevor Hoskin wide of the net that came off the end boards to O’Connell in the low slot. It was the sixth of the year for O’Connell who also tallied the third period game-winner in Friday’s 2-0 semifinal win over UMass.
UConn tied it at 17:22 when Ethan Whitcomb drilled home a rebound, his second tying goal in as many nights. Allain-Samake’s drive from inside the blue line was kicked out by Lundgren, with it going right to Whitcomb in the low slot.
Merrimack took a 2-1 lead for good just 26 seconds into the third period. After UConn’s zone clear was blocked, Parker Lalonde’s shot rebounded off UConn netminder Tyler Muszelik and the Warriors’ Caelan Fitzpatrick was in front to punch in the eventual game-winner, his 13th of the season.
Lundgren was a unanimous selection to the Steve Nazro All-Tournament Team and was joined by teammates Nathan King, Hoskin and O’Connell (also unanimous). UConn blue-liner Tom Messineo and Boston College forward Dean Letourneau rounded out the honorees.
Lundgren’s 49 saves were the most in a Hockey East title game that ended in regulation eclipsing the 43 by Boston University’s Matt Delguidice in 1989. Muszelik finished with 23 stops for the Huskies.
NOTES
• Saturday's Hockey East Championship game marked the first-ever postseason meeting between Merrimack and Connecticut. UConn joined the Hockey East in 2015.
• The 2026 Hockey East Championship produced a first-time champion for the first time since Massachusetts won the title in 2021. With a champion crowned, nine of the conference's 11 member programs have won a Hockey East title.
• Merrimack made its third appearance in the Hockey East Championship game, having previously fallen in the title game in 2011 against Boston College and in 2023 against Boston University. The Warriors were the first No. 8 seed to reach the Hockey East title game. Previously, two No. 7 seeds had reached the final — Boston College in 2019 and UMass Lowell in 2021 — while No. 6 seed Northeastern in 2016 was the lowest seed previously to win a Hockey East Championship.
• Connecticut made its third appearance in the Hockey East Championship game, its second consecutive after falling to Maine in the 2025 title game. It was the Huskies' third final appearance in the last five tournaments.
• With the victory, Merrimack claims its first Hockey East Championship and will make its third NCAA Division I Tournament appearance, with the last trip coming in 2023. The Warriors became the first team in Hockey East Tournament history to defeat the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 seeds in a single tournament run, navigating the toughest path to the championship game in conference history as the No. 8 seed. Saturday's title also marked Merrimack's sixth upset win over a ranked opponent this season.
• Saturday's Championship game was tied 0-0 after the first period, marking the third straight Hockey East playoff game this tournament to remain scoreless through 20 minutes. It also marked the first time since 2018 that the Hockey East Championship game was tied heading into the third period, when Providence and Boston University were knotted 0-0 before the Terriers went on to win 2-0.
• Ryan O'Connell scored the game's opening goal for the second straight playoff game, having also netted the first goal in Friday's semifinal win over Massachusetts. The tally marked Caelan Fitzpatrick's 12th goal of the season and third game-winner of the year. Freshman Parker Lalonde is the only Warrior to record a point in all three Hockey East playoff games this season, collecting an assist in each contest.
• Connecticut's lone goal came from Ethan Whitcomb, his third straight Hockey East playoff game with a goal. Whitcomb is the only UConn skater to record a point in each of the Huskies' three playoff games this tournament.
• Picking up the win, Max Lundgren ties for the second most victories in a single Hockey East Tournament and leads all Hockey East goaltenders with 21 wins on the season, ranking fifth nationally. Lundgren's 1,000 saves on the season lead the entire NCAA, while his 2,276 minutes played rank first among all Hockey East netminders and second overall in the country. With 50 saves in the Championship game, Lundgren joins elite company as one of the few goaltenders to reach that mark in a Hockey East title game.
• The 16-team bracket for the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Championship will be announced live on Sunday at 3 p.m. on ESPNU and NCAA.com.
• Steve Nazro All-Tournament Team: Max Lundgren (MC), Nathan King (MC), Tom Messineo (UConn), Dean Letourneau (BC), Ryan O'Connell (MC), Trevor Hoskin (MC)
• William Flynn Hockey East Tournament MVP: Max Lundgren (MC)
