Merrimack men's hockey will raise a championship banner for the first time when the Warriors host New Hampshire at Lawler Arena in North Andover on Thursday, Oct. 8.

Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. A pregame ceremony honoring the 2026 Hockey East champions will precede the game, Merrimack Athletics announced. The Warriors claimed the program's first conference tournament title in March, beating UConn 2-1 in front of 15,759 fans at TD Garden.

Merrimack entered the 2026 Hockey East Tournament as the No. 8 seed and ran through the bracket's top three seeds. The Warriors knocked off No. 1 Providence in the quarterfinals, No. 2 UMass in the semifinals and No. 3 UConn in the championship game on March 21. No program in Hockey East Tournament history had beaten the top three seeds in a single tournament before.

Goaltender Max Lundgren stopped 49 of 50 shots in the title game, the most saves in a Hockey East championship that ended in regulation. Lundgren was named the William Flynn Hockey East Tournament Most Valuable Player. Ryan O'Connell opened the scoring in the second period, and Caelan Fitzpatrick buried the winner 26 seconds into the third after Parker Lalonde's shot rebounded off UConn goaltender Tyler Muszelik.

Head coach Scott Borek said at his postgame press conference in March that he told the school during his interview to stop apologizing and win a championship. Delivering on that promise, he said, took the entire community, not just the coaching staff or the players. College Hockey News reported that Borek called the support from the administration the key to putting the program over the line.

Merrimack had been a Hockey East member since 1989-90 but had never won the tournament, falling in championship games in 2011 and 2023. The Warriors became the first No. 8 seed to claim the title. The previous lowest seed to win was No. 6 Northeastern in 2016.

The Warriors enter the home opener ranked No. 20 in the USCHO preseason poll, according to NCAA.com. Merrimack opens the 2026-27 regular season on the road at Quinnipiac on Saturday, Oct. 3, before returning to North Andover for the banner ceremony.

The Oct. 8 game against New Hampshire is a Hockey East conference matchup. Tickets are available through Merrimack Athletics. The Warriors' next home date after the opener is Friday, Oct. 30, against UConn at Lawler Arena.