Merrimack sweeps Notre Dame in South Bend, and it isn't a fluke

Merrimack went to South Bend as the new No. 20 team in the country and came home with a sweep of Notre Dame. That's not a fluke weekend, it's a program that has quietly become one of the most dependable teams in Hockey East, and it's time the rest of the league treated the Warriors that way.

Friday: the goalie does it all

Notre Dame outshot Merrimack 33-22 and won 36 of 57 faceoffs at Compton Family Ice Arena, and still lost 2-1 in overtime. Ty Daneault scored in the first, Evan Werner tied it on a second-period power play, and Nick Pierre won it 4:11 into overtime.

The assist on the winner went to the goalie, too. Linards Feldbergs made 32 saves and then started the play the other way. When your goalie stops 32 and sets up the overtime goal, you take the two points and get on the bus.

Saturday: a comeback built on special teams

The Irish had Saturday's game where they wanted it, up 2-0 after one on goals from Carter Slaggert and Brennan Ali.

Then the second period turned on the penalty box. Justin Gill tipped one in on the power play, and after Notre Dame took a major and a minor late in the period, Seamus Powell tied it and Trevor Hoskin gave Merrimack the lead in the final minute. All three were power-play goals.

Danny Nelson tied it 3-3 inside the first nine minutes of the third. Merrimack answered with a goal through a screen with about 10 minutes left, a breakaway with under three to go, and an empty-netter to finish it 6-3.

NPI watch

The sweep moved Merrimack to 4-1-1, and the Warriors are 2-0 in overtime games this season, by our count. They sit 16th in the NPI as of Sunday morning, ahead of BU at 19th. Notre Dame dropped to 2-4 and 31st before it opens Big Ten play at Wisconsin on Friday.

Two road wins over a Big Ten program are the kind of nonconference results that hold their value in March. The NPI rewards quality wins on the road, and a sweep at Compton is exactly that.

Why I believe it

Since mid-December of last season, Merrimack is 20-7-3, by our count. Only a handful of programs in the country have won more in that stretch, and none of them are in Hockey East.

This is a team that wins close games, gets saves and cashes power plays. That's a profile that travels. The Warriors were 2-1-1 and 20th in the poll before this weekend. Expect them to climb a few spots on Monday.

Kessler's call: Merrimack finishes the first half inside the top 15 of the poll. The league's big names get the headlines in October. The Warriors are building the résumé that gets you in.