As hard as it was to swallow at the time, sitting out a game as a healthy scratch early in the season turned out to be good for Merrimack sophomore winger Alex Jefferies.
Jefferies was not in the lineup at Boston College on Nov. 6. “He wasn’t good at the beginning of the year,’’ coach Scott Borek said this week.
Looking back, Jefferies acknowledges that Borek made the right call, but that’s not how he felt in the moment.
“At first I was really upset and sort of blaming everyone else. But then once you take a second, you realize you’re not playing well. You realize that pretty quick,’’ said Jefferies, a Lunenberg, Mass., native who was picked in the fourth round by the New York Islanders in 2020.
“It was definitely tough, but it helped me. It woke me up and I’ve been playing better since. It worked out for the best.”
Holding players accountable — whether they are top recruits like Jefferies or fourth-liners — is an important responsibility for a coach.
For Borek, taking Jefferies out of the lineup “was really difficult on a personal level because during the (recruiting) process and beyond, we’ve created a good relationship beyond the rink. But at the same time, I honestly felt that it would be best for Alex. And, ultimately, the other guys in the locker room needed to see him held accountable.
“His response gave the process credibility. I hate using the word 'process' but that’s what it is. His response gave our entire process credibility. That’s really big. Alex owns a lot of what’s happening with our team right now by the way he responded.’’
Last weekend, Jefferies scored back-to-back game-winners as Merrimack swept Vermont. There was drama on Saturday night as Merrimack fell behind by two goals, then rallied to tie the game in the third period and win it on Jefferies’ goal in overtime.
“It was one of the most fun games I’ve been involved in,” said Jefferies, who was named Hockey East Player of the Week along with UConn’s Ryan Tverberg.
Jefferies has 6-3-9 in his last seven games and 9-11-20 in 29 games overall.
“The development of his game without the puck is the thing that excites me the most. His growth has been awesome. He has become such a good 200-foot player,’’ said Borek.
The surging Warriors are 11-3 since Jan. 1 and are tied with UConn for third place in Hockey East, just two points behind Lowell and UMass. It’s been a very impressive run for a team that was picked for ninth in the preseason coaches poll.
It’s been a true team effort. Merrimack’s roster isn’t loaded with big names and draft picks, but with six forwards who have scored 20 points or more, they’re getting balanced scoring. Freshman goalie Hugo Ollas is 9-4 with a .924 save percentage. In Declan Carlile they have one of the league’s top defensemen. And they play extremely hard.
The Warriors are delivering on the vision outlined by Borek when he recruited Jefferies.
“That was always the goal, to win a Hockey East championship,’’ said Jefferies. “We’re a really close group and we all really believe that we have a chance to win. When we play our best we can win on any given night. That’s just how we feel right now.’’
Jefferies gets feedback from Rod Pelley and Eric Cairns of the Islanders development staff and it’s helped.
“We do Zoom calls and they show me some clips. If it was a good weekend, they’re like, here’s what you’re doing well. Or if there’s something I need to work on, they show me that,’’ said Jefferies.
“They both played in the NHL so they know a ton. They’re trying to help me with my two-way game. I wasn’t always the best defensive player growing up, so they’ve been working on those little things with me. It’s been a big help so far.’’
Jefferies, who is one of the younger players on the team, plays on a line with Max Newton and Steven Jandric, both of whom are in their fifth season of NCAA hockey.
“They’re all very smart players. Alex and Steve Jandric both really get up and down the rink,’’ Borek said. “Alex plays the game the right way and so does Steve. And Max distributes the puck. He gets the puck to you in good places. And usually, because Max is really good at the dot, we start with possession.’’
For his part, Jeffries appreciates his linemates.
“They have so much experience. They’ve both played over 100 games. They help me a lot. Sometimes I get worked up, a little fired up, upset or angry and they’re just always calm. Whenever I need something, I look to them,’’ he said.
Vermont made the Jandric-Newton-Jefferies line work for its points.
“The funny thing is, it was an extremely frustrating weekend for that line. (Vermont) was all over them. They were very physical with Max (Newton). They tried to be physical with Alex, but you really can’t. Alex is a strong guy. And Jandric is a really strong guy. They really beat Max up quite a bit, so the guy who gets (Alex) the puck wasn’t able to as much,’’ said Borek.
“But he worked through all the traffic, all the crap and still scored both winning goals. I’m telling you, before Christmas he was on the weak side of the rink, he would not have been attacking the net without the puck and he wouldn’t have been there to score that goal. Now, he’s right there.’’
To be in the conversation at the top of Hockey East at this point in the season is a big step forward for the Warriors.
“We’re just trying to keep playing our best. That’s our goal – to win it. We think we can do it,’’ said Jefferies.
