Merrimack's Eliot Medlock celebrates a key goal in the Tomahawks' 5-1 Divison II quarterfinal win over Manchester Memorial late Saturday night at JFK Coliseum. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

MANCHESTER – You can’t start at half speed against the Merrimack High School boys hockey team.

The previously unbeaten Crusaders from Manchester Memorial found that out on Saturday night at JFK Coliseum, and it was a cruel lesson as the Tomahawks advanced to the Division II semis for the third straight year with a stunning 5-1 quarterfinal/regional final win.

The Tomahawks attacked right away, and really never let up.

“That’s exactly what we did,” Merrimack coach Dan Belliveau said. “That was the game plan. I watched the video of when we played them at the West Side Ice Arena (during the regular season, a 6-5 Memorial win), and it took us to the end of the first period to really get our offense going. …

“I figured if I could get us going right away, a fast start, get it to the net, let the boys go to work, and tonight they did a good job.”

And thus Merrimack will take on Somersworth-Coe Brown, a 2-1 OT winner over St. Thomas last night, in the semis at Dover Ice Arena Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. The Tomahawks last night jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead and 3-0 early in the second, and the Crusaders (10-1) were back on the heels of their skates.

“Merrimack came out really hot, they were flying, moving their feet and they were on top of us,” Memorial coach Chuck Goss said. “The only way you can describe (the start) was it was flat.”

The ‘Hawks got two goals each from Dom Carozza and Eliot Medlock, but things started with Evan Roy’s goal at 3:39 of the first, assisted by Medlock. Then Carozza got in the act with a break-in, beating Crusader netminder Mason Langevin at 4:58 for that 2-0 lead.

Medlock, a freshman who plays like a senior, scored two second period goals that broke the Crusaders’ backs. He converted a breakaway pass from goalie Ben Hardy on the power play just 1:17 into the period to make it 3-0.

But his last was the most important. Memorial finally broke through on Hardy (18 saves) on a goal by Kody Boyce at 12:20. But just 13 seconds later Merrimack got a 2-on-1, and Medlock converted Roy’s pass for a killer goal, the ‘Hawks up 4-1.

“As you guys know, momentum swings in this game are huge, and can make all the difference in the world,” Belliveau said. “We talked about that all season long. Medlock’s goal was very important to swing that momentum back in our favor and it shut them down.”

“They answered,” Goss said. “When you get that one, it’s 3-1, and a two-goal lead is the most dangerous lead in hockey. They answered right back, and what little wind we got, it went out of the sails at that point.”

Carozza scored an empty netter with 1:05 left, and he and the other five Tomahawk seniors are going to their third semifinal, hoping that third one is the charm. But it was clear that tourney experience was a key last night, something the Crusaders clearly lacked.

“It’s tough to not have that experience,” Goss said. “They can’t push out the sounds, they can’t push out the crowd, the excitement from their friends and family, and it showed.”

It also helped Merrimack to have one tourney game, a prelim, already under its belt while the Crusaders sat and waited.

“We talked about the stages we needed to take to get that momentum going,” Belliveau said. “It allowed us to practice some of that offense and defense, get that postseason feeling, get it under your skin and get it going.”

And now the Tomahawks have got it going all the way to the Division II Frozen Four.

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