Meghan Agosta (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Meghan Agosta wouldn’t allow a ninth straight conference championship slip away.

Her hat trick sparked the Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team’s comeback from two deficits in a 5-4 win against Syracuse in the College Hockey America title game at Tennity Ice Pavilion Saturday night.

Agosta, the nation’s leading scorer, scored her first two goals 2 minutes, 5 seconds apart midway through the second period to erase a 2-0 lead Syracuse built with two goals on three shots in the first period.

Syracuse’s Isabel Menard snapped the tie on the power play 14:05 into the second with her team-leading 19^th goal of the season. But the fourth-ranked and top-seeded Lakers (29-5-0) tied the score at 3 on Vicki Bendus’ power-play goal with 30 seconds left in the period.

The Lakers took control early in the third, as Bailey Bram and Agosta scored 21 seconds apart to open a 5-3 lead. Julie Rising scored on the power play – the Orange’s fourth goal with the man advantage – to slice Mercyhurst’s lead to 5-4 with 8:39 left. Syracuse scored all four goals on 19 shots.

But the Lakers held off third-seeded Syracuse on their home ice down the stretch to claim their ninth championship in the conference’s 9-year history. Agosta, the tournament’s most valuable player, became the first player in NCAA history to reach 300 career points. Jesse Scanzano had three assists.

Kallie Billadeau, who shut out Niagara 1-0 in the semifinals Friday, stopped 41-of-46 shots against the Lakers. Rising, Menard and Stefanie Marty had a goal and assist apiece for the Orange (14-16-6).

The Lakers learn their NCAA tournament fate today at 6:30 p.m., as the eight-team field will be unveiled during a live webcast on www.ncaasports.com. They have made six straight trips to the NCAA playoffs.

- Victor Fernandes

College Hockey America Tournament

at Tennity Ice Pavilion – Syracuse, N.Y.

First round – Thursday

No. 5 Robert Morris 4, No. 4 Wayne State 2

Semifinals – Friday

No. 1 Mercyhurst 3, No. 5 Robert Morris 1

No. 3 Syracuse 1, No. 2 Niagara 0

Championship game – Saturday

No. 1 Mercyhurst 5, No. 3 Syracuse 4

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 5, Syracuse 4

Syracuse  2  1  1  —  4

Mercyhurst  0  3  2  —  5

1^st Period — 1. Syracuse, Stefanie Marty 8 (Rising), 4:00 (pp). 2. Syracuse, Margot Scharfe 7 (Carrie-Mattimo, Isabel Menard), 14:39 (pp). Penalties — Lacroix (M) interference, 2:48; Skelly (S) body checking, 6:59; Schols (M) holding, 13:38; Hosoyamada (S) cross checking, 14:49; Cicero (M) high sticking, 14:49; Cockell (S) cross checking, 17:15.

2^nd Period — 3. Mercyhurst, Meghan Agosta 34 (unassisted), 10:05 (pp). 4. Mercyhurst, Agosta 35 (J. Jones, Scanzano), 12:10. 5. Syracuse, Isabel Menard 19 (Cockell, Carrie-Mattimo), 14:05 (pp). 6. Mercyhurst, Vicki Bendus 19 (Schols, Scanzano), 19:30 (pp). Penalties — Menard (S) interference, 1:01; Bram (M) body checking, 3:47; Mullan (S) hooking, 8:51; Bendus (M) tripping, 13:43; Skelly (S) interference, 13:48; Scanzano (M) slashing, 13:54; Steadman (M) roughing, 16:18; Mullan (S) body checking, 19:02; Cockell (S) holding, 19:20; Bram (M) embellishment, 19:20.

3^rd Period — 7. Mercyhurst, Bailey Bram 15 (unassisted), 8:55. 8. Mercyhurst, Agosta 36 (Scanzano), 9:16. 9. Syracuse, Julie Rising 11 (Marty, Dimmen), 11:21 (pp). Penalties — J. Jones (M) tripping, 9:25; Steadman (M) body checking, 15:17; Cockell (S) holding, 18:41.

Shots on goal — Syracuse, 3-10-6—19; Mercyhurst, 13-23-10—46.

Goaltenders — Syracuse, Kallie Billadeau 7-11-3 (41 shots, 36 saves); Mercyhurst, Hillary Pattenden 27-5-0 (19 shots, 15 saves).

Power plays — Syracuse (4-8), Mercyhurst (2-7).

Referees — Jason Ellis, Joe Alfieri. Linesmen — Aaron Belair, Will McStravick.

Attendance — 227.