The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team needed a spark to gain control of a tight game Saturday against American International.
Daniel Bahntge provided it. The sophomore forward recorded his second collegiate hat trick, including the tiebreaking goal, in a 7-2 Atlantic Hockey Association win in front of 625 fans at Mercyhurst Ice Center. The Lakers rebounded from a 7-3 loss to AIC Friday.
Bahntge began his three-goal outing by snapping a 1-1 tie 8 minutes, 29 seconds into the second period. His goal sparked a stretch of six straight goals – four in the decisive second period – that opened a 7-1 lead. He capped the onslaught with his final two goals in the third.
Chris Bodo scored two goals for the Lakers (6-6-1, 6-3-0 AHA), while Matthew Zay had three assists. Max Strang made 26 saves to earn the win in net. Mercyhurst outshot the Yellow Jackets (4-8-3, 1-6-3) by a 38-28 count. The Lakers return to action next Saturday with a non-conference game at Clarkson, followed by an AHA home game Dec. 18 against Canisius.

American International (3-7-3, 0-5-3 AHA) at Mercyhurst (5-5-1, 5-2-0)
When: Today, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, 4:05 p.m.
Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center
On the air: www.americasports.com (live stream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst plays its first home games after completing a season-opening stretch of 11 straight road games with a 5-4 win at Air Force last Friday. … The Lakers were 11-4-1 at home a season ago. … They have lost three of the last four meetings with AIC, including two losses at home two seasons ago. They split two games in Springfield, Mass., a season ago. … The Lakers are tied for fourth in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings, eight points behind frontrunning Niagara, which has opened the conference season with a 9-0-0 record. AIC stands 11th in the 12-team conference. … The Lakers hold their annual “Teddy Bear Toss” tonight to benefit the United States Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots Program. Fans can attend the game for free by donating a new or gently used stuffed animal and then tossing them onto the ice for the team’s first goal. … AIC has finished 10th or worst in the AHA standings every season since the conference began in 2003, including eight consecutive last-place finishes from 2003-11. … AIC, which continues a season-high, eight-game road trip, are winless in five straight games (0-3-2). … The Yellow Jackets have scored two goals or fewer in nine of 13 games. … They gained their only points in the AHA standings with ties against Canisius, Rochester Institute of Technology and Sacred Heart. … But they have a non-conference win against Quinnipiac, which stands 13th in the USCHO.com Division I poll.
Upcoming schedule: Dec. 15 at Clarkson, 7 p.m.; Dec. 18 vs. Canisius, 7:05 p.m.

- Victor Fernandes

The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team will play the first 11 games of the regular season on the road. Yet before embarking on a stretch of road games that will last nearly two months, the Lakers will enjoy one game at Mercyhurst Ice Center.
The Lakers begin the 2012-13 season today at 7:05 p.m. with an exhibition game against Wilfrid Laurier, from Waterloo, Ontario. The Lakers, which posted a 20-16-4 record and reached the Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament semifinals a season ago, begins the regular season Oct. 13 at AHA rival Niagara. The home opener is Dec. 7 against conference foe American International.

The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team was chosen to finish third out of 12 teams in the Atlantic Hockey Association’s preseason coaches poll, which was released Tuesday.
The Lakers received no first-place votes and 89 points. Air Force, the defending regular-season and tournament champions, earned eight first-place votes and 112 points. Niagara was second with three first-place votes and 101 points. Bentley and Rochester Institute of Technology were tied for fourth with 87 points.
Holy Cross (74) placed sixth, followed by Connecticut (65) and Robert Morris (61), which had one first-place vote. Canisius (38), Army (30), American International (20) and Sacred Heart (19) rounded out the rest of the list.

Lakers drop to 9th in USCHO.com poll

The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team dropped to ninth in the latest USCHO.com poll Division I poll despite not playing a regular-season game last week. The Lakers (6-2-0) lost to the Canadian Women’s Hockey League’s Brampton Thunder 3-1 in an exhibition game on Wednesday.

Northeastern (8-1-1) moved ahead of Mercyhurst by 12 points in voting. Wisconsin (11-1-0) remains No. 1 ahead of No. 2 Cornell (4-0-0) and No. 3 Minnesota (10-2-0). Boston College (6-3-1) and Boston University (6-4-1) completed the top 5. Minnesota Duluth (4-5-1) stands sixth, followed by North Dakota (7-4-1) at No. 7. Harvard (2-0-0) is 10^th.

Lakers’ Strang earns AHA honor

Mercyhurst College redshirt junior goaltender Max Strang was named Atlantic Hockey Association’s co-goaltender of the week with American International’s Ben Meisner. He extended his and the team’s winning streaks to four straight games with a weekend sweep of AHA rival Connecticut last weekend.

He stopped 27-of-30 shots in a 4-3 overtime win Friday and added 41 saves in his first career shutout, a 2-0 win Saturday. Strang has a 4-4-0 record with 3.12 goals-against average and .916 save percentage this season. Those numbers improve to 3-0-0, 1.32 and .967 in conference play.

(in order of predicted finish)

Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers

2009-10 record: 28-12-1, 22-5-1 AHA

Coach: Wayne Wilson, 12th season (216-103-25)

Players to watch: Jr. F Cameron Burt (16-31-47), Sr. F Andrew Favot (13-33-46), Jr. F Tyler Brenner (15-11-26), D Chris Haltigin (11-13-24), C Sean Murphy (6-13-19)

Outlook: The Tigers enjoyed a magical ride to the conference’s first NCAA Division I Frozen Four berth last season. If they find a replacement for graduated G Jared DeMichiel (27-10-1, 2.09, .920, 5 SO in 2009-10), they will have the inside track for another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Mercyhurst Lakers

2009-10 record: 15-20-3, 15-10-3 AHA

Coach: Rick Gotkin, 23rd season (399-272-52)

Players to watch: R-So. F Phil Ginand (15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points in 2008-09), Sr. F Mike Gurtler (14-16-30 in 2009-10), Sr. F Brandon Coccimiglio (14-14-28), Sr. G Ryan Zapolski (15-17-3 record, 2.79 goals-against average, .918 save percentage, 2 shutouts), Sr. D Jeff Terminesi (5-13-18, plus-17)

Outlook: Ginand’s return to a lineup filled with size makes the Lakers an imposing team in the conference. They will be in contention for the conference title until the end of the season.

Air Force Falcons

2009-10 record: 16-15-6, 14-8-6 AHA

Coach: Frank Serratore, 13th season (198-212-32)

Players to watch: Sr. F Jacques Lamoureux (22-20-42), Sr. F Derrick Burnett (10-23-33), Jr. D Tim Kirby (5-19-24), So. F Kyle De Laurell (6-12-18), Jr. D Scott Mathis (2-14-16)

Outlook: Lamoureux, whose sisters, Jocelyne and Monique, won silver with Team USA at the Vancouver Olympics, leads a veteran Falcons’ team. But they need to replace their longtime starter in net, Andrew Volkening (16-15-6, 2.44, .918 in 2009-10).

Canisius Golden Griffins

2009-10 record: 17-15-5, 13-11-4 AHA

Coach: Dave Smith, 6th season (N/A)

Players to watch: Sr. F Cory Conacher (20-33-53), Sr. F Vincent Scarsella (11-30-41), So. F Preston Shupe (10-15-25), Jr. G Dan Morrison (12-11-3, 3.16, .906, 3 SO)

Outlook: Conacher, the reigning AHA player of the year, and Scarsella ignite one of the nation’s leading offenses. But the Golden Griffins need to replace two key weapons in Josh Heidinger (11-28-39 in 2009-10) and Carl Hudson (14-20-34).

Sacred Heart Pioneers

2009-10 record: 21-13-4, 16-9-3 AHA

Coach: C.J. Marottolo, 1st season (0-0-0)

Players to watch: Sr. F Patrick Knowlton (13-26-39), Jr. F Matt Gingera (11-12-23), Sr. F David Berube (10-7-17), So. D Alex Stuart (1-10-11), So. Steven Legatto (19-10-3, 3.10, .907, 2 SO)

Outlook: Marottolo takes over a program that lost four of its top five players from the 2009-10 team. But he still had Legatto, who had a standout season in net as a freshman.

Army Black Knights

2009-10 record: 11-18-7, 10-12-6 AHA

Coach: Brian Riley, 7th season (79-102-32)

Players to watch: Sr. F Cody Omilusik (18-16-34), Jr. F Mike Hull (8-20-28), D Marcel Alvarez (6-14-20), Jr. F Danny Colvin (6-12-18), Sr. G Jay Clark (11-16-5, 3.00, .908, 1 SO)

Outlook: The Black Knights lost leading scorer Eric Sefchik (11-24-35 in 2009-10). But they return enough talent, led by Omilusik up front and Clark in net, to enjoy a solid season.

Robert Morris Colonials

2009-10 record: 10-19-6, 6-10-4 CHA

Coach: Derek Schooley, 6th season (59-94-20)

Players to watch: Sr. F Nathan Longpre (14-17-31), Sr. F Chris Kushneriuk (11-18-29), Sr. D Denny Urban (10-14-24), Jr. F Trevor Lewis (5-16-21), Jr. G Brooks Ostergard (9-16-3, 3.13, .906)

Outlook: The Colonials take a veteran club into their inaugural AHA season. But in this conference, they should be middle of the pack.

Niagara Purple Eagles

2009-10 record: 12-20-4, 6-10-2 CHA

Coach: Dave Burkholder, 10th season (156-141-32)

Players to watch: Sr. F Bryan Haczyk (9-13-22), Sr. F Paul Zanette (11-10-21), So. F Marc Zanette (7-13-20), Jr. G Chris Noonan (7-9-1, 3.20, .909)

Outlook: The Purple Eagles join former College Hockey America counterpart Robert Morris in the now 12-team AHA. With the departure of leading scorers Chris Moran (9-33-42 in 2009-10), Ryan Olidis (14-19-33) and Tyler Gotto (11-14-25), their first season could be difficult.

Bentley Falcons

2009-10 record: 12-19-4, 10-15-3 AHA

Coach: Ryan Soderquist, 9th season (99-154-28)

Players to watch: So. F Joe Campanelli (10-15-25), So. F Dan Koudys (6-14-20), So. F Brett Hartung (10-5-15), Jr. G Kyle Rank (8-12-3, 3.33, .895)

Outlook: The Falcons relied on several underclassmen last season. Those players are back to lead the way again this year.

Holy Cross Crusaders

2009-10 record: 12-19-6, 10-13-5 AHA

Coach: Paul Pearl, 16th season (226-226-54)

Players to watch: So. F Rob Linsmayer (4-15-19), Jr. F Jay Silvia (10-4-14), Jr. D Mike Daly (3-10-13), So. G Thomas Tysowsky (11-17-6, 2.43, .910, 2 SO)

Outlook: The Crusaders need to replace three of their top four scorers – Jordan Cyr (14-16-30), Everett Sheen (9-11-20) and Brodie Sheahan (10-4-14). That should be difficult, since the team scored only 87 goals in 37 games last season.

Connecticut Huskies

2009-10 record: 7-27-3, 6-19-3 AHA

Coach: Bruce Marshall, 23rd season (301 wins)

Players to watch: Sr. F Andrew Olson (9-10-19), So. F Sean Ambrosie (7-11-18), Sr. F Jason Krispel (3-12-15), So. G Garrett Bartus (5-14-1, 3.26, .900)

Outlook: Marshall recorded his 300th career win last season. But the Huskies didn’t win many more games. Offense was a culprit, as they scored 59 goals in 37 games.

American International Yellow Jackets

2009-10 record: 5-24-4, 5-19-4 AHA

Coach: Gary Wright, 27th season (264-466-55)

Players to watch: So. F Adam Pleskach (15-9-24), Sr. F Steve McLeod (9-13-22), Sr. F Tom Mele (9-8-17), Jr. F Nielsson Arcibal (3-12-15), So. G Ben Meisner (4-12-2, 3.66, .901, 3 SO)

Outlook: The Yellow Jackets return 17 letterwinners from the 2009-10 team. But that team struggled in many facets of the game. Don’t expect much different this season.

- Victor Fernandes

The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team has been picked to finish second this season in the Atlantic Hockey Association Preseason Coaches Poll, released Tuesday afternoon at AHA Media Day in Rochester, N.Y.

The Lakers earned 101 points and two of the possible 12 first-place votes.

RIT, which made history last season as the first AHA team to advance to the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, was picked as the early favorite to win the conference this season with 118 points and eight first-place votes.

Air Force was tabbed third with 98 points, followed by newcomers Robert Morris (82) and Niagara (82) in a tie for fourth, with the Colonials garnering the final two first-place nods. Both teams enter their first season as full-fledged AHA members after leaving College Hockey America.

Canisius, (63) Sacred Heart (61), Holy Cross (60), Army (48), Bentley (47), Connecticut (21) and American International (11) rounded out the poll in spots 6 – 12. The Lakers officially open the 2010-11 season when they face Michigan on Oct. 2 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Game time is slated for 7:35 p.m.

- From Mercyhurst news release

Rick Gotkin (Contributed/USCHO.com)

Head coach Rick Gotkin of the Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team released Monday the details of the Lakers’ 2010-11 schedule, highlighted by 18 regular-season home games, a date with perennial power Michigan and a possible meeting against defending NCAA Division I champion Boston College.

“We’re very excited and really looking forward to this season,” said coach Gotkin, who is sitting on 399 wins entering his 23rd season at Mercyhurst. “We want to have a challenging schedule to prepare our players for the road ahead. Playing teams such as Michigan and Boston College gives us the experience to tackle the teams in our conference. Our league has gotten better and better over the years, and with the addition of Robert Morris and Niagara this season, it’s probably the toughest it’s ever been.”

The Lakers will play 34 regular-season games and two exhibition contests in their 24th season of intercollegiate play. Twenty-seven of those games will be against teams from Atlantic Hockey Association, while the remaining seven put the Lakers up against foes from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC Hockey), and possibly Hockey East (HEA).

Unlike previous years, Gotkin and his squad won’t have an opportunity to get a tune-up in before their first game as they head straight to Ann Arbor, Mich., to face Michigan on Oct. 2 at Yost Ice Arena. It will be the season opener for both squads and the first time the Lakers and Wolverines faced off against each other since a 5-3 loss in the 2003-04 season.

After the bout with the Wolverines, the Lakers return home to open the doors to the Mercyhurst Ice Center with a five-game home stand, beginning with an exhibition contest against Queens University, a Kingston, Ontario, school, on Oct. 3. A two-game series against Western Michigan (Oct. 15-16) follows before Canisius comes to town on Oct. 19 and the United States Under-18 National Team for another exhibition on Oct. 24.

The Lakers resume league play for the next 11 games, beginning with consecutive road singles at Niagara (Oct. 29) and Air Force (Nov. 5). The next five contests feature a pair of two-game home series against Army (Nov. 12-13) and American International (Nov. 26-27) sandwiched around a game at Robert Morris on Nov. 19. A trip to Sacred Heart (Dec. 3-4) and a home series against Rochester Institute of Technology (Dec. 10-11) close out the stretch and lead the team into non-conference action for the rest of the month.

Following a series against former Division II rival Alabama-Huntsville (Dec. 16-17) at home, the Lakers will have two weeks off before taking part in the 2010 Ledyard Bank Classic in Hanover, N.H., where they will face Dartmouth (Dec. 30) in the opening game and either Boston College or Colgate, depending on the outcome, the next day.

Mercyhurst has not faced Boston College since a 5-4 setback in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Division I Tournament.

Atlantic Hockey play then heats up again as the Lakers open up the second half of the season on the road at Connecticut (Jan. 7-8), followed by a home series against Holy Cross (Jan. 14-15) and a trip to Bentley (Jan. 21-22). Mercyhurst closes out its three-game season series with RIT in Rochester, N.Y. on Jan. 29, taking the team into the final month of the regular season.

Back-to-back home-and-home series kick off the month of February with the Lakers facing Niagara (Feb. 4-5) and Robert Morris (Feb. 11-12). Both series will have Mercyhurst on the road for the first contest. Air Force (Feb. 18-19) then closes out its series with a pair at the Mercyhurst Ice Center before the regular-season finale against Canisius on Feb. 25 on the road and Feb. 26 in Erie.

- From Mercyhurst news release