Mercyhurst University (14-13-3, 11-9-2 AHA) vs. No. 16 Niagara (19-6-5, 18-3-2)
When: Friday and Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Friday at Dwyer Arena – Niagara University, N.Y.; Saturday at Mercyhurst Ice Center
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst slipped to third in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings after being swept at home by Rochester Institute of Technology, 3-2 in overtime and 5-3, last weekend. … The Lakers hold a two-point lead over Connecticut, Holy Cross and RIT while trailing second-place Air Force by three points in the race for a top-four finish and a first-round bye in the conference tournament. Four points separate the Lakers from Bentley and Canisius, which are tied for eighth, with four games left in the regular season. … Niagara clinched the regular-season championship last weekend, their first AHA title since joining the conference in the 2010-11 season and first overall since 2006-07 in the now-defunct College Hockey America men’s conference. … Mercyhurst is winless in four straight games (0-3-1), their longest skid in more than three years. … The Lakers opened the season Oct. 13 with a 2-1 loss at Niagara. … Lakers coach Rick Gotkin needs two wins to become the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins. … Fifth-year senior G Max Strang has made 10 straight starts. … Junior D Randy Cure (upper-body injury) rejoined the lineup last weekend after missing a month. … Sophomore F Nardo Nagtzaam (lower body) hasn’t played since early January. … Sophomore F Chris Bodo is tied for third in NCAA Division I with eight power-play goals. … Junior F Daniel O’Donoghue is tied for the national lead with three short-handed goals. … Junior G Carson Chubak, who joins senior F Giancarlo Iuorio on the Hobey Baker Award list for national player of the year, leads the nation with six shutouts. Chubak also ranks among the top 10 with a 1.76 goals-against average, .942 save percentage and .768 winning percentage. … Mercyhurst’s fifth-ranked scoring offense (3.33 goals per game) faces Niagara’s defense, which is tied for 12th at 2.33 goals against per game. The Purple Eagles also are tied for 12th with 3.20 goals scored per game. The Lakers are tied for 34th in scoring defense at 2.80 goals per game.

- Victor Fernandes

Rochester Institute of Technology (10-13-5, 8-9-4 AHA) at Mercyhurst University (14-11-3, 12-7-2)
When: Fridayand Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst remains second in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings despite a loss and tie at home against third-place Air Force last weekend. The Lakers, who have six games left in the regular season, are one point ahead of the Falcons and four points ahead of Canisius, Connecticut and Holy Cross, who are in a three-way tie for fourth. RIT is another two points back in eighth. Eight points separate the Lakers and 10th-place Army. … Lakers coach Rick Gotkin needs two wins to become the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins. … Sophomore F Ryan Misiak earned AHA player of the week honors for the second straight time. He has four goals and 10 points in his last six games. … Fifth-year senior G Max Strang has made eight straight starts while junior G Jordan Tibbett has been out with a lower-body injury. … The Lakers also have been without junior D Randy Cure (upper body) and sophomore F Nardo Nagtzaam (lower body). … Mercyhurst has risen to fourth in NCAA Division I with 3.39 goals scored per game (95 goals in 28 games) and a 22.8 power-play percentage (26-for-114). RIT has the nation’s top power play at 25.9 percent (28-for-108) and 11th-best scoring offense (3.25 goals per game). … In contrast, Mercyhurst is tied for 29th nationally in scoring defense (2.71 goals allowed per game), while RIT is tied for 55th out of 59 teams at 3.50 per game. … Misiak (31 points) and RIT junior F Michael Colavecchia (24 points) rank among the top 25 nationally in scoring. … Colavecchia and Lakers sophomore F Chris Bodo are tied for third with eight power-play goals. … RIT junior D Greg Noyes is eighth among all defensemen with 22 points. … RIT reached the AHA title game the past three years (won in 2010).

- Victor Fernandes

Mercyhurst University (11-9-1, 9-5-0 AHA) at Canisius (8-11-5, 7-6-2)
When: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Buffalo State Sports Arena, Buffalo
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.gogriffs.com (live audio and statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst meets longtime rival Canisius for the 72nd time after having Friday night’s game against the Golden Griffins at Mercyhurst Ice Center moved to Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at MIC. A water main break in the city Thursday prompted university officials to close school and send students home through the weekend. … The Lakers are tied for second with Holy Cross in the tight Atlantic Hockey Association standings. Five points separate the Lakers from 10th-place Connecticut. The Golden Griffins are in seventh, but are only two points out of second. Niagara, which suffered its first conference loss of the season at Holy Cross last weekend, tops the standings by nine points. … The Lakers edged Canisius 3-2 in overtime Dec. 18 at MIC on sophomore F Matthew Zay‘s winnning goal to take a 38-24-9 lead in the all-time series. … Junior F Kyle Just (upper-body injury) could rejoin the lineup tonight after missing the past six games. … Junior D Randy Cure (upper body) and freshman D Anthony Mastrodicasa (lower body) are cleared to skate, but neither will rejoin the lineup tonight. … Sophomore F Nardo Nagtzaam (lower body) will miss at least another three to four weeks. … The Golden Griffins were swept by Bentley 3-2 in overtime and 7-2 last weekend. … Canisius junior G Tony Capobianco ranks second in conference play with a 2.13 goals-against average and third with a .930 save percentage. … Mercyhurst junior G Jordan Tibbett (.924) and fifth-year senior G Max Strang (.922) are fourth and fifth, respectively, in save percentage. Strang, the reigning AHA goaltender of the week, has a 5-1-0 record, 1.61 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in his past six appearances. … Senior F Paul Chiasson needs one point to become the 15th player in Mercyhurst’s NCAA Division I history to reach 100 points. … Junior F Daniel O’Donoghue has a five-game point streak and 11 points in six games this month. … Lakers coach Rick Gotkin needs five wins to become the 26th college coach to reach 450 wins. … Freshman F Ralph Cuddemi, a former Erie Otters draft pick (11th round in 2010), has no goals and two points in 18 games for the Golden Griffins this season. … Mercyhurst stands 14th in Division I at 3.19 goals scored per game. In contrast, Canisius ranks 47th out of 59 teams at 2.25 per game. … However, the Golden Griffins are seventh nationally in scoring defense (2.12 goals allowed per game). The Lakers are 40th at 2.90 per game. … The Golden Griffins are 0-7-0 in one-goal games and 0-3-5 in games decided in overtime.

- Victor Fernandes

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

Mercyhurst (0-2-1, 0-1-0 AHA) at Sacred Heart (0-4-1, 0-2-1)
When: Today, 7:05 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.
Where: Today at Northford Ice Pavilion – Northford, Conn.; Saturday at Webster Bank Arena – Bridgeport, Conn.
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.sacredheartpioneers.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Officials at Sacred Heart moved tonight’s game from Milford Ice Pavilion, located in Connecticut’s coastal town of Milford, reportedly because the effects of Hurricane Sandy knocked out power at the rink. Northford is 20 miles northeast of Milford. Saturday’s game remains in the coastal city of Bridgeport at Webster Bank Arena, home of the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. … Mercyhurst returns to Atlantic Hockey Association play after taking last weekend off. The Lakers haven’t played since losing 7-3 and tying 3-3 at nationally ranked Ferris State two weeks ago. … They continue a season-opening stretch of 11 straight road games. Six of the last eight games are against conference teams. … They swept both games from the Pioneers, 9-1 and 3-1, at Mercyhurst Ice Center a season ago. … The Lakers opened AHA play with a 2-1 loss at Niagara Oct. 13. … Sacred Heart lost 7-1 at Bentley Oct. 16 before losing once and tying once against Army two weeks ago. … The Pioneers lost 6-3 last Saturday against NCAA Division I newcomer Penn State, which features former Lakers Taylor Holstrom and Nate Jensen.

- 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 received two votes in USCHO.com’s opening Division I poll of the season, which was released Monday. Mercyhurst spent two weeks on the honorable mention list last January on the way to a 20-16-4 record a season ago. The Lakers are one of four Atlantic Hockey Association schools that earned votes in the poll.
Defending AHA champion Air Force stands 19th with 116 points. Rochester Institute of Technology (six points), Mercyhurst and Niagara (two) were among the honorable mention.
Boston College begins defense of its national championship ranked No. 1 with 35 first-place votes and 972 points. Minnesota stands second with 12 first-place votes and 937 points, followed by Michigan at No. 3 with three first-place votes and 857 points. North Dakota (826) and Union (789) complete the top five.
Mercyhurst plays 12 games against five teams ranked among the top 20 or the honorable mention. No. 11 Ferris State, which lost to BC in the national title game this past spring, and No. 15 Maine joins Air Force, RIT and Niagara on the schedule.

Five players headline the Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team’s recruiting class for the 2012-13 season.
Rick Gotkin, who enters his 25th season as coach, has brought in three defensemen – Anthony Mastrodicasa from Woodbridge, Ontario, Mychal Monteith (Toledo, Ohio) and Justin Stevens (Brantford, Ontario). Mastrodicasa (6-foot 1-inch, 195 pounds), a two-time captain with the Vaughan Vipers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, had 25 goals and 85 points in 69 games the past two seasons.
Monteith (5-9, 180) led the Texas Tornado to the North American Hockey League’s Robertson Cup finals this past season. Stevens (5-11, 205) had four goals and 24 points in 43 games with the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the Central Canadian Hockey League in 2011-12.
Gotkin also added forward Kyle Cook (6-4, 215) from Middleburg Heights, Ohio, and Moon Township native Alec Shields (5-9, 180). Cook finished sixth in the NAHL this past season with 70 points (31 goals, 39 assists) in 59 games for the Springfield Jr. Blues. Shields had five points in eight games for the NAHL’s Traverse City North Stars before a torn tendon in his hand ended his season. Cook, whose expected to be ready for the start of the 2012-13 season, had 21 goals and 51 points in 50 games with Traverse City two seasons ago.
Mercyhurst begins the season Oct. 6 with a 7:05 p.m. exhibition game against Wilfrid Laurier, from Waterloo, Ontario, at Mercyhurst Ice Center. The regular season opens Oct. 13 with an Atlantic Hockey Association game at Niagara.

The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team has faced daunting schedules in the past. The 2012-13 season won’t be any different.
The Lakers, which finished 20-16-4 and reached the Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament’s final four in 2011-12, opens the season Oct. 6 with an exhibition game at Mercyhurst Ice Center against Wilfrid Laurier, from Waterloo, Ontario. Then they begin the regular season Oct. 13 at AHA rival Niagara – the first of 11 straight road games. They head to Ferris State, NCAA Division I’s runner-up a season ago, for games Oct. 19-20, followed by trips to Sacred Heart (Nov. 2-3), Rochester Institute of Technology (Nov. 9), Bentley (Nov. 23-24) and Air Force (Nov. 30) for AHA games as well as to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Nov. 16-17 for a non-conference series.
Mercyhurst finally plays its first regular-season home games Dec. 7-8 against AHA foe American International before heading to Clarkson for a game Dec. 15. The Lakers also play at Maine Jan. 4-5. They play seven of their 14 home games in February. The regular season ends March 1-2 with a home-and-home conference series against Robert Morris. The AHA Tournament begins March 8.

Mercyhurst men’s 2012-13 schedule
(all times p.m.)
Date Opp. Time
October
6 vs. Wilfrid Laurier# 7:05
13 at Niagara* 7:05
19 at Ferris State 7:05
20 at Ferris State 7:05
November
2 at Sacred Heart* 7:05
3 at Sacred Heart* 7:05
9 at RIT* 7:05
16 at RPI 7
17 at RPI 7
23 at Bentley* 7:05
24 at Bentley* 7:05
30 at Air Force* 9:05
December
7 vs. AIC* 7:05
8 vs. AIC* 7:05
15 at Clarkson 7
18 vs. Canisius* 7:05
January
4 at Maine^ 7:07
5 at Maine 7:07
11 vs. Holy Cross* 7:05
12 vs. Holy Cross* 7:05
18 at Connecticut* 7:05
19 at Connecticut* 7:05
25 vs. Canisius* 7:05
26 at Canisius* 7:05
February
1 vs. Army* 7:05
2 vs. Army* 7:05
5 at Robert Morris* 7:05
8 vs. Air Force* 7:05
9 vs. Air Force* 7:05
15 vs. RIT* 7:05
16 vs. RIT* 7:05
22 at Niagara* 7:05
23 vs. Niagara* 7:05
March
1 at Robert Morris* 7:05
2 vs. Robert Morris* 7:05
8-10 AHA Tournament first round TBA@
15-17 AHA Tournament quarterfinals TBA@
22 AHA Tournament semfinals TBA&
23 AHA Tournament final TBA&
# Exhibition game
* Atlantic Hockey Association game
^ at Portland, Maine
@ at higher-seeded team
& at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.