MISSISSAUGA, Ontario – Former Mercyhurst College women’s hockey players Meghan Agosta, Vicki Bendus and Jesse Scanzano were all drafted in the top five of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) draft held recently in Mississauga, Ontario.

Agosta was drafted first overall by Montreal and was followed closely by Bendus, who went fourth overall to Brampton, and Scanzano, who was drafted fifth overall by Toronto. Also drafted from Mercyhurst in the CWHL draft were defensemen Melissa Lacroix (17^th overall by Toronto) and Cassea Schols (60^th overall by Alberta).

The five aforementioned players join three other former Lakers currently playing in the CWHL: goaltender Laura Hosier (Brampton), defenseman Ashley Pendleton (Brampton), and forward Samatha Shirley (Burlington).

- From Mercyhurst news release

Paul Colontino, associate head coach of the Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team, has announced his resignation to become the head coach of the women’s hockey team at Robert Morris University, a College Hockey America affiliate located in Moon Township.

Colontino becomes the third head coach in the history of the RMU women’s ice hockey program after the departure of Nate Handrahan, who accepted the same position at The Ohio State University earlier this month.

“Good coaches are hard to come by,” said Mercyhurst Director of Athletics Joe Kimball. “This is a great opportunity for Paul. He has been a valuable asset and has played a major role in the success of our women’s hockey team. We wish him nothing but the best in this new endeavor.”

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Senior captain Meghan Agosta highlighted a list of nine members of the Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team that were honored Thursday evening as award winners at the 2011 College Hockey America Postseason Banquet, held at the Genesee Grande Hotel in Syracuse, N.Y.

Agosta was named CHA Player of the Year as well as a First Team All-CHA selection, marking the fourth time in her career she captured both accolades. She also took home the regular season scoring trophy for leading the league in points.

Head coach Michael Sisti was tabbed coach of the year, senior Cassea Schols was selected as the league’s top defenseman and junior Hillary Pattenden earned the regular season goaltending trophy, rounding out the Lakers’ major award winners.

Overall, eight Lakers landed spots on the all-league teams. Agosta, senior assistant captain Vicki Bendus, Schols and junior Pamela Zgoda were named first-team picks, while senior assistant captain Jesse Scanzano, junior Bailey Bram and Pattenden all found spots on the second team. Freshman Christine Bestland was named as the team’s lone representative on the all-rookie squad.

Under the direction of Sisti, the only coach in program history, the Lakers recorded their second undefeated conference season in the past three years. Mercyhurst went 16-0-0 against CHA competition, averaging 5.25 goals per game while allowing just over a goal per game (1.38).

In conference play, Agosta led the CHA in every offensive category. She scored 18 goals and added 23 assists for 41 points. 17 of her points came on the power play, while four others came on the penalty kill, including three short-handed goals.

Bendus, the 2010 CHA Player of the Year, ranked third in scoring in conference play. Through 14 games, missing two due to participating at the 2011 MLP Cup, she scored seven goals and added 17 assists for 24 points. Her 17 helpers placed her second in assists per game (1.21), and her 10 power-play points put her only behind Agosta for the conference lead.

Schols led all CHA blueliners with two goals and 15 points, averaging nearly a point per game (0.94). Of her 15 points, 10 of them came on the power play, putting her in a tie for second with fellow Lakers Bendus and Scanzano.

Zgoda ranked fourth in the conference in defenseman scoring, netting three goals and dishing out seven assists for 10 points. Setting a new career-high in overall points with 22 this season, she was one of four defensemen to rank in top-20 in CHA scoring, placing 18th overall.

Scanzano landed a spot on the second team after ranking second in the league in points (25) and third in both goals (11) and assists (14).

Bram, playing in only 11 conference games, placed 10th in scoring with three goals and 13 points.

Pattenden played in 15 of 16 league games, recording a perfect 15-0-0 record. During that stretch, she accumulated a league-leading 1.40 goals against average and a second-ranked .924 save percentage. In 42 career conference games, Pattenden holds a 40-1-1 record.

Bestland led the conference in rookie scoring, netting 12 goals and 23 points. She also placed fourth in overall points, second in goals and fifth in assists.

- From Mercyhurst news release

What: Robert Morris (5-19-7, 2-8-5 CHA) at No. 3 Mercyhurst College (26-5-0, 15-0-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center

On the air: www.americaone.com (Internet video), WMCE (radio)

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Sr. F Meghan Agosta (31 goals, 46 assists, 77 points), Jr. G Hillary Pattenden (24-5-0 record, 1.97 goals-against average, .908 save percentage, 6 shutouts), Sr. F Jesse Scanzano (22-28-50), Sr. F Vicki Bendus (18-31-49), Jr. F Bailey Bram (13-26-39)

Robert Morris – Fr. F Thea Imbrogno (12-14-26), Sr. F Sara O’Malley (12-14-26), Jr. F Brianna Delaney (10-16-26), So. F Dayna Newsom (5-16-21), So. F Kelsey Thomas (4-10-14)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – Agosta, the nation’s leading scorer and fourth-leading goal scorer, needs one goal to surpass the NCAA career record of 150 goals she shares with Harvard’s Nicole Corriero (2002-05). Agosta already holds the NCAA career marks for points and power-play goals. … The Lakers, which have won a season-high eight straight games, have clinched the No. 1 seed in next weekend’s College Hockey America tournament. They earn a first-round bye and will face either Wayne State or RMU in the semifinals on March 4 at 4 p.m. … The school will honor the 2011 graduating class – seniors Agosta, Bendus, Scanzano, Ashley Harper, Melissa Lacroix, Kylie Rossler and Cassea Schols and junior Meghan Corbett – before the final game of the regular season. … The Lakers have won all 26 career meetings with the Colonials, including three games this season. … Pattenden has allowed two goals or fewer in seven straight games. … The Lakers have seven players with double-digit goals, the most since the 2008-09 team that reached the NCAA Division I championship game. … Freshman F Christine Bestland (18-23-41) ranks fourth nationally in rookie scoring.

Robert Morris – The Colonials are unbeaten in a program-record five straight games (1-0-4) after losing their previous six games. … Delaney is the first player in program history to record double-digit goals for three straight seasons. … Imbrogno has points in a program-best eight straight games. … The Colonials have scored two goals or fewer in 23-of-31 games.

Up next: CHA Tournament at Syracuse (March 3-5)

– Victor Fernandes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Meghan Agosta still needs two goals to break the NCAA’s career goals record. But on Friday night, the Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team didn’t need her to score.

The No. 5 Lakers continued their stifling second-half defense in a 4-0 College Hockey America win against Syracuse at Tennity Ice Pavilion. Mercyhurst (25-5-0, 14-0-0 CHA) has six of seven shutout wins in the past 11 games. They have outscored teams 30-7 in a season-high, seven-game win streak.

Mercyhurst held the Orange (11-14-4, 5-4-1) to 20 shots on goal and 0-for-7 on the power play.

Junior Hillary Pattenden stopped all 20 shots to record her sixth shutout win of the season. Jess Jones scored the only goal the Lakers needed 30 seconds into the opening period. Jesse Scanzano scored a goal apiece in the second and third. Bailey Bram added a third-period goal. Cassea Schols had three assists.

Agosta had an assist for her nation-best 73^rd point of the season. But she didn’t score a goal despite taking 19 of the team’s 44 shots. She remains two shy of breaking the all-time mark of 150 set by Harvard’s Nicole Corriero from 2002-05. Agosta, who set the career point and power-play goal records last weekend, has another chance to break the mark today, when the Lakers face Syracuse at 2 p.m.

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 4, Syracuse 0

Mercyhurst 1  1  2  —  4

Syracuse  0  0  0  —  0

1^st Period — 1. Mercyhurst, Jess Jones 10 (Schols), :30. Penalties — Skelly (S) body checking, 2:10; Jones (M) tripping, 4:41; Bram (M) handling puck with hands, 5:53; Cockell (S) hooking, 17:20; Jones (M) holding, 17:20; Krebs (M) roughing, 18:53.

2^nd Period — 2. Mercyhurst, Jesse Scanzano 21 (Bestland), 7:06. Penalties — Johnson (S) hooking, 3:11; DeSutter (M) interference, 11:46; Steadman (M) roughing, 15:53; Cockell (S) roughing, 16:41; Scanzano (M) roughing, 16:41; Syracuse, too many players (served by Roach), 17:51; Bram (M) hooking, 17:59.

3^rd Period — 3. Mercyhurst, Bailey Bram 13 (Agosta, Schols), 5:03 (pp). 4. Mercyhurst, Scanzano 22 (Bendus, Schols), 9:33 (pp). Penalties — Lacombe (S) slashing, :35; Lacombe (S) interference, 4:17; Syracuse, bench minor (served by Scharfe), 4:17; Scanzano (M) roughing, 5:56; Cockell (S) slashing, 7:45; Corbett (M) high sticking, 15:44.

Shots on goal — Mercyhurst, 14-7-23—44; Syracuse, 6-8-6—20.

Goaltenders — Mercyhurst, Hillary Pattenden 23-5-0 (20 shots, 20 saves); Syracuse, Kallie Billadeau 4-9-2 (44 shots, 40 saves).

Power plays — Mercyhurst (2-8), Syracuse (0-7).

Attendance — 377.

What: Syracuse (8-9-3, 2-0-0 CHA) at No. 5 Mercyhurst College (14-4-0, 5-0-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.

Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center

On the air: www.americaone.com (Internet video), www.wmce.com (Internet radio)

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Jr. G Hillary Pattenden (13-4-0 record, 2.64 goals-against average, .887 save percentage, 1 shutout), Sr. F Meghan Agosta (19 goals, 26 assists, 45 points), Sr. F Jesse Scanzano (11-19-30), Jr. F Kelley Steadman (12-9-21), Fr. F Christine Bestland (10-13-23)

Syracuse –Sr. F Julie Rising (10-13-23), Jr. F Megan Skelly (7-9-16), Sr. D Ashley Cockell (5-9-14), Fr. G Jenesica Drinkwater (5-2-2, 2.39, .903), Fr. F Akane Hosoyamada (1-10-11),

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The Lakers return to College Hockey America play after splitting four straight non-conference games (loss and win at St. Lawrence, a win at St. Cloud State and a loss to No. 2 Wisconsin. … The Lakers allowed seven goals in the loss to Wisconsin, the most since a 7-3 loss to Providence on Jan. 12, 2008. … They have won all nine career meetings with the Orange by a combined 47-12 score. … Senior F Vicki Bendus (11-20-31) and junior F Bailey Bram (9-14-23) will miss a second straight weekend of games. They are representing their native Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team at the MLP Cup, which began Tuesday and concludes Saturday in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. … Pattenden’s goals-against average and save percentage has dropped out of NCAA Division I’s top 20. … Pattenden stands eight wins shy of equaling 2008 graduate Laura Hosier’s school record of 74. She has a season and a half left to equal Wisconsin alumnus Jessie Vetter’s Division I record of 91. … Michael Sisti (296-82-26) needs four wins to become the sixth women’s coach to reach 300. … Scanzano needs three points to join Agosta (255) and Valerie Chouinard (201 from 2005-08) as the only players in program history to reach 200. Scanzano has hat tricks in two of the last three games. … Senior D Cassea Schols (4-11-15) is tied for fourth nationally in points by defensemen (0.83 per game). …  Junior F Jess Jones (7-9-16) is day to day with an undisclosed injury. … The Lakers are holding their annual Skate for the Cure event to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer this weekend. They will wear pink sweaters. Fans can purchase $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win an autographed sweater. Proceeds from the raffle and ticket revenue from both games will be donated to a charity at the 2011 CHA Championship in March.

Syracuse – The Orange are winless in three straight games (0-2-1) and six of their last eight (2-4-2). But the two wins were in their only conference games of the season (3-0 and 5-3 vs. Wayne State Dec. 3-4). … Sophomore F Isabel Menard (11-17-28) and senior F Stefanie Marty (5-7-12) will miss the series. They are representing Canada and Switzerland, respectively, in the MLP Cup. … Cockell, who transferred from Mercyhurst this season, is tied for third in CHA and tied for eighth nationally in points by a defenseman (0.78 per game). … Drinkwater leads the CHA in goals-against average.

Up next: vs. Brown at Tullio Arena (Jan. 14-15, 2 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team started the New Year strong.

The Lakers scored three goals in the first period and added five in the third to secure an 8-1 win against St. Cloud State Saturday on the opening day of the Easton Holiday Showcase at National Hockey Center.

The No. 4 Lakers (14-3-0) conclude tournament play today at 1:07 p.m. against second-ranked Wisconsin (17-2-0), a 7-2 winner against No. 10 Northeastern (10-5-4) on Saturday. The Lakers and Badgers meet for the first time since Wisconsin’s 5-0 win in the

Jesse Scanzano (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)

2009 NCAA Division I championship game.

That will be a much tougher test than Mercyhurst faced against St. Cloud State (0-17-1), the only winless Division I men’s or women’s program in the nation. Jesse Scanzano had three goals and an assist to move within four points of joining teammate Meghan Agosta (260) and former Laker Valerie Chouinard (201 from 2005-08) as the only players in program history with 200 points.

Agosta, the nation’s leading scorer with 43 points, contributed five assists while freshman Christine Bestland had two goals and an assist. Jess Jones and Cassea Schols had a goal and assist apiece.

Mercyhurst went 4-for-8 on the power play and outshot the Huskies 50-21.

- Victor Fernandes

What: No. 4 Mercyhurst College (7-1-0) at Niagara (1-7-1)

When: Saturday, 2 p.m.

Where: Dwyer Arena – Niagara University, N.Y.

On the air: www.americaone.com (Internet video)

Players to watch

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Jr. G Hillary Pattenden (7-1-0 record, 1.96 goals-against average, .910 save percentage, 1 shutout), Sr. F Jesse Scanzano (3 goals, 9 assists, 12 points), Jr. F Bailey Bram (7-9-16), Fr. F Christine Bestland (4-8-12), Sr. D Cassea Schols (2-6-8)

Niagara – Sr. G Jenni Bauer (1-6-1, 2.11, .923), Sr. F Autumn Stuntz (0-3-3), So. F Daniela Dal Colle (2-0-2), Jr. D Erica Owczarczak (2-0-2), Fr. F Kristen Richards (2-0-2)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The Lakers return to action after posting a 4-3 overtime win at No. 2 Cornell on Tuesday. … They begin a four-game road trip that completes a stretch of eight road games in nine outings that began a month ago. … They face a College Hockey America opponent in a rare non-conference game. These teams meet in four conference games this season – Dec. 3-4 at Mercyhurst Ice Center and Jan. 28-29 at Niagara. … The Lakers will play tonight without senior Fs Meghan Agosta (10-9-19) and Vicki Bendus (6-12-18), who will represent their native Canada at the 2010 Women’s Four Nations Cup. The tournament runs from Tuesday through next Saturday in St. John’s, Newfoundland. They will rejoin the Lakers in time for next weekend’s CHA games at Wayne State. … The Lakers have won nine straight games against CHA teams dating to last season. Niagara was the last conference team to beat the Lakers, 2-1 on Jan. 30, which snapped their 16-game overall unbeaten streak, 25-game CHA unbeaten streak and 29-game unbeaten streak against the Purple Eagles. … The Lakers scored only seven goals in their four meetings with Niagara last season (2-1-1). … Bestland, the reigning CHA rookie of the month, ranks among NCAA Division I’s top five rookies in points and points per game (1.50). … Bram had her third career hat trick against Cornell. Scanzano scored the game-winning, short-handed goal in overtime.

Niagara – The Purple Eagles have struggled mightily on offense, scoring nine goals in nine games and none in four of those games (0-3-1). … They scored a season-high three goals in their lone win, 3-1 at home against Maine on Oct. 23. … Freshmen and sophomores have accounted for 60 percent of the team’s scoring. … Bauer ranks among the top 15 nationally in goals-against average and save percentage. … Niagara ranks 11^th nationally in goals against per game (2.00) and 10^th on the penalty kill (87.5 percent). … The Purple Eagles face the Lakers two nights after losing to St. Lawrence, the first time they have played two different teams in the same week since Nov. 21-22, 2008 (Brown and Providence).

Up next: at Wayne State (Nov. 19, 7 p.m.; Nov. 20, 2 p.m.)

- Victor Fernandes

Behind a balanced attack that saw seven different players score a goal, the Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team disposed of Wilfred Laurier, 7-0, in an exhibition contest Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

The Lakers, playing without the services of six players, including senior captains Meghan Agosta, Vicki Bendus and Jesse Scanzano due to Hockey Canada’s evaluation camp, overwhelmed the Golden Hawks in their first and only tune-up before the start of the regular season.

Overall, 10 players got on the stat sheet, with senior Cassea Schols leading the way with a one-goal, three-assist effort. Senior Kylie Rossler, junior Kelley Steadman, sophomores Lauren Jones and Samantha Watt and freshman Christie Cicero each recorded a goal and an assist. JuniorKyleigh Palmer pocketed two points as well with a pair of assists. Junior Pamela Zgoda scored once and junior Meghan Corbett and freshman Lauren Barnes each dished out an assist.

Mercyhurst outshot Wilfrid Laurier 33-25 and rolled to its exhibition rout with two goals in the first period, three in the second and two more in the third. Three of those scores came on the power play with the Lakers converting 3-for-11 with the extra-man advantage. The penalty kill, meanwhile, squashed all seven Wilfrid Laurier power-play opportunities.

Junior Hillary Pattenden earned the decision in goal with 13 stops over 40 minutes of action. Sophomore Stephanie Ciampa finished out the game with 12 saves in the third period.

Wilfrid Laurier’s Kristen Kilgallen suffered the loss with 18 saves through the first two periods before Rachel Hamilton came in relief in the third, recording eight saves and allowing two goals. Mercyhurst opens the 2010-11 campaign on Oct. 1 when the Lakers welcome St. Cloud State for a 7 p.m. contest at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

- From Mercyhurst news release