Mercyhurst junior forward Christine Bestland was named to the All-USCHO third team for totaling 28 goals and 72 points this season. She reached 50-goal, 100-assist and 150-point marks this season. Lindenwood freshman goaltender Nicole Hensley was the only other player from a College Hockey America school to earn USCHO honors. She was named to the all-rookie team.

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team are College Hockey America tournament champions again.
The Lakers exploded for four goals in the third period of a 4-1 title-game win against Syracuse in front of 1,127 fans Saturday at Mercyhurst Ice Center. But will the program’s 10th conference championship in the past 11 years serve as the last positive moment of the Lakers’ season?
Mercyhurst (28-6-1) learns its NCAA Division I Tournament fate today at 6 p.m. during a webcast on NCAA.com. Lakers coach Michael Sisti said “it would be a crime if we are left out. I think 100 percent we should be in the tournament, and we shouldn’t be the eighth seed either.”
The Lakers hope for one of five at-large spots into the eight-team field, since CHA won’t earn an automatic bid until the 2014-15 season. The other three spots belong to the champions of ECAC Hockey, Hockey East Association and Western Collegiate Hockey Association.
“Anything can happen,” said senior goaltender Stephanie Ciampa, who earned tournament MVP honors after stopping 45-of-47 shots in the top-seeded Lakers’ two wins, including 19-of-20 against the second-seeded Orange (20-15-1). “I think we’re in good enough shape.”

- Victor Fernandes

CHA All-Tournament team
MVP: Stephanie Ciampa, Mercyhurst (45 saves on 47 shots)
Goaltender: Ciampa
Defense: Stephanie DeSutter, Mercyhurst (2 assists)
Defense: Brittney Krebs, Syracuse (2 assists)
Forward: Christine Bestland, Mercyhurst (2 goals, assist)
Forward: Lauren Jones, Mercyhurst (goal, 2 assists)
Forward: Sadie St. Germain, Syracuse (GWG in semifinal)

College Hockey America tournament schedule
Semifinals – Friday
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
No. 1 Mercyhurst 2, No. 4 Robert Morris 1
No. 2 Syracuse 2, No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology 1 (OT)
Championship game – Saturday
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
Mercyhurst 4, Syracuse 1
Note: Champion doesn’t earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 4, Syracuse 1
Syracuse 0 1 0 — 1
Mercyhurst 0 0 4 — 4
1st Period — None. Penalties — Bestland (M) body checking, :12; Scharfe (S) tripping, 5:15; Janiga (M) interference, 11:14; Johnson (S) hooking, 12:36.
2nd Period — 1. Syracuse, Shiann Darkangelo 16 (Krebs), 19:59 (pp). Penalties — LaCombe (S) tripping, 2:00; Jones (M) hooking, 5:09; Hendrikx (M) cross checking, 6:57; Renault (S) interference, 10:27; DeSutter (M) hooking, 12:41; Piacentini (S) hooking, 13:01; Higson (M) indirect contact to the head – cross checking, 14:03; Hosoyamada (S) hooking, 15:10; Byrne (M) cross checking, 18:51.
3rd Period — 2. Mercyhurst, Molly Byrne 8 (Bestland, Dingeldein), 4:41. 3. Mercyhurst, Caroline Luczak 2 (Jones, Buquet), 6:33 (pp). 4. Mercyhurst, Christine Bestland 28 (Jones), 9:32 (sh). 5. Mercyhurst, Christie Cicero 13 (unassisted), 18:45 (en). Penalties — Piancentini (S) tripping, 4:41; Chippy (M) hooking, 8:16; Goodnough (S) hooking, 9:32; Welch (M) hooking, 11:44.
Shots on goal — Syracuse, 4-9-7—20; Mercyhurst, 10-7-14—31.
Goaltenders — Syracuse, Kallie Billadeau 16-9-0 (30 shots, 27 saves); Mercyhurst, Stephanie Ciampa 19-1-0 (20 shots, 19 saves).
Power plays — Syracuse (1-9), Mercyhurst (1-7).
Referees — Timothy Holtz, Brian Skursky. Linesmen — Jason Leisten, Dorsey Dick.
Attendance — 1,127.

Three stars
* Christine Bestland, Mercyhurst (SH goal, assist) ** Stephanie Ciampa, Mercyhurst (19 saves) *** Caroline Luczak, Mercyhurst (GW goal)

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team are one win away from reclaiming the College Hockey America tournament championship.
Lauren Jones snapped a scoreless early in the second period, and the top-seeded Lakers held on with a strong defensive effort, in a 2-1 semifinal win against defending champion and fourth-seeded Robert Morris Friday afternoon at Mercyhurst Ice Center.
The Lakers (27-6-1) will face the winner of today’s 4:30 p.m. semifinal between Syracuse and Rochester Institute of Technology in Saturday’s 3 p.m. title game. Christine Bestland scored into an empty net for the Lakers. Brandi Pollock scored for the Colonials (15-15-3), which ended Mercyhurst’s nine-year run as CHA champion in the championship game a season ago.

Syracuse 2, RIT 1 (OT)
At Mercyhurst Ice Center, Sadie St. Germain scored 10 minutes, 8 seconds into overtime to secure second-seeded Syracuse’s spot in the title game. Fourth-seeded RIT (16-16-5) snapped a scoreless tie on Kim Schlattman‘s goal 6:32 into the second period. But the Orange (20-14-1), which outshot the Tigers 45-23, forced the extra period on Allie LaCombe‘s power-play goal with 12:15 left in regulation.

- Victor Fernandes

College Hockey America tournament schedule
Semifinals – Today
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
No. 1 Mercyhurst 2, No. 4 Robert Morris 1
No. 2 Syracuse (19-14-1) vs. No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology (16-15-5), 4:30 p.m.
Championship game – Saturday
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
Mercyhurst (27-6-1) vs. Syracuse-RIT winner, 3 p.m.
Note: Champion doesn’t earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 2, Robert Morris 1
Robert Morris 0 0 1 — 1
Mercyhurst 0 1 1 — 2
1st Period — None. Penalties — Fergus (R) tripping, 7:03; Carlson (R) body checking, 14:56.
2nd Period — 1. Mercyhurst, Lauren Jones 14 (DeSutter, Chippy), 7:22. Penalties — Byrne (M) cross checking, 14:46; Bram (M) slashing, 15:12; Byrne (M) cross checking, 17:01.
3rd Period — 2. Mercyhurst, Christine Bestland 27 (Dingeldein, DeSutter), 19:10 (en). 3. RMU, Brandi Pollock 2 (Joslin), 19:35. Penalties — Fergus (R) hooking, 7:04; Luczak (M) body checking, 11:00; Collias (R) high sticking, 13:33.
Shots on goal — RMU, 7-11-8—26; Mercyhurst, 11-7-7—25.
Goaltenders — RMU, Kristen DiCiocco 13-13-3 (24 shots, 23 saves); Mercyhurst, Stephanie Ciampa 18-1-0 (26 shots, 25 saves).
Power plays — RMU (0-4), Mercyhurst (0-4).
Referees — Adam Bell, Rich Jebo. Linesmen — John Quigley, Rob Sauda.
Attendance — 825.

Three stars
* Stephanie Ciampa, Mercyhurst (25 saves) ** Lauren Jones, Mercyhurst (goal) *** Kristen DiCiocco, RMU (23 saves)

No. 9 Mercyhurst University (26-6-1) vs. Robert Morris (15-14-13)
Syracuse (19-14-1) vs. Rochester Institute of Technology (16-15-5)
When: Today, 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.; Saturday, 3 p.m.
Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst begins its quest for a 10th College Hockey America tournament championship in the last 11 years with a healthy lineup. Junior F Christie Cicero (severe concussion, sprained neck) rejoined the lineup Feb. 23 against RIT. … The Lakers can capture their 12th conference title in the last 13 years, dating back to the 2000-01 season in the Great Lakes Women’s Hockey Association. … Win or lose, the Lakers learn if they will make a NCAA-record ninth straight NCAA Division I tournament appearance when the eight-team field is unveiled Sunday at 6 p.m. on NCAA.com. … Mercyhurst lost the first three regular-season meetings with defending CHA champion Robert Morris before posting a 9-1 home win Feb. 9. … The Lakers swept all four respective meetings with Syracuse and RIT. … Junior F Christine Bestland finished the regular season ranked fourth nationally with 40 assists, fifth with 66 points and ninth with 26 goals. She also tied for second with 10 power-play goals and tied for eighth with six game-winning goals. … Sophomore Ds Molly Byrne and and Vaila Higson were tied for fifth among all defensemen with 31 points apiece. … F Emily Janiga is third among all freshmen with 40 points, one spot ahead of F Jenna Dingeldein (39 points). … Senior G Stephanie Ciampa ranks second with a .944 winning percentage (17-1-0), fourth with a 1.40 goals-against average, tied for seventh with a .935 save percentage and tied for eighth with four shutouts. … RMU needed two wins last weekend over Lindenwood, including a three-overtime victory in the opener, to reach the semifinals. … RIT, which beat Penn State twice by one goal last weekend, looks for a CHA championship in its first season in the league and at the D-I level. … Syracuse reached the title game two of the last three years.

- Victor Fernandes

College Hockey America tournament schedule
First round (best-of-3 series)
Game 1 – March 1
No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology 1, No. 6 Penn State 0
No. 4 Robert Morris 2, No. 5 Lindenwood 1 (3OT)
Game 2 – March 2
RIT 3, Penn State 2 (OT)
Robert Morris 2, Lindenwood 0
Semifinals – Friday
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
No. 1 Mercyhurst (26-6-1) vs. No. 4 Robert Morris (15-14-3), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Syracuse (19-14-1) vs. No. 3 RIT (16-15-5), 4:30 p.m.
Championship game – Saturday
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.
Note: Champion doesn’t earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team had two players honored by College Hockey America on Thursday.
Junior forward Christine Bestland was named the conference’s player of the month for February after producing11 goals and 14 points in eight games to increase her season totals to 26 goals and 66 points in 33 games. Senior Stephanie Ciampa was named goaltender of the month after posting a 6-0-0 record, 1.87 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. She had a 17-1-0 record, 1.40 goals-against average and .935 save percentage this season.

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team will wait a week for their chance to reclaim the College Hockey America championship.
The CHA’s revamped postseason tournament begins this weekend with a pair of best-of-three, first-round series today through Sunday. Penn State (7-24-2) travels to fellow conference newcomer Rochester Institute of Technology (14-15-5). Lindenwood (7-24-3), another first-year CHA team, heads to Pittsburgh to face defending champion Robert Morris (13-14-3). The CHA used a single-elimination format in past seasons.
Meanwhile, top-seeded Mercyhurst (26-6-1), whose nine-year stranglehold on the tournament ended a season ago with a 3-2 loss to Robert Morris in the title game, earned a bye through the first round. The Lakers will host the semifinals and final March 8-9 at Mercyhurst Ice Center. They will face the lowest-remaining seed in the semifinals, while No. 2 Syracuse (19-14-1) will play the highest-remaining seed.
The champion doesn’t earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament until the 2014-15 season, although Lakers coach Michael Sisti has said CHA officials are appealing to the NCAA in hopes of having the probationary period end in time for the 2013-14 season.

College Hockey America tournament schedule
First round (best-of-3 series)
Game 1 – Friday
No. 6 Penn State (7-24-2) at No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology (14-15-5), 2 p.m.
No. 5 Lindenwood (7-24-3) at No. 4 Robert Morris (13-14-3), 3 p.m.
Game 2 – Saturday
Penn State at RIT, 2 p.m.
Lindenwood at Robert Morris, 2 p.m.
Game 3 – Sunday (if necessary)
Penn State at RIT, 2 p.m.
Lindenwood at Robert Morris, 2 p.m.
Semifinals – March 8
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
No. 1 Mercyhurst (26-6-1) vs. lowest-remaining seed, TBA
No. 2 Syracuse (19-14-1) vs. highest-remaining seed, TBA
Championship game – March 9
at Mercyhurst Ice Center
Semifinal winners, TBA

Rochester Institute of Technology (14-13-5, 7-6-5 CHA) at No. 9 Mercyhurst University (24-6-1, 15-3-0)
When: Friday, 3 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst enters the final weekend of the regular season already having clinched a 12th straight College Hockey America regular-season championship and top seed in the upcoming conference tournament. The Lakers and second-seeded Syracuse will have byes in next weekend’s first round, which features the other four teams in best-of-three series for the first time in CHA history. The Lakers will host the semifinals and title game March 8-9. … Mercyhurst swept a season-opening, two-game series from CHA newcomer RIT, 6-2 and 7-0, in Rochester, N.Y., Sept. 28-29 behind junior F Christine Bestland‘s three goals and seven points. … RIT needs one win to secure a winning record in its first NCAA Division I season. The Tigers, which will have home-ice advantage in a first-round playoff series, need one point to earn the third seed. They lead Robert Morris and Lindenwood by four points with two games left. Penn State has clinched the sixth seed. … Bestland ranks third nationally with 39 assists and fifth with 63 points. She’s also tied for second with nine power-play goals and tied for sixth with six game-winning goals. … Sophomore D Molly Byrne is tied for fourth among all defensemen with 30 points. Sophomore D Vaila Higson has moved into the top 10 with 27 points. … F Emily Janiga is third among all freshmen with 39 points, one spot ahead of F Jenna Dingeldein (35 points). … Senior G Stephanie Ciampa ranks second with a .938 winning percentage, fifth with a 1.39 goals-against average, seventh with a .935 save percentage and tied for sixth with four shutouts.

- Victor Fernandes

The Mercyhurst University women’s hockey team remained ninth in USCHO.com’s latest Division I poll, which was released Monday.
The Lakers (24-6-1), which received 39 voting points, swept a two-game series from Syracuse this past weekend to clinch their 12th straight College Hockey America regular-season championship. Minnesota (32-0-0) still tops the list with all 15 first-place votes and 150 points.
Boston College (23-5-2) is still second, followed by Cornell (21-5-1), Boston University (20-5-3) and Harvard (19-4-2). Wisconsin (19-9-2) moved ahead of Clarkson (24-8-0) into sixth, while North Dakota (22-10-0), Mercyhurst and Northeastern (18-10-2) completed the top 10.
In other news, Lakers senior forward Lauren Jones was named CHA player of the week for the second straight time. She had three goals and four points this past weeked. She has six goals and eight points in her past four games.

No. 9 Mercyhurst University (22-6-1, 13-3-0 CHA) at Syracuse (18-11-1, 12-3-1)
When: Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.
Where: Tennity Ice Pavilion – Syracuse, N.Y.
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
What to expect:Mercyhurst can clinch their 11th straight College Hockey America regular-season championship – and 10th outright title – with a sweep of this two-game series. The Lakers lead the Orange by one point with four games left in the regular season. … Mercyhurst split a series with Robert Morris last weekend, while the Orange swept a series from Rochester Institute of Technology by 2-1 scores to extend their winning streak to eight games. … The Orange won six of those games by one goal, including the past four outings. They haven’t lost since Jan. 15 (8-1 at Cornell). … The Lakers swept a two-game series from Syracuse, 1-0 and 4-1, Jan. 11-12 at Mercyhurst Ice Center. … Mercyhurst is unbeaten against Syracuse (20-0-1), with the only blemish being a 1-1 tie Jan. 7, 2012. … The Lakers slipped to ninth from seventh in USCHO.com’s Division I poll this week. They remain seventh in the Ratings Percentage Index and PairWise Ranking, which are used to determine the eight-team field in the upcoming NCAA Division I playoffs. … Junior F Christine Bestland ranks fifth nationally with 61 points and fourth with 2.10 points per game. She also ranks among the national leaders in goals (23), goals per game (0.82), assists (38), assists per game (1.31), power-play goals (nine) and game-winning goals (six). … Sophomore D Molly Byrne is tied for fourth among all defensemen with 28 points and 0.97 points per game. … Freshman F Emily Janiga is third among all rookies with 37 points and 1.28 points per game, one spot ahead of F Jenna Dingeldein (35 points, 1.21 per game). … Mercyhurst senior Stephanie Ciampa (13-1-0 record, 1.24 goals-against average, .941 save percentage, four shutouts) and Syracuse junior Kallie Billadeau (14-6-0, 1.35, .947, six shutouts) are two of the nation’s top goaltenders. … The Orange have relied on the nation’s eighth-best scoring defense (1.93 goals per game). They are only 16th in scoring offense (2.80 goals per game).

- Victor Fernandes