AHA TOURNAMENT – QUARTERFINALS
No. 6 Mercyhurst (16-15-5) at No. 3 Holy Cross (19-12-3)
When: Today and Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.*
Where: Hart Center – Worcester, Mass.
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), WMCE-FM/88.5 & wmce.mercyhurst.edu (radio), www.goholycross.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst earned a spot in the Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinals with a two-game sweep of 11th-seeded Army in the first round last weekend. … With those wins, the Lakers snapped an eight-game winless streak (0-5-3) and swept a series for the first time since winning two games at Sacred Heart Nov. 2-3. … They also won consecutive games for the first time since 8-1 victories against Army and Robert Morris Feb. 2-5. … The Lakers and Crusaders meet in the quarterfinals for the second straight season. Mercyhurst won in three games at Mercyhurst Ice Center to advance to the AHA’s final four in Rochester, N.Y., a season ago Fifth-year senior G Max Strang stopped 111-of-115 shots in that series. … The Lakers split two games with the Crusaders at MIC in the regular season, losing 2-1 Jan. 11 and winning 4-2 the following night, but lead the all-time series 27-12-5. … The Lakers are 15-5-1 all-time at Hart Center. … They have a 3-1 record against Holy Cross in AHA tournament play and a 4-1 overall playoff mark dating back to a 2000 meeting in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (which became the AHA in 2003). … Rick Gotkin became the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins last weekend. … Junior Fs Daniel O’Donoghue and Kyle Just and sophomore F Zac Frischmon combined for four goals and 11 points last weekend. They were teamed on a line for the first time this season in those games. … Holy Cross earned a first-round bye with a third-place finish in the regular-season standings. … The Crusaders enter this series with a five-game unbeaten streak. … They need one win to record consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in program history. … They have their best record through 34 games since posting a 23-9-2 mark in the 2005-06 season.
* Sunday’s game if necessary

Atlantic Hockey Association tournament schedule
Quarterfinals (best-of-3 series)
Friday-Sunday*
No. 6 Mercyhurst (16-15-5) at No. 3 Holy Cross (19-12-3), 7 p.m.*
No. 8 Rochester Institute of Technology (15-16-5) at No. 1 Niagara (21-8-5), 7:05 p.m.
No. 5 Robert Morris (20-12-4) at No. 4 Connecticut (17-13-4), 7:05 p.m.
No. 7 Canisius (15-18-5) at No. 2 Air Force (17-11-7), 9:05 p.m.
* Game 3 on Sunday (if necessary) would begin at 5 p.m.
Semifinals – March 22
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Quarterfinal winners, TBA
Championship game – March 23
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Semifinal winners, TBA
Note: Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

- Victor Fernandes

The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team is headed back to the Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinals.
Several Lakers made sure that happened.
Grant Blakey and Daniel O’Donoghue scored two goals apiece, while Max Strang made 36 saves, to lead the Lakers to a 5-2 win over Army in front of 912 fans Saturday night at Mercyhurst Ice Center and a two-game sweep of their first-round series. Sixth-seeded Mercyhurst (16-15-5) travels to No. 3 Holy Cross next weekend for a best-of-three series in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals won by the Lakers in three games.
“I thought we played a little better as a team Friday night,” said Lakers coach Rick Gotkin, referring to his team’s 2-1 win against the Black Knights (7-22-5) in the series opener. “We had five or six guys that really stepped up and played well (Saturday).” Kyle Just had three assists for the Lakers, while Nick Jones and Zac Frischmon had two assists apiece. “We’re really happy that our season continues,” Gotkin said.
* News and notes: Mercyhurst and Holy Cross meet in Game 1 Friday, followed by Game 2 Saturday and, if necessary, Game 3 Sunday. All three games are scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. … Gotkin became the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins. … Mercyhurst didn’t have any power-play chances Saturday.

- Victor Fernandes

Atlantic Hockey Association tournament
First round (best-of-3 series)
No. 6 Mercyhurst vs. No. 11 Army
Game 1 – Mercyhurst 3, Army 1
Game 2 - Mercyhurst 5, Army 2
Mercyhurst wins series 2-0

Quarterfinals
March 15-17 (best-of-3 series)
No. 8 Rochester Institute of Technology (15-16-5) at No. 1 Niagara (21-8-5), 7:05 p.m.
No. 6 Mercyhurst (16-15-5) at No. 3 Holy Cross (19-12-3), 7:05 p.m.
No. 5 Robert Morris (20-12-4) at No. 4 Connecticut (17-13-4), 7:05 p.m.
No. 7 Canisius (15-18-5) at No. 2 Air Force (17-11-7), 9:05 p.m.
Note: All three games in each series start at the same time.

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 5, Army 2
Army 0 1 1 — 2
Mercyhurst 1 1 3 — 5
1st Period — 1. Mercyhurst, Grant Blakey 9 (Zay, Bodo), 5:24. Penalties — Just (M) slashing, 1:06.
2nd Period — 2. Mercyhurst, Daniel O’Donoghue 11 (Just, Frischmon), 4:38. 3. Army, Willie Faust 5 (Pomarico, Zaremba), 13:39 (pp). Penalties — Just (M) holding the stick, 8:55; Roberts (A) hooking, 8:55; Gettinger (M) hooking, 12:42.
3rd Period — 4. Mercyhurst, Blakey 10 (Just, Jones), 8:56. 5. Army, Joe Kozlak 7 (Clark), 15:07. 6. Mercyhurst, O’Donoghue 12 (Frischmon, Just), 16:28. 7. Mercyhurst, Ryan Misiak 17 (Jones), 19:10 (en). Penalties — None.
Shots on goal — Army, 11-18-9—38; Mercyhurst, 15-9-15—39.
Goaltenders — Army, Rob Tadazak 3-13-4 (38 shots, 34 saves); Mercyhurst, Max Strang 12-9-3 (38 shots, 36 saves).
Power plays — Army (1-2), Mercyhurst (0-0).
Referees — Steve Marofsky, Ryan Sweeney. Linesmen — Aaron Wallace, Tori Carissimo.
Attendance — 912.

Three stars
* Grant Blakey, Mercyhurst (2 goals) ** Daniel O’Donoghue, Mercyhurst (2 goals) *** Kyle Just, Mercyhurst (3 assists)

No. 11 Army (7-20-5) at No. 6 Mercyhurst University (14-15-5)
When: Today at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 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 slid from second place and a first-round bye to sixth and a first-round series in the Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs by going winless in their final eight games of the regular season (0-5-3). … The Lakers earned a first-round bye a season ago on the way to the AHA semifinals. … They haven’t won since consecutive 8-1 wins against Army and Robert Morris Feb. 2 and 5. … Sophomore F Ryan Misiak had three goals and an assist and senior F Paul Chiasson hd two goals, while fifth-year senior G Max Strang stopped 42-of-44 shots in the two earlier meetings with Army. … Sophomore F Nardo Nagtzaam (lower-body injury) is out for the season. … Freshman F Kyle Cook (upper body) has begun skating for the first time in a month. Lakers coach Rick Gotkin doesn’t expect him to play this season, but Cook hasn’t been ruled out. … Gotkin needs two wins to become the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins. … Sophomore F Chris Bodo finished the regular season third in NCAA Division I with 10 power-play goals. … Junior F Daniel O’Donoghue was tied for the national lead with three short-handed goals. … Mercyhurst has the nation’s best scoring offense (3.18 goals per game). Army ranks 56th out of 59 D-I programs with 3.53 goals allowed per game. … Army also is 54th in scoring offense (2.19 goals per game). … The Lakers are 36th in scoring defense (2.82 goals per game). … The Black Knights are winless in their past 15 games (0-12-3). They last won a D-I game Jan. 4 (5-0 against Robert Morris). Their only other win in this stretch was in an exhibition game Jan. 26 against Royal Military College of Kingston, Ontario.
* Sunday’s game if necessary

- Victor Fernandes

Mercyhurst University (14-15-3, 12-11-2 AHA) vs. Robert Morris (18-12-2, 13-11-1)
When: Friday and Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Friday at RMU Island Sports Center, Pittsburgh; Saturday at Mercyhurst Ice Center
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), www.rmucolonials.com & www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)
What to expect: Mercyhurst enters the final weekend series of the regular season tied for sixth with Rochester Institute of Technology in the Atlantic Hockey Association with 26 points. The Lakers are three points behind third-place Holy Cross, two behind fourth-place Connecticut and one behind fifth-place RMU. … The Lakers can finish as high as third, which would secure a bye through next weekend’s first round of the AHA playoffs. They can finish as low as eighth, which would clinch home-ice advantage in a first-round series. … They are winless in six straight games (0-5-1) for the first time since a six-game losing streak early in the 2008-09 season. … Mercyhurst beat RMU 8-1 in Pittsburgh Feb. 5 for the team’s last win. … The Lakers are tied for ninth in NCAA Division I with 3.25 goals scored per game. But they were held to two goals in five of six games during this winless skid. … Lakers coach Rick Gotkin needs two wins to become the 26th college coach to reach 450 career wins. … Junior G Jordan Tibbett (lower-body injury) rejoined the lineup last weekend after missing the previous month. … Sophomore F Nardo Nagtzaam (lower body) won’t play the rest of the season. … Freshman F Kyle Cook (upper body) has missed the past month. … Sophomore F Chris Bodo is third nationally with 10 power-play goals. … Junior F Daniel O’Donoghue is tied for the national lead with three short-handed goals. … The Colonials can set the program’s single-season wins record with a victory this weekend. … Senior G Eric Levine has set the Colonials’ single-season record with 17 wins. … RMU is unbeaten in its last three games.

- Victor Fernandes

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

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

Mercyhurst University men’s hockey coach Rick Gotkin has announced that senior Grant Blakey (Canton, Michigan) and juniors Nick Jones (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania) and Daniel O’Donoghue (Port Jefferson Station, New York) will serve as the captains for the upcoming 2012-13 season.

The trio will serve as tri-captains for the upcoming season, with each player garnering the “C” on his jersey.

Blakey missed eight games last season due to an injury, but still posted four goals and 12 assists for 16 points, finishing 11th on the team in scoring. He was leading or near the team lead in scoring before he went down with his injury. He finished tied for third on the team with a +2 rating last season and also had one of Mercyhurst’s two shorthanded goals. His 12 assists was tied for eighth on the team. Blakey has played in 105 games for the Lakers in his three seasons, and has recorded 24 goals and 42 assists for 66 points. He will be one of only four seniors on next year’s squad, joining defenseman Charlie Carkin, forward Paul Chiasson, and goaltender Max Strang.

Named the team’s Top Defenseman at the team’s postseason banquet, Nick Jones was only one of five players last season to play in all 40 games. He was the only non-freshman from Mercyhurst to be named to an All-Conference team, earning a Third Team nod as a defenseman. Jones led all Laker defensemen in scoring with 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points this season. He was tied for fifth on the team in both goals and points. His ten goals was the most goals by a Laker defenseman since Jamie Hunt scored 12 during the 2005-06 season. Hunt went on to become the first Laker to play in the National Hockey League, skating for the Washington Capitals.

In fact, Jones’ ten goals was tied for third-most by a Mercyhurst defenseman since the 1999-2000 season. T.J. Kemp scored 11 in 2002-03 and then scored 10 during the 2004-05 season. Jones finished in a tie for third among Atlantic Hockey defensemen with his 24 points this season, trailing only Air Force’s Tim Kirby (28) and Connecticut’s Alex Gerke (25). He was tied with Air Force’s Scott Mathis. Jones has played in 74 career games and has 15 goals and 19 assists for 34 points.

Named the team’s Top Defensive Forward at the team’s postseason banquet, Daniel O’Donoghue played in 39 games last season and was tied for seventh on the team in scoring with eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points. He was one of the Lakers’ best penalty killers all season and was usually on the team’s top unit when called upon to kill a penalty. O’Donoghue scored Mercyhurst’s first shorthanded goal of the season against Sacred Heart on January 6 and he was named the Atlantic Hockey Co-Player of the Week on January 23 after posting two goals and two assists in a series at Holy Cross. In 76 career games, O’Donoghue has 18 goals and 22 assists for 40 points.

Mercyhurst loses just three players to graduation from a team that finished the 2011-12 season with a 20-16-4 overall record and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The team’s 20 victories was also the most by a Mercyhurst team since winning 22 games during the 2008-09 campaign.

ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey team recently held its annual postseason team banquet and head coach Rick Gotkin presented eight postseason team awards to members of the 2011-12 roster.

The Lakers finished the 2011-12 season with a 20-16-4 overall record and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The team’s 20 victories was also the most by a Mercyhurst team since winning 22 games during the 2008-09 campaign.

Redshirt junior goaltender Max Strang was named the team’s Most Valuable Player, while freshman Daniel Bahntge was the only player to winning multiple awards, finishing as the team’s Top Forward and as the Freshman of the Year.

The Top Defenseman award was given to sophomore Nick Jones, while the Top Defensive Forward went to sophomore Daniel O’Donoghue. Sophomore Randy Cure was named the team’s Most Improved Player and freshman Edward DeWald was given the team’s Hustle Award. Freshman Grant Gettinger earned the final honor of the evening, picking up the team’s Scholar Athlete Award.

Most Valuable Player – Max Strang
Strang, who will be returning for a fifth season in 2012-13, posted remarkable numbers in his first year as the starting goaltender. The native of Gilbertsville, Pa. had started just seven games in three years entering the season, but finished the campaign with a 16-14-3 overall record with a 2.68 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. His numbers were even better in the conference, as he helped lead Mercyhurst to a tie for third place in the standings and a first round bye in the postseason. He went 12-6-3 against conference opponents and sported a 2.25 goals against average and a .939 save percentage.

In the quarterfinals against Holy Cross, Strang stopped 111-of-115 Crusader shots (.965) to lead the Lakers to the best-of-three series victory and to advance to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals for the first time in four years. In 14 of his 33 starts, he stopped at least 38 shots and in 17 of his starts, he allowed two goals or fewer.

Freshman Of The Year / Top Forward – Daniel Bahntge
A native of Westlake, Ohio, Bahntge led Mercyhurst in scoring as a freshman, recording 10 goals and 21 assists for 31 points. He was named to the Atlantic Hockey Association’s All-Rookie Team, finishing third in points by a rookie in the conference behind Bentley’s Alex Grieve and Brett Switzer, who had 34 and 33 points respectively. Earlier in the season, Bahntge was named the conference’s Rookie of the Week on January 9 and was also the conference’s Rookie of the Month in November. He had his first collegiate hat trick against Sacred Heart on January 6 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center, and then scored both of the Lakers’ goals in last Friday’s game one victory over Holy Cross.

Top Defenseman – Nick Jones
Jones was the only non-freshman from Mercyhurst to be named to an All-Conference team, earning a Third Team nod as a defenseman. A native of Cranberry Township, Pa., Jones led all Laker defensemen in scoring with 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points this season. His ten goals is the most goals by a Laker defenseman since Jamie Hunt scored 12 during the 2005-06 season. Hunt went on to become the first Laker to play in the National Hockey League, skating for the Washington Capitals. In fact, Jones’ ten goals is the tied for third-most by a Mercyhurst defenseman since the 1999-2000 season. T.J. Kemp scored 11 in 2002-03 and then scored 10 during the 2004-05 season.

Jones finished in a tie for third among Atlantic Hockey defensemen with his 24 points this season, trailing only Air Force’s Tim Kirby (28) and Connecticut’s Alex Gerke (25). He was tied with Air Force’s Scott Mathis.

Top Defensive Forward – Daniel O’Donoghue
A native of Port Jefferson Station, New York, O’Donoghue earned the Top Defensive Forward award after posting eight goals and 12 assists for 20 points this season. O’Donoghue was one of the Lakers’ best penalty killers all season and was usually on the team’s top unit when called upon to kill a penalty. The sophomore scored Mercyhurst’s first shorthanded goal of the season against Sacred Heart on January 6 and he was named the Atlantic Hockey Co-Player of the Week on January 23 after posting two goals and two assists in a series at Holy Cross.

Most Improved Player – Randy Cure
Hailing from Bloomington, Minnesota, Cure worked his way into the lineup on a regular basis this past season after being in-and-out of the lineup as a freshman. Although he only posted one assist in 34 games this season, Cure played a valuable role on the Mercyhurst blueline and was also regularly on the team’s penalty killing unit. Primarily a defenseman this past season, Cure was also pressed into services as a third- or fourth-line winger when injuries or illnesses came about. His only point was an assist on the team’s final regular season game of the season against Canisius.

Hustle Award – Edward DeWald
A native of Southampton, Pa., DeWald always gave 100% whether in practice or when he cracked the Mercyhurst lineup. Appearing in 19 games as a freshman, the winger posted one assist on the season – a helper against Niagara University on December 10. Mercyhurst was one game over .500 (9-8-2) when DeWald was in the lineup this season.

Scholar Athlete Award – Grant Gettinger
A native of North Olmsted, Ohio, Gettinger was honored with the Scholar Athlete Award by posting the best numbers in the classroom during the season. Gettinger was also a mainstay on the Mercyhurst blueline in his rookie season, appearing in all but one game and finishing the season with three assists. He earned assists against Alaska, RIT, and Canisius this season and also finished the year as a +1.

- From Mercyhurst news release

Mercyhurst men’s hockey coach Rick Gotkin called Friday night’s intense battle with Holy Cross the easiest game of the weekend.

If that’s the case, expect an all-out war tonight. The Crusaders “are not going to go quietly,” Gotkin said.

Mercyhurst and Holy Cross fought for start to finish in the Lakers’ 2-1 win in Game 1 of their best-of-three Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinal series, played in front of 1,125 at Mercyhurst Ice Center.

“Nothing has been easy with us playing against Holy Cross,” said Gotkin, whose team posted a win and tie – both in overtime – in Worcester, Mass., in late January. On this night, his Lakers (19-14-4) didn’t have many offensive chances. They also had to overcome a relentless attack from the Crusaders.

Mercyhurst had two shots on goal in the first period. But freshman forward Daniel Bahntge’s stellar effort 4 minutes, 59 seconds into the game allowed the Lakers to salvage a 1-1 heading into the second.

“I had an opportunity to take it to the net,” Bahntge said. “I drove hard, shot it and I got lucky.”

The Lakers had a few more shots in that period – eight in all. But they needed only one – Bahntge’s goal from in front – to take the lead at 2-1 at the 1:27 mark of the second. Fourth-seeded Mercyhurst held on to take a 1-0 lead over the fifth-seeded Crusaders in the series into Game 2 today at 7:05 p.m. at MIC.

* News and notes: Holy Cross outshot the Lakers by a combined 85-51 in their two regular-season meetings. … Sophomore forward Daniel O’Donoghue left the ice late in the second after being speared in the midsection by Crusaders forward Jay Silvia. O’Donoghue returned for the third. Silvia received a major penalty and game misconduct. … Junior forward Grant Blakey had an assist on Bahntge’s first goal in his return to the lineup. Blakey missed the final previous games with a lower-body injury. … Lakers senior Patrick Goebel and Crusaders senior Matt Clune exchanged words in the handshake line after the game.

- Victor Fernandes

Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament scoreboard

Game 1 – Friday

No. 4 Mercyhurst 2, No. 5 Holy Cross 1

No. 6 Bentley 4, No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology 1

No. 2 Niagara 3, No. 7 Robert Morris 0

No. 8 Connecticut at No. 1 Air Force (n)

Game 2 – Today

No. 5 Holy Cross (19-14-4) at No. 4 Mercyhurst (19-14-4), 7:05 p.m.

No. 6 Bentley (16-14-8) at No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology (17-12-6), 7:05 p.m.

No. 7 Robert Morris (17-16-5) at No. 2 Niagara (16-10-9), 7:05 p.m.

No. 8 Connecticut (15-17-4) at No. 1 Air Force (17-9-7), 9:05 p.m.

Note: Game 3, if necessary, will be on Sunday at same locations and times.

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 2, Holy Cross 1

Holy Cross  1  0  0  —  1

Mercyhurst  1  1  0  —  2

1^st Period — 1. Holy Cross, Erik Vos 13 (Stockton, Silvia), 2:25 (pp). 2. Mercyhurst, Daniel Bahntge 9 (Nagtzaam, Blakey), 4:59. Penalties — Gettinger (M) holding, :54; Linsmayer (H) slashing, 14:12; Elliott (M) interference, 15:22.

2^nd Period — 3. Mercyhurst, Bahntge 10 (Shiplo, Noble), 1:27. Penalties — Fletcher (H) interference, 9:30; Silvia (H) 5-min. spearing (served by McNamara), 17:08; Silvia (H) game misconduct, 17:08; Bodo (M) interference, 19:28; Goebel (M) roughing, 19:51.

3^rd Period — None. Penalties — Nagtzaam (M) hooking, 2:46; O’Donoghue (M) high sticking, 10:06; Misiak (M) roughing, 12:36; Linsmayer (H) tripping, 14:52.

Shots on goal — Holy Cross, 12-9-9—30; Mercyhurst, 2-8-7—17.

Goaltenders — Holy Cross, Matt Ginn 16-7-2 (17 shots, 15 saves); Mercyhurst, Max Strang 15-12-3 (30 shots, 29 saves).

Power plays — Holy Cross (1-6), Mercyhurst (0-5).

Attendance — 1,125.

ATLANTIC HOCKEY ASSOCIATION QUARTERFINALS

No. 5 Holy Cross (19-13-4) at No. 4 Mercyhurst (18-14-4)

When: Friday-Sunday, 7:05 p.m.*

Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center

On the air: www.b2livetv.com (live stream), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)

Fast facts: Mercyhurst were eliminated in the quarterfinals the past two years. They were swept by Canisius at MIC in the 2009-10 season and swept at Connecticut a season ago. … With a series win, the Lakers can reach the AHA’s final four for the first time since 2008-09, when they beat Rochester Institute of Technology 5-4 in overtime in the semifinals before losing to Air Force 2-0 in the championship game. … Mercyhurst and Holy Cross meet in the AHA playoffs for the second time. The Lakers won 4-3 in overtime in the 2005 semifinals. The teams met once in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference playoffs – a 10-3 quarterfinal win by the Lakers in 2000. … The Lakers are 13-9 all-time in the playoffs, while the Crusaders are 14-10. … The Lakers lead the all-time series with Holy Cross 24-10-5, including an active six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) that began in 2009-10. … Mercyhurst won 3-2 Jan. 20 at Holy Cross on sophomore F Daniel O’Donoghue’s goal 19 seconds into overtime. The following night, they rallied in the third period to take a one-goal lead before settling for a 5-5 overtime tie. … Mercyhurst has 12 freshmen and only seven upperclassmen on the roster. In contrast, Holy Cross features nine seniors and 15 upperclassmen. … The Crusaders are unbeaten in 10 straight games (9-0-1), including a two-game sweep of Army in last weekend’s first round. Their last loss was Jan. 28 (3-0 at home against Connecticut). … Redshirt junior G Max Strang starts tonight for the Lakers.

* Sunday games if necessary

Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament schedule

Quarterfinals (best-of-three series)

Friday-Sunday*

No. 5 Holy Cross (19-13-4) at No. 4 Mercyhurst (18-14-4), 7:05 p.m.

No. 6 Bentley (15-14-8) at No. 3 Rochester Institute of Technology (17-11-6), 7:05 p.m.

No. 7 Robert Morris (17-15-5) at No. 2 Niagara (15-10-9), 7:05 p.m.

No. 8 Connecticut (15-17-4) at No. 1 Air Force (17-9-7), 9:05 p.m.

* Sunday games if necessary; start times apply to all three games

Semifinals – March 16

at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.

No. 1 – Quarterfinal winners, 4:05 p.m.

No. 2 – Quarterfinal winners, 60 minutes after completion of Game 1

Championship game – March 17

at Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, N.Y.

Semifinal winners, 7:05 p.m.