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

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

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Mercyhurst men’s hockey team chose the worst time to produce their worst performance in four years.

Air Force handed the Lakers an 8-0 loss in front of 2,816 at Cadet Ice Arena Friday night in the opener of a key two-game Atlantic Hockey Association series.

The lopsided defeat dropped Mercyhurst (16-13-4, 13-7-4) into a fourth-place tie with Bentley in the standings with three games left in the regular season.

The Lakers (30 points) have a one-point lead over fifth-place Holy Cross. Robert Morris is another point back. The top four teams earn a bye in the first-round of the AHA playoffs, which begin in two weeks.

Mercyhurst suffered its worst loss since a 7-0 loss to Air Force on Feb. 9, 2008.

Air Force (16-7-7, 14-4-6) extended its unbeaten streak to nine games. The Falcons (34 points) hold a two-point lead over second-place Rochester Institute of Technology entering today’s 9:05 game against Mercyhurst. The Falcons scored five goals on 21 shots in the first two periods against sophomore goaltender Jordan Tibbett. Freshman Jimmy Sarjeant allowed three goals on 14 shots in the third period.

John Kruse (two goals, two assists) led the Falcons with four points. Chad Demers (two goals, assist) and Kyle DeLaurell (three assists) added three points apiece. Jason Torf stopped 20 shots to earn the shutout.

SUMMARY

Air Force 8, Mercyhurst 0

Mercyhurst  0  0  0  —  0

Air Force  2  3  3  —  8

1^st Period — 1. Air Force, John Kruse 12 (Walsh, DeLaurell), 10:03. 2. Dan Weissenhofer 1 (Thomas), 16:28 (pp). Penalties — Demers (A) boarding, :58; Bodo (M) high sticking, 14:41.

2^nd Period — 3. Air Force, Stephen Carew 8 (unassisted), 5:39. 4. Air Force, Chad Demers 7 (Kruse), 15:22. 5. Air Force, Tony Thomas 3 (Fabian, Kleisinger), 16:33. Penalties — Fabian (A) interference, 6:17; Michalke )(A) boarding, 7:00; McKenzie (A) cross checking, 11:32.

3^rd Period — 6. Air Force, Kruse 13 (Demers, DeLaurell), :48. 7. Air Force, Demers 8 (DeLaurell, Kruse), 3:45. 8. Air Force, Carew 9 (Weisgarber), 16:33. Penalties — Zay (M) tripping, 6:59; Gettinger (M) high sticking, 13:29.

Shots on goal — Mercyhurst, 5-10-5—20; Air Force, 11-10-14—35.

Goaltenders — Mercyhurst, Jordan Tibbett 3-2-1 (21 shots, 16 saves), Jimmy Sarjeant (14 shots, 11 saves); Air Force, Jason Torf 4-3-2 (20 shots, 20 saves).

Power plays — Mercyhurst (0-4), Air Force (1-3).

Referee — Jim Visconte. Linesmen — Chris Foote, Jon Shaw.

Attendance — 2,816.

Sacred Heart (1-16-1, 0-10-1 AHA) at Mercyhurst College (10-8-2, 7-2-2)

When: Friday and Saturday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center

On the air: www.b2livetv.com (live stream), WMCE-FM/88.5 & 104.9 (radio), www.hurstathletics.com (live statistics)

Up next: at American International (Jan. 13-14, 7:05 p.m.)

Fast facts: The Lakers (16 points) are tied for second with Robert Morris and Rochester Institute of Technology in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings, one point behind Air Force. … They snapped a six-game unbeaten streak (4-0-2) in conference play with a 4-3 loss to Niagara Dec. 10 at Mercyhurst Ice Center. … The Lakers face a one-win team for the second straight weekend. They swept a two-game non-conference series at Alabama-Huntsville 5-1 and 4-3 last weekend. … Freshmen lead the Lakers in points (Nardo Nagtzaam 13) and assists (Daniel Bahntge and Tyler Shiplo 9 apiece). Freshman Chris Bodo’s 6 goals ranks second to senior Derek Elliott (7) in goals. … Sophomore F Kyle Just has a goal and two points in his first two games of the season. Just and sophomore G Jordan Tibbett, who didn’t dress for either game last weekend, were acquitted of sexual assault and other charges in November. … Redshirt junior G Max Strang has a 7-2-2 record, 2.06 goals-against average and .947 save percentage in 11 AHA games. … The Pioneers posted their lone win, 7-6, against then-No. 8 Yale Nov. 22. They recorded their lone point in the AHA standings with a 4-4 tie against Niagara Nov. 27.

- Victor Fernandes

Mercyhurst College (8-8-2) at Alabama-Huntsville (1-19-1)

When: Friday, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.

Where: Propst Arena – Huntsville, Ala.

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

Up next: vs. Sacred Heart (Jan. 6-7, 7:05 p.m.)

Fast facts: Mercyhurst begins the second half following a three-week layoff. … They traveled 700 miles to face the independent Chargers, the south’s only NCAA Division I program. … F Kyle Just and G Jordan Tibbett, who were acquitted of sexual assault and other charges last month, could make their season debuts tonight. They re-enrolled in school Nov. 28 and began practicing Dec. 7, and then recently received waivers from the NCAA to play. Coach Rick Gotkin said he expected to decide their playing status late Thursday after watching them skate in Thursday’s practice. … The Lakers swept a two-game series against the Chargers, 8-3 and 4-3, at Mercyhurst Ice Center last season. … The Lakers are 1-6 in non-conference games, with their only win at Cornell Oct. 29. … They have been outscored 34-15 in those games. In contrast, they are 7-2-2 with a 30-23 goal advantage in Atlantic Hockey Association play. … Freshmen lead the Lakers in points (Nardo Nagtzaam 13) and assists (Daniel Bahntge and Tyler Shiplo 9 apiece). Chris Bodo’s 6 goals ranks second to senior Derek Elliott (7) in goals. … Sophomore F John Mousso faces season-ending knee surgery. Sophomore F Trent Frey remains hampered by a lower-body injury. … UAH faces the possible end to its D-I program after the season. However, published reports earlier this month indicated that university officials are attempting to save the program. … The Chargers have faced seven teams currently ranked in or just outside the top 20 in the USCHO.com poll (Bowling Green, Lake Superior State, Merrimack, Ohio State, Massachusetts-Lowell, Nebraska-Omaha and Western Michigan). They are 1-11, with the lone win against UNO (3-1 on Dec. 2).

- Victor Fernandes

Check out a GoErie.com update on the ongoing legal battles for former Mercyhurst College men’s hockey players Kyle Just and Jordan Tibbett by clicking here.

Phil Ginand (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)

Phil Ginand is healthy enough to play hockey again – just not for the Mercyhurst College men’s team.

Ginand has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Bridgeport (Conn.) Sound Tigers, the AHL club announced Tuesday, and could make his debut Wednesday night against the Albany (N.Y.) Devils.

Three weeks ago, he suffered what Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin calls a season-ending concussion. He had no plans to have Ginand in the lineup for the rest of the season, Gotkin said.

“He wasn’t (medically) cleared (by) any of our people,” Gotkin said.

Ginand spoke with Gotkin late Monday night about signing with Bridgeport. Gotkin said he believes not being cleared to play for Mercyhurst played a role in Ginand’s decision.

“He told me he was feeling great and wanted to get back to playing hockey,” said Gotkin, who became aware of Ginand’s interest in pursuing a professional career two weeks ago. “I’m assuming he’s fine.”

Ginand, 22, a redshirt sophomore forward who missed all but two games last season while recovering from knee surgery, forgoes his final two years of eligibility. The Milford, Mass., native had 27 goals and 54 points in 68 career games, including 12 goals and 20 points in 27 games this season.

In January, then-senior forward Brandon Coccimiglio left school to join the ECHL’s Greenville (S.C.) Road Warriors. He now plays for the Central Hockey League’s Missouri Mavericks after brief ECHL stints with Greenville and Alaska. He has one goal and four points in 20 career games.
“At the end of the day, Phil wanted to be a professional hockey player, and I think he will be a good one,” Gotkin said of Ginand, who attended a Philadelphia Flyers rookie camp last summer.

Gotkin has lost four key forwards from his team this season – Ginand, Coccimiglio, Steve Cameron and Kyle Just. Cameron suffered what Gotkin said could be a season-ending, lower-body injury three weeks ago. Just and then-fellow freshman Jordan Tibbett left school in November after being charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a campus apartment Nov. 14.

“The guys we have (are) very resilient,” Gotkin said. “We’re trying to find a way to keep on winning.”

The Lakers face Connecticut this weekend in the Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinals.

- Victor Fernandes

The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team is running a bit thin at forward.

Phil Ginand, the Lakers’ third-leading goal scorer, will miss the rest of the season with an upper-body injury. Senior Steve Cameron could miss the rest of the season with a lower-body injury.

That’s 19 goals and 41 points out of NCAA Division I’s ninth-best offense, on top of the production lost with the departure of senior Brandon Coccimiglio last month and freshman Kyle Just in November.

Coccimiglio left school to pursue a professional career. Just and then-freshman goaltender Jordan Tibbett left school after being charged with sexually assaulting a woman in a campus apartment Nov. 14.

That’s bad timing for the Lakers, which are a week away from starting the Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs on the road. The Lakers (13-15-4, 11-12-2), which end the regular season tonight and Saturday against Canisius, cannot finish higher than fifth in the six-team West pod. Canisius is one point behind.

“What are you going to do? It’s kind of how the year has gone,” coach Rick Gotkin said.

Ginand and Cameron were injured two weeks ago against Robert Morris. The Lakers were forced to dress only 16 skaters, two below the maximum allowed by NCAA rules, last weekend against Air Force.

Ginand missed all but two games last season while recovering from knee surgery after finishing second among AHA freshmen in scoring two seasons ago. Cameron has 51 goals and 107 points in his four-year career, including a team-best 22 goals and 50 points as a sophomore. Earlier this season, he was the 14^th player in the program’s Division I history to reach the 100-point mark.

Cameron suffered a similar injury as junior defenseman Kevin Noble, who missed six weeks earlier this season. “It’s a long shot, but it’s not 100 percent that he won’t be back,” Gotkin said of Cameron.

- Victor Fernandes

Check out this story on former Mercyhurst College G Jordan Tibbett rejoining the USHL’s Youngstown (Ohio) Phantoms.