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.
Shootout
Staff writer Victor Fernandes has ice in his veins. Hockey – he plays it, coaches it and provides the region's best coverage of it. Read more about this blog.
Posts tagged ‘michigan’
Posted: October 1st, 2012
Posted in: Mercyhurst College, Uncategorized
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Posted: February 9th, 2012
NEW YORK – The Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium on the University of Michigan campus in the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Tuesday, Jan. 1, the National Hockey League announced today.
Nicknamed “The Big House,” the stadium is the largest in North America. It is anticipated that the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic could set an all-time world attendance record for a hockey game. The game will be broadcast live on NBC in the U.S. and on CBC and RDS in Canada.
“The Red Wings’ tradition of excellence, Detroit’s passion for hockey and the glorious history of the Maple Leafs create a Winter Classic scenario for the ages,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “The meeting of these two ‘Original Six’ rivals, at this iconic venue, will lift this Winter Classic to incomparable heights. The demand to be there will be so great that this event could only be held at ‘The Big House.’”
In concert with the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, beginning in mid-December Comerica Park in downtown Detroit will be home to a celebration of hockey titled the Hockeytown Winter Festival™. The main attraction of the festival will be an ice rink built on the Comerica Park field where a special game between notable Red Wings and Maple Leafs alumni – the NHL Alumni Showdown – will be played.
The outdoor rink at Comerica Park will feature games between teams representing every level of hockey and opportunities for open skating for the public. Over a quarter of a million fans are expected to watch youth games, high school hockey games, sled hockey games, AHL games, OHL games and more. The Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Red Wings, will play the Toronto Marlies, the AHL affiliate of the Maple Leafs, on the Comerica Park rink.
For the first time in its history, the Great Lakes Invitational will be played outdoors as Michigan Tech, the University of Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan University will be part of the Hockeytown Winter Festival. Also, the ballpark will host two OHL matchups: the Windsor Spitfires vs. Saginaw Spirit and the Plymouth Whalers vs. London Knights.
“Mike and Marian Ilitch are deeply committed to their beloved Detroit. That commitment has never wavered,” Commissioner Bettman added. “The Hockeytown Winter Festival is just the latest example of their passion for their city and for hockey.”
The 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic continues the tradition the NHL has established of hosting a regular-season game outdoors at the onset of the new year to celebrate the origin and traditions of hockey. This season in Philadelphia, both the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® between the Flyers and New York Rangers and the alumni game two days prior attracted sellout crowds. More than 100,000 fans visited Spectator Plaza, the official outdoor hockey festival adjacent to the ballpark.
Further details on the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, including the official event logo, ticketing information and uniform design for each team, will be released in the coming months. Fans can visit www.NHL.com/winterclassic and www.Detroitredwings.com/2013winterclassic for the latest news.
- From NHL news release
Posted: November 17th, 2010
Erie Otters winger David Broll is ranked 24th overall among OHL skaters on NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings. Read more by clicking this link. Check out complete skater and goaltender lists from all three CHL leagues by clicking this link. Meanwhile, check out the NCAA players to watch, which include former Otters draft picks Kevin Clare (Michigan) and Michael Mersch (Wisconsin).
Posted: October 4th, 2010
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — After a bleak beginning, the Mercyhurst men’s hockey team made a furious rally to earn a 4-4 tie against fourth-ranked Michigan in the Lakers’ season opener in front of 6,200 fans on Saturday night.The Wolverines jumped to a comfortable lead in the first period when Louie Caporusso and Scooter Vaughn each notched a goal in the final minutes of the period to make the score 2-0 at the first intermission. The lead grew to 4-0 midway through the second period after Greg Pateryn scored and Matt Rust converted on an unassisted short-handed goal.
However, Taylor Holstrom gave the Lakers some hope going into the second intermission when his power-play goal put Mercyhurst on the board in the 13th minute. The momentum carried out of the locker room as Paul Chiasson found the net in the third period’s first five minutes after receiving the puck from Nick Jones. Grant Blakey and Brandon Coccimiglio brought the Lakers all the way back to tie the game with eight minutes left in the regulation.
In a physical overtime, each team had decent looks for the win but were unable to cash in, leading to a 4-4 score. The Lakers did, however, defeat the Wolverines in an exhibition shootout when Chiasson and Jeff Terminesi each converted on their shots, while goaltender Jordan Tibett stoned the Wolverines on all but one attempt.
Tibett, a freshman from Indianapolis, gave the Lakers a considerable boost when he replaced Max Strang midway through the second period. Tibett allowed just one goal while recording 22 saves. Both the Lakers and Wolverines begin their season 0-0-1. The Lakers will return home for an exhibition match with Queens on Sunday.
- From staff reports
Posted in: Mercyhurst College, Uncategorized
Posted: October 2nd, 2010
What: Mercyhurst College (0-0-0) at No. 4 Michigan (0-0-0)
When: Saturday, 7:35 p.m.
Where: Yost Ice Arena – Ann Arbor, Mich.
On the air: www.mgoblue.com (Internet radio)
Phil Ginand (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)
Players to watch: Mercyhurst – F Phil Ginand (15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points in 2008-09), F Mike Gurtler (14-16-30 in 2009-10), F Brandon Coccimiglio (14-14-28), G Ryan Zapolski (15-17-3 record, 2.79 goals-against average, .918 save percentage, 2 shutouts), D Jeff Terminesi (5-13-18, plus-17); Michigan – F Carl Hagelin (19-31-50), F Louie Caporusso (21-22-43), F Matt Rust (13-27-40), F Chris Brown (13-15-28), G Bryan Hogan (18-15-1, 2.33, .901, 4 SO)
Fast facts
Mercyhurst – The Lakers and Wolverines meet on the first official day of the NCAA Division I hockey season. Neither program has begun a season this early in their history. … They meet for the first time since the Wolverines’ season-opening 5-3 home win in 2003-04. The Lakers nearly upset Michigan in their only other previous meeting – in the 2001 NCAA Tournament – before losing 4-3. … Coach Rick Gotkin, who begins his 23rd season at the school, needs one win to reach 400. … The Lakers begin a season on the road for the ninth straight year. … They have opened a season with Central Collegiate Hockey Association or Western Collegiate Hockey Association teams every year since 2002-03. They are 0-8. … The Lakers are picked to finish second in the Atlantic Hockey Association. … They return 17-of-24 lettermen from a team that finished 15-20-3 overall and 15-10-3 in the conference. … Coccimiglio and F Scott Pitt (7-18-25 in 2009-10) are co-captains. Gurtler and Terminesi are co-captains.
Michigan – The Wolverines return 19-of-25 lettermen from a 2009-10 team that had a 26-18-1 overall record and won the CCHA tournament title and an automatic NCAA Tournament berth after finishing seventh in the regular season (14-13-1). … They are picked to finish first in the CCHA by the media and second by coaches. … The Wolverines have 13 NHL draft picks on their roster, 13 more than the Lakers have produced in the program’s 24-year history. … Coach Red Berenson, who enters his 27th season, could reach the 700-win mark tonight. … The Wolverines are 19-4-3 in season openers and 22-1-3 in home openers under Berenson. … Hogan and D Kevin Clare are former Erie Otters’ draft picks (2007 and 2008, respectively). … Brown, a Phoenix Coyotes prospect, has ties to Millcreek Township. His parents, Chris and Candy, graduated from McDowell High School in 1985. He still has family in town.
Up next: vs. Queens (exhibition – Sunday, 7:05 p.m.), vs. Western Michigan (Oct. 15-16, 7:05 p.m.)
- Victor Fernandes
Posted in: Mercyhurst College, Uncategorized
Posted: September 22nd, 2010
The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team has been picked to finish second this season in the Atlantic Hockey Association Preseason Coaches Poll, released Tuesday afternoon at AHA Media Day in Rochester, N.Y.
The Lakers earned 101 points and two of the possible 12 first-place votes.
RIT, which made history last season as the first AHA team to advance to the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four, was picked as the early favorite to win the conference this season with 118 points and eight first-place votes.
Air Force was tabbed third with 98 points, followed by newcomers Robert Morris (82) and Niagara (82) in a tie for fourth, with the Colonials garnering the final two first-place nods. Both teams enter their first season as full-fledged AHA members after leaving College Hockey America.
Canisius, (63) Sacred Heart (61), Holy Cross (60), Army (48), Bentley (47), Connecticut (21) and American International (11) rounded out the poll in spots 6 – 12. The Lakers officially open the 2010-11 season when they face Michigan on Oct. 2 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Game time is slated for 7:35 p.m.
- From Mercyhurst news release
Posted in: Mercyhurst College, Uncategorized
Posted: June 28th, 2010
Rick Gotkin (Contributed/USCHO.com)
Head coach Rick Gotkin of the Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team released Monday the details of the Lakers’ 2010-11 schedule, highlighted by 18 regular-season home games, a date with perennial power Michigan and a possible meeting against defending NCAA Division I champion Boston College.
“We’re very excited and really looking forward to this season,” said coach Gotkin, who is sitting on 399 wins entering his 23rd season at Mercyhurst. “We want to have a challenging schedule to prepare our players for the road ahead. Playing teams such as Michigan and Boston College gives us the experience to tackle the teams in our conference. Our league has gotten better and better over the years, and with the addition of Robert Morris and Niagara this season, it’s probably the toughest it’s ever been.”
The Lakers will play 34 regular-season games and two exhibition contests in their 24th season of intercollegiate play. Twenty-seven of those games will be against teams from Atlantic Hockey Association, while the remaining seven put the Lakers up against foes from the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA), the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC Hockey), and possibly Hockey East (HEA).
Unlike previous years, Gotkin and his squad won’t have an opportunity to get a tune-up in before their first game as they head straight to Ann Arbor, Mich., to face Michigan on Oct. 2 at Yost Ice Arena. It will be the season opener for both squads and the first time the Lakers and Wolverines faced off against each other since a 5-3 loss in the 2003-04 season.
After the bout with the Wolverines, the Lakers return home to open the doors to the Mercyhurst Ice Center with a five-game home stand, beginning with an exhibition contest against Queens University, a Kingston, Ontario, school, on Oct. 3. A two-game series against Western Michigan (Oct. 15-16) follows before Canisius comes to town on Oct. 19 and the United States Under-18 National Team for another exhibition on Oct. 24.
The Lakers resume league play for the next 11 games, beginning with consecutive road singles at Niagara (Oct. 29) and Air Force (Nov. 5). The next five contests feature a pair of two-game home series against Army (Nov. 12-13) and American International (Nov. 26-27) sandwiched around a game at Robert Morris on Nov. 19. A trip to Sacred Heart (Dec. 3-4) and a home series against Rochester Institute of Technology (Dec. 10-11) close out the stretch and lead the team into non-conference action for the rest of the month.
Following a series against former Division II rival Alabama-Huntsville (Dec. 16-17) at home, the Lakers will have two weeks off before taking part in the 2010 Ledyard Bank Classic in Hanover, N.H., where they will face Dartmouth (Dec. 30) in the opening game and either Boston College or Colgate, depending on the outcome, the next day.
Mercyhurst has not faced Boston College since a 5-4 setback in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Division I Tournament.
Atlantic Hockey play then heats up again as the Lakers open up the second half of the season on the road at Connecticut (Jan. 7-8), followed by a home series against Holy Cross (Jan. 14-15) and a trip to Bentley (Jan. 21-22). Mercyhurst closes out its three-game season series with RIT in Rochester, N.Y. on Jan. 29, taking the team into the final month of the regular season.
Back-to-back home-and-home series kick off the month of February with the Lakers facing Niagara (Feb. 4-5) and Robert Morris (Feb. 11-12). Both series will have Mercyhurst on the road for the first contest. Air Force (Feb. 18-19) then closes out its series with a pair at the Mercyhurst Ice Center before the regular-season finale against Canisius on Feb. 25 on the road and Feb. 26 in Erie.
- From Mercyhurst news release
Posted in: Mercyhurst College, Uncategorized
