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

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

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Mercyhurst University men’s hockey tied Ferris State Saturday night. The Lakers had a chance to win.
Then the Lakers won the shootout after finishing regulation and overtime tied 3-3 in front of 1,656 fans at Ewigleben Ice Arena. They rebounded from a 7-3 loss Friday night to the Bulldogs, which reached the NCAA Division I championship game a season ago.
Mercyhurst (0-2-1) carried a 3-2 lead into the third period, but Justin DeMartino scored with 5 minutes, 52 seconds left to force overtime. Neither team could score in overtime. Lakers sophomore Nardo Nagtzaam scored the lone goal in the shootout, but the non-conference game officially finished in a tie. Mercyhurst built a 2-0 first-period leads on goals from Ryan Misiak and Paul Chiasson less than two minutes apart. Ferris State (1-1-2) sliced the lead in half on Eric Alexander’s goal with 5:32 left in the period.
The Bulldogs tied the score at 2 on Andy Huff‘s goal 48 seconds into the second period. But the Lakers answered quickly on Grant Blakey‘s goal 1:05 later. Sophomore goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant, who made his second career start, made 39 saves in regulation and overtime and three more in the shootout for Mercyhurst, which was outshot 42-25. Misiak and Chiasson had a goal and assist apiece.

The Mercyhurst men’s hockey team has earned a well-deserved break.

The Lakers needed a win against Canisius Saturday night and some help to secure a top-four finish in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings and a bye in next weekend’s first round of the AHA playoffs.

The Lakers handled their part, as they shut out the Golden Griffins 5-0 in front of 725 at Mercyhurst Ice Center behind redshirt junior goaltender Max Strang’s 27-save performance. Then Holy Cross defeated Bentley 6-4 Saturday, which handed the Lakers (18-14-4, 15-8-4) next week off and home-ice advantage in a best-of-three quarterfinal series against a first-round winner in two weeks.

Mercyhurst finished fourth in a tight conference race, behind first-place Air Force, Niagara and Rochester Institute of Technology. The Lakers would face the best remaining first-round winner in the quarterfinals.

Canisius (10-20-4, 10-14-3) finished ninth and will face eighth-place Connecticut in a best-of-three, first-round series next weekend.

Freshmen Nardo Nagtzaam and Chris Bodo led the Lakers with a goal and two assists apiece. Nick Jones had a goal and assist. Daniel O’Donoghue and Kyle Just each scored a goal.

Mercyhurst University (14-9-3, 11-3-3 AHA) at Rochester Institute of Technology (14-8-2, 11-4-2)

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

Where: Ritter Arena – Rochester, N.Y.

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

Up next: vs. Niagara (Feb. 3, 7:05 p.m.), at Niagara (Feb. 4, 7:05 p.m.)

Fast facts: Mercyhurst plays its first game under the school’s new university status, which was unveiled Wednesday. … The Lakers’ two-week stay in USCHO.com’s Division I poll ended Monday. RIT stands No. 26 with seven votes. … …Mercyhurst beat RIT 2-1 Oct. 28 at Mercyhurst Ice Center. But the Tigers lead the all-time series 27-14-5. … The battle for first place in Atlantic Hockey Association features the conference’s highest-scoring team (Mercyhurst – 59 goals in 17 games) against the stingiest defense (RIT – 28 goals in 17 games). The Lakers rank 13^th in NCAA Division I at 3.19 goals scored per game (80 in 26 games). RIT ranks third at 2.04 goals against per game (49 in 24 games). … Redshirt junior G Max Strang (12-9-3 record, 2.80 goals-against average, .922 save percentage, 2 shutouts) faces a stern challenge from RIT junior G Shane Madolora, who ranks among the top five nationally in shutouts (6 – tied for first), save percentage (.935 – tied for third), winning percentage (.735 – fourth) and GAA (1.82 – fifth). … Mercyhurst freshman F Nardo Nagtzaam is tied for second among rookies nationally with 23 points. … The Lakers are unbeaten in three straight games and 8-2-2 in their last 12 games. … The Tigers have outscored teams 17-1 in a four-game winning streak. … They have allowed one goal or fewer 11 times. … Both teams have beaten ranked teams (Mercyhurst against Cornell, RIT against Ferris State and Lake Superior State). … The Lakers complete a season-high, six-game road trip. After this weekend, they finish the regular season with five of their final eight games on the road. … Senior D Patrick Goebel (lower-body injury), who missed practice time earlier in the week, will be a game-time decision. … RIT has a 31-2-6 home record against AHA teams since the start of the 2009-10 season.

- Victor Fernandes

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