Check out these stories on former Erie Otters enforcer Bryan Hamm and former Mercyhurst College forward Phil Ginand.

Here are comments from Phil Ginand on leaving Mercyhurst College to sign with the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers – courtesy of beat reporter Michael Fornabaio from the Connecticut Post:

“I got a concussion — well, supposedly a concussion — two or three weeks ago,” Ginand said. “The doctors said I’d be out for the season, and it was pretty serious. They’re the same doctors who told me, freshman year, when I hurt my knee that I probably shouldn’t play hockey again, but I went home and saw my doctors and they fixed me up. (This time) I got clearance from my doctors.”

“I’ve got two terms left: this term, and I can finish classes in the summer,” Ginand said. “I would have been done with classes.”

“This was going to be my last year, no matter what.”

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

Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament – first round

What: Mercyhurst College (14-16-4) at Robert Morris (18-11-5)

When: Saturday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: RMU Island Sports Center – Pittsburgh

On the air: www.americaone.com (Internet video), www.rmucolonials.com (Internet radio, live stats)

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Sr. G Ryan Zapolski (12-13-3 record, 2.82 goals-against average, .921 save percentage, 2 shutouts), Sr. F Scott Pitt (16-20-36), So. F Paul Chiasson (17-16-33), Fr. F Taylor Holstrom (8-22-30), Sr. F Mike Gurtler (8-17-25)

Robert Morris – Sr. F Nathan Longpre (14-28-42), Sr. D Denny Urban (8-31-39), Jr. G Brooks Ostergard (14-8-2, 2.67, .918), So. F Adam Brace (12-16-28), Jr. F Ron Cramer (9-12-21)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The Lakers, the No. 5 seed in the AHA’s six-team West scheduling region, start the conference playoffs on the road for the first time since 2006-07. They were swept by Canisius in a best-of-three quarterfinal series at Mercyhurst Ice Center last year. … The Lakers and Colonials split their three-game, regular-season series, with the teams splitting two games in Pittsburgh and tying 4-4 on Feb. 12 at MIC. Mercyhurst squandered a two-goal lead with two minutes left to settle for the tie. … The Lakers snapped a five-game winless streak with a 5-1 home win against Canisius in the regular-season finale last Saturday. … They enter the postseason with a 3-5-2 record in their last 10 games. … The Lakers will play without redshirt sophomore F Phil Ginand (season-ending, upper-body injury) and senior F Steve Cameron (potentially season-ending, lower-body injury). … Junior D Patrick Goebel (upper body) rejoined the lineup against Canisius after missing the previous two weekends. … Freshman D Nick Jones (upper body) will play tonight after missing last weekend’s games. … Gurtler needs seven points to become the 15^th player in the program’s NCAA Division I history to reach 100 career points.

Robert Morris – The Colonials were swept in a two-game series at Air Force last weekend to slip from the West’s No. 2 seed and a first-round bye to the fourth seed. … They are an AHA-best 10-2-3 at home, including 9-1-3 at Island Sports Center. But the Lakers handed them that one loss (3-1 Nov. 19). … Longpre, Urban, senior F Chris Kushneriuk (7-13-20) and junior F Trevor Lewis (9-615) rank among the top 10 on the school’s scoring list. … Longpre has points in nine straight games and 19-of-21 outings.

– Victor Fernandes

Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament

First round – Today

East Scheduling Region

No. 6 American International (7-22-1) at No. 3 Army (11-19-4), 7:05 p.m.

No. 5 Sacred Heart (5-23-6) at No. 4 Bentley (10-17-6), 7:05 p.m.

West Scheduling Region

No. 6 Canisius (11-17-6) at No. 3 Niagara (18-12-4), 7:05 p.m.

No. 5 Mercyhurst (14-16-4) at No. 4 Robert Morris (18-11-5), 7:05 p.m.

Note: No. 1W Rochester Institute of Technology (16-10-8), No. 2W Air Force (16-11-6), No. 1 E Holy Cross (15-14-5) and No. 2E Connecticut (13-17-4) earned byes into the quarterfinals.

What: Mercyhurst College (13-15-4, 11-12-2 AHA) vs. Canisius (10-16-6, 9-11-5)

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

Where: Friday at Buffalo State Sports Arena; Saturday at Mercyhurst Ice Center

On the air: www.americaone.com (Internet video), WMCE (radio)*

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Sr. G Ryan Zapolski (11-12-3 record, 2.88 goals-against average, .919 save percentage, 2 shutouts), Sr. F Scott Pitt (15-18-33), So. F Paul Chiasson (16-14-31), Fr. F Taylor Holstrom (8-21-29), Sr. F Mike Gurtler (7-16-23)

Canisius – Sr. F Cory Conacher (19-13-32), Sr. F Vincent Scarsella (10-16-26), Fr. D Ben Danford (2-20-22), Sr. F Eric Rex (7-14-21), Jr. G Dan Morrison (7-13-4, 3.50, .903, 1 SO)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The Lakers, who are winless in their last four games (0-3-1), will clinch the fifth spot in the Atlantic Hockey Association’s West pod with a win in the regular season-ending series with the sixth-place Golden Griffins. … The Lakers will begin the playoffs on the road against the West pod’s third or fourth seed. … Redshirt sophomore F Phil Ginand (upper-body injury) is out for the season. … Senior F Steve Cameron (lower body) could miss the rest of the season. … Freshman F Nick Jones (upper body) will miss this weekend’s games. But coach Rick Gotkin hopes he will be cleared to play for the playoffs. … Junior D Patrick Goebel (upper body) rejoins the lineup after missing the past two weekends. …The school will honor seniors Cameron, Gurtler, Pitt, Zapolski, Jeff Terminesi, Ryan Raven and Jesse Echternach before Saturday’s game. … The Lakers lost 5-2 to Canisius in October, but they lead the all-time series 34-22-9. … Gurtler needs nine points to become the 15^th player in the program’s NCAA Division I history to reach 100 career points and the third this season (Pitt and Cameron). Gurtler also needs two short-handed goals to equal the program’s Division I career record of 10 set by Louis Goulet (1998-2002), now an assistant coach with the women’s team. … Zapolski, an Erie native, has 46 career wins, four shy of being the Lakers’ first goaltender to reach 50 since Peter Aubry in 2002. … The Lakers are tied for ninth nationally in scoring offense (3.53 goals per game), one spot ahead of Air Force (3.56).

Canisius – The Golden Griffins snapped a three-game losing streak (all by shutout) with a 6-3 win at Niagara on Saturday. … They were shut out in three straight games for the first time in the program’s 31-year history. … Conacher is the Division I program’s all-time leading scorer (132 points). … Danford has set a new program record for points by a rookie defenseman. … Fairview native Rex’s 21 points are eight more than his first three seasons combined. … The Golden Griffins have won four straight against the Lakers and five in a row at MIC.

Up next: at Atlantic Hockey Association tournament – first round (TBA)

* Radio broadcast – home game only

– 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

What: Air Force (12-11-6, 10-7-6 AHA) at Mercyhurst College (13-13-4, 11-10-2)

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

Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center

On the air: Image Sports Network (TV), www.americaone.com (Internet video)*

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Sr. G Ryan Zapolski (10-10-3 record, 2.70 goals-against average, .924 save percentage, 2 shutouts), Sr. F Scott Pitt (14-17-31), So. F Paul Chiasson (14-13-27), Fr. F Taylor Holstrom (8-17-25), Sr. F Ryan Raven (8-13-21)

Air Force – Sr. F Jacques Lamoureux (15-17-32), Sr. F Derrick Burnett (7-20-27), Jr. D Scott Mathis (7-16-23), So. F Kyle De Laurell (8-14-22), Fr. G Jason Torf (9-8-4, 3.02, .905)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The Lakers are sixth in the Atlantic Hockey Association. They trail the fifth-place Falcons by two points and are five points out of second with four games left. … The Lakers won 6-2 at Air Force Nov. 5 to extend their unbeaten streak in the series to three straight games (2-0-1). … They are 6-2-2 in the last eight meetings with the Falcons to even the series at 13-13-4. … They are unbeaten in six straight home games (5-0-1). … Redshirt sophomore forward Phil Ginand (upper-body injury) senior forward Steve Cameron (lower body) could miss extended time, coach Rick Gotkin said. … Junior D Patrick Goebel (upper body) will miss his second straight weekend. … Senior F Mike Gurtler (6-15-21) needs nine points to become the 15^th player in the program’s NCAA Division I history to reach 100 career points and the third this season (Pitt and Cameron). Gurtler also needs two short-handed goals to equal the program’s Division I career record of 10 set by Louis Goulet (1998-2002), now an assistant coach with the women’s team. … Pitt has points in eight of his last 10 games. … Zapolski, an Erie native, has 46 career wins, four shy of being the Lakers’ first goaltender to reach 50 since Peter Aubry in 2002. … Chiasson and Holstrom had nine-game point streaks snapped last Friday night at Robert Morris. … Ticket revenue from both games, as well as donations placed in donation boxes at the rink, will benefit the Kimball Family Foundation as part of the school’s Pink Zone week. Fundraisers also will be held at the basketball teams’ doubleheader Saturday. … The Lakers rank 10^th nationally in scoring offense (3.53 goals per game), one spot ahead of Air Force (3.52).

Air Force – The Falcons’ last nine games have been decided by a goal or finished in a tie (3-3-3). Nine of their 12 wins have been by a goal. … They haven’t won consecutive games since a three-game streak in December. … The Falcons are second nationally on the power play (24.7 percent). … They rank near the bottom nationally in scoring defense (3.24 goals per game). … Lamoureux needs one goal to set a new career record for goals in AHA games. He’s tied with Army’s Owen Meyer (55 from 2006-10). His twin sisters, Monique and Jocelyne, won silver with Team USA at the Vancouver Olympics.

Up next: at Canisius (Feb. 25, 7:05 p.m.), vs. Canisius (Feb. 26, 7:05 p.m.)

* TV broadcast tonight only

– Victor Fernandes

The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team allowed a valuable point to slip away Saturday night.

The Lakers squandered a two-goal lead in the final two minutes of regulation before settling for a 4-4 Atlantic Hockey Association tie with Robert Morris at Mercyhurst Ice Center.

RMU (17-9-5, 12-7-5 AHA) erased that 4-2 deficit by scoring twice in a span of 57 seconds with goaltender Brooks Ostergard pulled for an extra attacker. Trevor Lewis scored off a rebound of Denny Urban’s shot to pull the Colonials within 4-3 with 1:58 left. Then with 1:01 left, Urban and Adam Brace assisted on Lewis’ tying goal. The teams failed to score in the five-minute overtime.

The Lakers (13-13-4, 11-10-1) and Colonials exchanged goals in the opening two minutes. RMU’s Furman South scored off a rebound a minute after Mercyhurst’s Phil Ginand scored on assists from Ryan Raven and Nate Jensen.

But a key sequence late in the period allowed the Lakers to take a two-goal lead into the second period.

Senior captain Scott Pitt scored his 13^th goal of the season to snap the tie with 2:40 left. As teammates celebrated the goal, sophomore forward Paul Chiasson scuffled with a fallen RMU player in front of the Colonials’ net. Ostergard intervened, sparking a multi-player altercation.

Chiasson received a 10-minute misconduct. Yet the Lakers received a power play because of Ostergard’s two-minute roughing penalty. Thirty-eight seconds later, junior forward Derek Elliott scored with the man advantage, with assists from Mike Gurtler and Jeff  Terminesi, to hand the Lakers a 3-1 lead.

The Colonials capitalized on a power play late in the second, as Colin South deflected Urban’s point shot past Lakers goaltender Ryan Zapolski, an Erie native, to slice RMU’s deficit to 3-2 at the 15:36 mark.

But 38 seconds later, the Lakers responded on Pitt’s second goal of the game for a 4-2 lead.

Yet RMU overcame a disallowed goal with 2:13 left in the third, which would have moved the Colonials within a goal, to cap a dominant final period with their pair of stunning goals. They outshot the Lakers 15-6 in the period. Mercyhurst finished with a 40-37 advantage overall.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 4, Robert Morris 4

Robert Morris  1  1  2  0  —  4

Mercyhurst  3  1  0  0  —  4

1^st Period — 1. Mercyhurst, Phil Ginand 12 (Raven, Jensen), :35. 2. RMU, Furman South 6 (Blandina, Chiavetta), 1:36. 3. Mercyhurst, Scott Pitt 13 (Terminesi, Holstrom), 17:20. 4. Mercyhurst, Derek Elliott 4 (Gurtler, Terminesi), 17:58 (pp). Penalties — Blandina (R) checking from behind, 5:26; Ostergard (R) roughing (served by C. South), 17:20; Chiasson (M) 10-min. misconduct, 17:20.

2^nd Period — 5. RMU, Colin South 5 (Urban, Longpre), 15:36 (pp). 6. Mercyhurst, Pitt 14 (Holstrom, Chiasson), 16:02. Penalties — Noble (M) tripping, 4:41; RMU, too many men (served by C. South), 6:43; Hervato (R) high sticking, 9:25; Cramer (R) cross checking, 12:06; Elliott (M) boarding, 14:33; Noble (M) slashing, 18:18.

3^rd Period — 7. RMU, Trevor Lewis 8 (Urban, Brace), 18:02. 8. RMU, Lewis 9 (Urban, Brace), 18:59. Penalties — Hervato (R) boarding, 9:30.

Overtime — None. Penalties — Cramer (R) goaltender interference, 3:26; Ginand (M) slashing, 3:26.

Shots on goal — RMU, 11-9-15-2—37; Mercyhurst, 18-12-6-4—40.

Goaltenders — RMU, Brooks Ostergard 13-6-2 (40 shots, 36 saves); Mercyhurst, Ryan Zapolski 11-10-3 (37 shots, 33 saves).

Power plays — RMU (1-3), Mercyhurst (1-6).

Attendance — 793.

What: Mercyhurst College (7-10-2, 5-7-0 AHA) at Connecticut (6-8-3, 6-4-1)

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

Where: Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum – Storrs, Conn.

On the air: www.americaone.com (Internet video)

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Sr. G Ryan Zapolski (6-7-1 record, 2.80 goals-against average, .919 save percentage, 1 shutout), Sr. F Steve Cameron (6-8-14), Sr. F Scott Pitt (5-8-13), So. F Paul Chiasson (8-3-11), Sr. F Ryan Raven (6-5-11)

Connecticut – Fr. F Cole Schneider (7-9-16), So. F Sean Ambrosie (7-8-15), Sr. F Andrew Olson (8-4-12), Fr. F Jordan Sims (7-5-12), So. G Garrett Bartus (6-7-3, 3.56, .904)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The Lakers begins a season-ending stretch of 15 straight Atlantic Hockey Association games. … They enter these matchups off a shootout win against Dartmouth, which was ranked just outside the USCHO.com poll’s top 20, and a close loss to then-No. 5 Boston College, NCAA Division I’s defending national champion, at the Ledyard Bank Classic in Hanover, N.H. … The Lakers are eighth in the 12-team conference, but they are only four points out of a top-four spot. … They hold a 28-9-2 lead over the Huskies in the all-time series. … Junior D Kevin Noble (lower-body injury) remains out of the lineup. He hasn’t played since Dec. 4 at Sacred Heart. … Redshirt sophomore forward Phil Ginand (7-4-11) is questionable with a lower-body injury. … Zapolski, an Erie native, made 43 saves in the win against Dartmouth, his second-highest total of the season. He made 34 saves against BC.

Connecticut – The Huskies have matched their conference win total from last season (6-19-3). … They snapped a four-game winning streak in a 4-1 loss to Princeton Dec. 30. … The Huskies outscored opponents 23-11 during the win streak. They have moved into NCAA Division I’s top 20 in scoring (3.29 goals per game). … They played 12 of their first 15 games on the road. … Freshman F Billy Latta (3-9-12) was named AHA’s rookie of the month for December after totaling two goals and eight points in five games. … Schneider and sophomore D Tom Janosz (Elma, N.Y.) are western New York natives.

Up next: vs. Holy Cross (Jan. 14-15, 7:05 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes