ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Mercyhurst men’s hockey team can focus on playing for the Atlantic Hockey Association championship now.
All week long, the Lakers and coach Rick Gotkin wouldn’t look past Friday night’s semifinal matchup against Connecticut. That mindset worked, as Mercyhurst scored four unanswered goals to overcome the Huskies’ early lead on the way to a 4-1 win in front of 1,095 fans at Blue Cross Arena.
The sixth-seeded Lakers (19-16-5) face seventh-seeded Canisius (18-18-5) in today’s 7:05 p.m. championship game at Blue Cross Arena for a chance to earn Mercyhurst’s first AHA title and automatic bid into the NCAA Division I tournament since 2005. The Golden Griffins shocked top-seeded and 15th-ranked Niagara 5-3 in the opening semifinal, one week after upsetting two-time defending champion Air Force in the quarterfinals.
Paul Chiasson scored two goals for Mercyhurst, while Ryan Misiak and Zac Frischmon added one apiece.

Atlantic Hockey Association final four schedule
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Semifinals – Friday
No. 7 Canisius 5, No. 1 Niagara 3
No. 6 Mercyhurst 4, No. 4 Connecticut 1
Championship game – Saturday
Canisius (18-18-5) vs. Mercyhurst (19-16-5), 7:05 p.m.
Note: Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

SUMMARY

Mercyhurst 4, Connecticut 1
Mercyhurst 0 2 2 — 4
Connecticut 1 0 0 — 1
1st Period — 1. Connecticut, Trevor Gerling 12 (Sharib, Pauly), 7:36. Penalties — DeWald (M) boarding, 15:02; Blakey (M) slashing, 15:23.
2nd Period — 2. Mercyhurst, Zac Frischmon 4 (unassisted), 9:15. 3. Mercyhurst, Paul Chiasson 14 (Jones, DeWald), 15:59. Penalties — Latta (C) slashing, 5:13; Poe (C) holding, 6:58; Harris (C) hooking, 11:56; Shiplo (M) slashing, 13:03.
3rd Period — 4. Mercyhurst, Ryan Misiak 18 (Just, Shiplo), 13:19 (pp). 5. Mercyhurst, Chiasson 15 (Tibbett), 18:06 (en). Penalties — Bouchard (C) slashing, 11:34.
Shots on goal — Mercyhurst, 9-10-14—33; Connecticut, 12-12-8—32.
Goaltenders — Mercyhurst, Jordan Tibbett 7-6-1 (32 shots, 31 saves); Connecticut, Matt Grogan 14-4-3 (32 shots, 29 saves).
Power plays — Mercyhurst (1-4), Connecticut (0-3).
Attendance — 1,095.

No. 6 Mercyhurst (18-16-5) vs. No. 4 Connecticut (19-13-4)
When: Friday, 7:05 p.m.
Where: Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
On the air: www.americaonesports.com (live stream), WMCE-FM/88.5 & wmce.mercyhurst.edu (radio), www.atlantichockeyonline.com (live scores)
Up next: Championship game (Saturday, 7:05 p.m. at Blue Cross Arena)*
What to expect: Mercyhurst has reached the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals for the second straight season. The Lakers lost to eventual champion Air Force 5-2 in this round a season ago. … The Lakers rebounded from an eight-game winless streak with a sweep of 11th-seeded Army at Mercyhurst Ice Center two weeks ago and a series win at No. 3 Holy Cross last weekend. … Mercyhurst hasn’t reached the title game since consecutive trips in 2008 and 2009 (lost to Air Force both times). … The Lakers haven’t won an AHA championship since beating Quinnipiac 3-2 in the 2005 title game. They also beat Quinnipiac 6-5 to capture the 2001 title, when the league was known as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. … Mercyhurst and UConn split their two-game, regular-season series in Storrs, Conn., with the Lakers losing 5-4 Jan. 18 and winning 5-0 the following night. … The Lakers lead the all-time series 32-13-3. Yet they have lost three straight and four of six games against the Huskies in the postseason, including a UConn sweep in the 2011 AHA quarterfinals. … With top-seeded and 15th-ranked Niagara (23-8-5) facing seventh-seeded Canisius (17-18-5) in the other semifinal, the conference will have a champion from a school other than Air Force and Rochester Institute of Technology for the first time since Holy Cross in 2006. Air Force, which lost to Canisius in the quarterfinals, had won five of the last six titles (2007-09, 2011-12). RIT, which lost to Niagara in the quarterfinals, won in 2010 on the way to the first NCAA Division I Frozen Four appearance for the Tigers and the AHA. … Senior F Grant Blakey has five goals and seven points in the Lakers’ five playoff games. … UConn senior G Matt Grogan has a 14-3-3 record, 1.88 goals-against average and .939 save percentage since taking over as starter midway through the season. He was the Huskies’ only player to earn all-conference honors (third team). Mercyhurst features three all-stars – junior D Nick Jones (first team), sophomore F Ryan Misiak (second) and sophomore F Matthew Zay (third). … Niagara has never reached the title game. Canisius hasn’t reached the final since 1999 (lost 4-3 to Holy Cross). … Niagara junior G Carson Chubak leads the nation with six shutouts and ranks among the top five in winning percentage (.773), goals-against average (1.81) and save percentage (.941). He’s one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which honors the nation’s top men’s hockey player. … Freshman F Ralph Cuddemi, a former Erie Otters draft pick, has two goals and seven points in 34 games for Canisius.
* If the Lakers win tonight

- Victor Fernandes

Atlantic Hockey Association final four schedule
at Blue Cross Arena – Rochester, N.Y.
Semifinals – Friday
No. 1 Niagara (23-8-5) vs. No. 7 Canisius (17-18-5), 4:05 p.m.
No. 4 Connecticut (19-13-4) vs. No. 6 Mercyhurst (18-16-5), 7:05 p.m.
Championship game – Saturday
Semifinal winners, 7:05 p.m.
Note: Champion earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I tournament.

Junior defenseman Nick Jones was one of three Mercyhurst men’s players named to the Atlantic Hockey Association’s all-conference teams, which were announced Tuesday. Jones earned first-team honors for ranking fourth among all defensemen with 18 points. Sophomore forward Ryan Misiak was named to the second team for totaling 30 points, while sophomore forward Matthew Zay earned a spot on the third team after leading the Lakers with 34 points.

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

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

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.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Freshman goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant stopped 23-of-26 shots in his college debut to lead the Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team to a 4-3 win against Alabama-Huntsville in front of 1,062 at Propst Arena on Saturday.

The Lakers swept a two-game series from UHA for the second straight year.

Sarjeant allowed two goals on six shots in the opening period. But his teammates responded with goals from senior Derek Elliott and freshmen Chris Bodo and Daniel Bahntge to take a 3-2 lead.

Sarjeant settled down after that, allowing only one goal on his final 20 shots. UAH (1-21-1) tied the score at 3 on Graeme Strukoff’s goal 8 minutes, 34 seconds into the second period. But freshman Ryan Misiak scored 3:43 into the third to hand the Lakers (10-8-2) a 4-3 lead. The Lakers were outshot 26-22.

Bodo led the Lakers with a goal and two assists. Misiak had a goal and assist. Mercyhurst returns to Atlantic Hockey Association play on Friday and Saturday with a pair of 7:05 p.m. games against Sacred Heart at Mercyhurst Ice Center.

OMAHA, Neb. – The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team started the season quietly.

The Lakers were outshot 44-18 in a 5-1 loss to No. 14 Nebraska Omaha at the Mutual of Omaha Stampede in front of 5,407 fans at CenturyLink Center Omaha on Friday night.

Grant Blakey scored the lone goal in the third period for the Lakers (0-1-0), which face Atlantic Hockey Association rival Robert Morris in the consolation game today at 5:07 p.m. RMU (0-1-0) lost to Colgate 3-1 in the opening game Friday.

Freshmen Tyler Shiplo and Ryan Misiak assisted on Blakey’s goal for their first career points. Max Strang made 39 saves for the Lakers. Brock Montpetit scored twice for the Mavericks (1-0-0).

SUMMARY

Mavericks 5, Lakers 1

Mercyhurst  0  0  1  —  1

UNO  1  1  2  —  5

1^st Period — 1. UNO, Brock Montpetit 1 (White), 5:03. Penalties — Shiplo (M) slashing, 8:31; Montpetit (UNO) interference, 12:15.

2^nd Period — 2. UNO, Michael Young 1 (Broadhurst), :44. 3. UNO, Josh Archibald 1 (Walters, Aneloski), 12:39. Penalties — None.

3^rd Period — 4. Mercyhurst, Grant Blakey 1 (Shiplo, Misiak), 10:46 (pp). 5. UNO, Johnnie Searfoss 1 (Raubenheimer, Aneloski), 14:01. 6. UNO, Montpetit 2 (White, Walters), 17:36 (pp). Penalties — Goebel (M) tripping, 17:04; Schmit (UNO) roughing, 18:23.

Shots on goal — Mercyhurst, 6-7-5—18; UNO, 18-14-12—44.

Goaltenders — Mercyhurst, Max Strang 0-1-0 (44 shots, 39 saves); UNO, John Faulkner 1-0-0 (18 shots, 17 saves).

Power plays — Mercyhurst (1-3), UNO (1-2).

Attendance — 5,407.