What: No. 5 Mercyhurst College (24-5-0, 13-0-0 CHA) at Syracuse (11-13-14, 5-4-1)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.

Where: Tennity Ice Pavilion – Syracuse, N.Y.

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

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Sr. F Meghan Agosta (30 goals, 42 assists, 72 points), Jr. G Hillary Pattenden (22-5-0 record, 2.08 goals-against average, .903 save percentage, 5 shutouts), Sr. F Jesse Scanzano (20-27-47), Sr. F Vicki Bendus (17-29-46), Jr. F Bailey Bram (12-26-38)

Syracuse – So. F Isabel Menard (15-18-33), Sr. F Julie Rising (10-16-26), Sr. D Ashley Cockell (8-11-19), Jr. F Megan Skelly (7-10-17), Sr. F Stefanie Marty (7-8-15)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – Agosta, the nation’s leading scorer and second-leading goal scorer, needs two goals to surpass the NCAA’s all-time career record of 150 goals set by Harvard’s Nicole Corriero from 2002-05. Agosta set the NCAA career marks for points and power-play goals last weekend. … Pattenden surpassed Laura Hosier (74 wins from 2004-08) as the program’s leader in victories last weekend. … The Lakers are 11-0 overall against the Orange, including 5-2 and 6-0 wins last month. … They have won a season-high six straight games by a combined 27-7 score since a 3-0 home loss to No. 2 Cornell Jan. 18. … They have five of their six shutout wins in the last 10 games. … They could clinch College Hockey America’s regular-season title with one win this weekend. … Agosta, Bendus, Bram and Scanzano are ranked among the top 12 nationally in scoring and top nine in assists. … Freshman F Christine Bestland (18-21-39) ranks third nationally in rookie scoring. … The Lakers are off next weekend before concluding the regular season Feb. 25 at home against Robert Morris.

Syracuse – The Orange play for the first time in two weeks. In their last game on Jan. 29, they snapped a three-game winless streak (in which they totaled two goals) with a 3-1 win against Wayne State. … Cockell, who transferred from Mercyhurst last summer, had no goals and two points in her return to Erie last month. … They are holding their Skate for the Cure event this weekend.

Up next: vs. Robert Morris (Feb. 25, 7 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

What: Syracuse (8-9-3, 2-0-0 CHA) at No. 5 Mercyhurst College (14-4-0, 5-0-0)

When: Friday, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.

Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center

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

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – Jr. G Hillary Pattenden (13-4-0 record, 2.64 goals-against average, .887 save percentage, 1 shutout), Sr. F Meghan Agosta (19 goals, 26 assists, 45 points), Sr. F Jesse Scanzano (11-19-30), Jr. F Kelley Steadman (12-9-21), Fr. F Christine Bestland (10-13-23)

Syracuse –Sr. F Julie Rising (10-13-23), Jr. F Megan Skelly (7-9-16), Sr. D Ashley Cockell (5-9-14), Fr. G Jenesica Drinkwater (5-2-2, 2.39, .903), Fr. F Akane Hosoyamada (1-10-11),

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The Lakers return to College Hockey America play after splitting four straight non-conference games (loss and win at St. Lawrence, a win at St. Cloud State and a loss to No. 2 Wisconsin. … The Lakers allowed seven goals in the loss to Wisconsin, the most since a 7-3 loss to Providence on Jan. 12, 2008. … They have won all nine career meetings with the Orange by a combined 47-12 score. … Senior F Vicki Bendus (11-20-31) and junior F Bailey Bram (9-14-23) will miss a second straight weekend of games. They are representing their native Canada’s National Women’s Under-22 Team at the MLP Cup, which began Tuesday and concludes Saturday in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. … Pattenden’s goals-against average and save percentage has dropped out of NCAA Division I’s top 20. … Pattenden stands eight wins shy of equaling 2008 graduate Laura Hosier’s school record of 74. She has a season and a half left to equal Wisconsin alumnus Jessie Vetter’s Division I record of 91. … Michael Sisti (296-82-26) needs four wins to become the sixth women’s coach to reach 300. … Scanzano needs three points to join Agosta (255) and Valerie Chouinard (201 from 2005-08) as the only players in program history to reach 200. Scanzano has hat tricks in two of the last three games. … Senior D Cassea Schols (4-11-15) is tied for fourth nationally in points by defensemen (0.83 per game). …  Junior F Jess Jones (7-9-16) is day to day with an undisclosed injury. … The Lakers are holding their annual Skate for the Cure event to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer this weekend. They will wear pink sweaters. Fans can purchase $5 raffle tickets for a chance to win an autographed sweater. Proceeds from the raffle and ticket revenue from both games will be donated to a charity at the 2011 CHA Championship in March.

Syracuse – The Orange are winless in three straight games (0-2-1) and six of their last eight (2-4-2). But the two wins were in their only conference games of the season (3-0 and 5-3 vs. Wayne State Dec. 3-4). … Sophomore F Isabel Menard (11-17-28) and senior F Stefanie Marty (5-7-12) will miss the series. They are representing Canada and Switzerland, respectively, in the MLP Cup. … Cockell, who transferred from Mercyhurst this season, is tied for third in CHA and tied for eighth nationally in points by a defenseman (0.78 per game). … Drinkwater leads the CHA in goals-against average.

Up next: vs. Brown at Tullio Arena (Jan. 14-15, 2 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

(in order of predicted finish)

Mercyhurst Lakers

2009-10 record: 30-3-3, 14-1-1 CHA

Coach: Michael Sisti, 12^th season (281-78-26)

Players to watch: Sr. F Meghan Agosta (41-37-78 in 2008-09), Jr. G Hillary Pattenden (29-3-3 record, 1.60 goals-against average, .921 save percentage, 3 shutouts in 2009-10), Sr. F Vicki Bendus (28-37-65), Sr. F Jesse Scanzano (20-45-65), Jr. F Bailey Bram (29-27-56)

Outlook: Agosta, who took last season off to prepare for her native Canada’s run to Olympic gold in Vancouver, rejoins a team that returns 18-0f-20 players. A ninth straight conference title is a certainty. With the NCAA Division I Women’s Frozen Four set for Tullio Arena in March, the program’s first national title is within reach, too.

Syracuse Orange

2009-10 record: 18-17-1, 8-8-0 CHA

Coach: Paul Flanagan, 3rd season (27-33-4)

Players to watch: So. F Isabel Menard (15-22-37), Sr. F Stefanie Marty (16-15-31), So. F Holly Carrie-Mattimoe (9-18-27), Sr. D Ashley Cockell (21-22-43 with Mercyhurst), Sr. F Julie Rising (16-15-31)

Outlook: The third-year Orange return 14 players from a team that posted the first winning record in program history and reached the conference championship game. They also added Cockell, a Mercyhurst transfer who finished fifth on the Lakers in scoring last season.

Wayne State Warriors

2009-10 record: 9-18-4, 5-10-1 CHA

Coach: Jim Fetter, 7th season (109-102-22)

Players to watch: Jr. F Alyssa Baldin (9-11-20), So. F Julie Ingratta (6-9-15), F Gina Buquet (6-8-14), Jr. D Jill Szandzik (3-9-12), G Delayne Brian (5-10-3, 2.52, .912)

Outlook: Fetter, a Mercyhurst assistant under Sisti from 2000-03, leads a team with 17 returnees into what should be a rebound season for the Warriors.

Niagara Purple Eagles

2009-10 record: 12-14-5, 7-6-3 CHA

Coach: Chris MacKenzie, 1st season (0-0)

Players to watch: Sr. G Jenni Bauer (12-14-5, 2.25, .915), So. Jenna Hendrikx (14-10-24), So. F Kathleen Bortuzzo (3-8-11), Jr. F Caitlin Jenkins (5-5-10)

Outlook: MacKenzie, a former standout on the men’s team who graduated in 2000, is the second coach in program history. He spent the past eight seasons as an assistant at UMass-Lowell.

Robert Morris Colonials

2009-10 record: 11-24-1, 3-12-1 CHA

Coach: Nate Handrahan, 5th season (46-88-7)

Players to watch: Jr. F Brianna Delaney (14-17-31), Sr. F Sara O’Malley (18-12-30), Sr. F Maria Stoa (3-15-18), So. F Jennifer Kindret (9-8-17), Sr. G Daneca Butterfield (9-17-1, 3.02, .901, 2 SO)

Outlook: The Colonials have a veteran team back this season, led by Delaney and Butterfield. But they have much ground to make up in the conference.

- Victor Fernandes

HAVERHILL, Mass. - The College Hockey America coaches have voted who they believe will take the regular0season crown for the 2010-11 season.  Last year’s tournament champion and NCAA Frozen Four Semifinalist, Mercyhurst, which collected 16 points and four first-place votes, is this season’s top choice, as selected by the coaches.

The Lakers prevailed over Syracuse in the CHA Tournament, 3-1, to garner their tenth straight conference crown. Mercyhurst defeated Boston University in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Division I Tournament, before falling to Cornell in the national semifinals, 3- 2 in overtime, in Minneapolis, Minn.

Syracuse, last year’s tournament runner-up has been chosen second by the coaches.  The Orange earned the last first-place vote and totaled 13 points.  Following Syracuse is Niagara, which collected 10 points, followed by Robert Morris (7 points) and Wayne State (4 points).

Exhibition contests kick off the start of the CHA season on Saturday as Wilfrid Laurier travels to Erie to face Mercyhurst at 2 p.m, while Wayne State makes the trek to Toronto to face York at 7 p.m.  The regular season will start the following weekend with all five institutions in action in non-conference matches.  Mercyhurst will host St. Cloud State, while Niagara will take on Quinnipiac.

Robert Morris faces Providence, as Wayne State will drop the puck against Bemidji State.  All four of those series will be a two-game series.  Syracuse will play a single game on Oct. 1, as the Orange will host Northeastern.

The 2011 Tournament will take place in Syracuse, N.Y. at Tennity Rink with the first round taking place on March 4.  The semifinals will be the next night on March 5, with the championship game o March 6.

- From CHA news release

2010-11 College Hockey America Preseason Coach’s Poll

(First Place votes)

1.                        Mercyhurst (4)                        16

2.                        Syracuse (1)                        13

3.                        Niagara                        10

4.                        Robert Morris                        7

5.                        Wayne State                        4

The Columbus Blue Jackets made sure that another young forward will be back in the fold.

The club re-signed former Erie Otters winger Mike Blunden to a one-year contract, general manager Scott Howson confirmed on Tuesday. The 23-year-old Blunden had two goals and two assists with 59 penalty minutes in 40 games with the Blue Jackets in 2009-10. He scored the first goal of his NHL career against Chicago on March 25. He also had seven goals and nine assists in 25 games with Columbus’ American Hockey League affiliate in Syracuse.

Chicago’s second pick, 43rd overall, in the 2005 draft, Blunden was acquired by the Blue Jackets from Chicago in exchange for Adam Pineault on Jan. 10, 2009. A native of Toronto, Blunden has played 203 games in the AHL.

Blunden had 100 goals, 181 points and 246 penalty minutes in 236 games with the Otters from 2002-06. He ranks among the franchise’s top 10 in games (eighth), goals (third), game-winning goals (12 – sixth), power-play goals (49 – first) and short-handed goals (five – tied for eighth). His 46 goals in 2005-06 rank second on the Otters’ single-season list.

- Associated Press, staff reports

Vicki Bendus (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)

The Mercyhurst College women’s hockey team will play 32 games during the 2010-11 season, including a home-and-home series against 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Frozen Four opponent Cornell and a regular-season contest against perennial power Wisconsin.

“As always, we have a very tough road ahead of us,” said head coach Michael Sisti, who released the details of the schedule Monday evening. “Playing a schedule like this helps us compete against the teams in our league and prepares us for a deep run in the playoffs.”

Twelve opponents representing all four women’s hockey conferences will face the Lakers this season. Four teams hail from ECAC Hockey, three from the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and one from the Hockey East Association (HEA), in addition to the four teams that are scheduled from the Lakers’ conference, College Hockey America (CHA). Altogether, the Lakers own a combined 164-33-12 record against opponents on their schedule.

The schedule will be one of the toughest the team has ever faced, with 18-0f-32 games taking place on the road, including six against teams that were ranked in the top 10 last season. Fourteen games and one exhibition are set for the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

Mercyhurst opens the year with its first three games at home, beginning with an exhibition contest against Canadian university Wilfred Laurier on Sept. 25. The season officially opens with a two-game series against St. Cloud State on Oct. 1-2.

The Lakers then play eight of their next nine games on the road, starting with back-to-back weekend series at Maine (Oct. 8-9) and Bemidji State (Oct. 15-16). After a home game against Robert Morris (Oct. 29), the Lakers travel to Cornell (Nov. 2) and Niagara (Nov. 6) before opening CHA play at Wayne State (Nov. 20-21).

Returning from Detroit, Mercyhurst welcomes Colgate (Nov. 27) and Niagara (Dec. 3-4) to Erie for its first home games in almost a month. A pair of road contests at St. Lawrence await to close out the first half of the season on Dec. 10-11.

After the winter break, Mercyhurst stays on the road for its first two games of the new year, taking part in the 2011 Easton Holiday Showcase in St. Cloud, Minn. The Lakers face host St. Cloud State on Jan. 1 and Wisconsin on Jan. 2, their first meeting with the Badgers since the 2009 NCAA Women’s Frozen Four title game.

Home series against Syracuse (Jan. 7-8) and Brown (Jan. 14-15) and a game against Cornell (Jan. 18) welcome the Lakers back home and prepare them for their fourth four-game road trip of the season to close out the month of January.

Mercyhurst wraps up the final month of the regular season with a visit from Wayne State (Feb. 4-5) and a trip to Syracuse (Feb. 11-12) before hosting Robert Morris on Feb. 25.

The 2011 CHA Championship Tournament will be hosted by Syracuse on Mar. 3-5 at the Tennity Ice Pavilion in Syracuse, N.Y. Mercyhurst will host the 2011 Women’s Frozen Four on March 18-20 at Tullio Arena.

- From Mercyhurst College news release, staff reports

Teams at a glance

No. 1 Mercyhurst (27-2-3, 14-1-1 CHA)

Players to watch: G Hillary Pattenden (26-2-3 record, 1.62 goals-against average, .920 save percentage, 5 shutouts), F Vicki Bendus (26 goals, 34 assists, 60 points), F Jesse Scanzano (19-37-56), F Bailey Bram (25-24-49), F Jess Jones (19-25-44)

Fast facts: The Lakers have won all seven championships since the CHA began in 2002. … They won their final seven wins by a combined 36-6 score since their lone CHA loss (2-1 to Niagara Jan. 30). … Scanzano and Bendus finished first and second in NCAA Division I with 1.93 and 1.88 points per game, respectively. Bram was tied for third (1.69). … Scanzano led the nation in assists (1.28 per game). … All three led the nation’s top-ranked offense (4.75 goals per game). … They also led a penalty kill that set a NCAA record with 20 short-handed goals. … The Lakers had the CHA’s top seven scorers.

No. 2 Niagara (12-13-5, 7-6-3 CHA)

Players to watch: F Jenna Hendrikx (13-9-22), G Jenni Bauer (11-12-5, 2.16, .919), F Jennifer MacLean (9-11-20), F Frances McPhail (5-9-14),

Fast facts: The Purple Eagles were the only CHA team to beat Mercyhurst this season. … Hendrikx was one of the conference’s top freshmen. … The Purple Eagles tied their best-ever finish in the conference (second) and posted their highest win total since 2004-05. … They last reached the title game in 2006.
No. 3 Syracuse (17-16-1, 8-8-0 CHA)

Players to watch: F Isabel Menard (14-20-34), F Julie Rising (16-15-31), F Stefanie Marty (14-15-29), G Lucy Schoedel (17-16-1, 2.40, .916), F Holly Carrie-Mattimoe (9-16-25)

Fast facts: The second-year Orange look for their first tournament win. … Schoedel played in all but 29 minutes, 15 seconds this season. … Marty returned after leading her native Switzerland to fifth place in the Vancouver Olympics. … Menard, Rising and Marty finished among the CHA’s top 10 in scoring.

No. 4 Wayne State (9-17-4-, 5-10-1 CHA)

Players to watch: G Delayne Brian (5-9-3, 2.39, .915, 3 SO), F Alyssa Baldin (8-11-19), F Katrina Protopapas (13-3-16), F Julie Ingratta (6-9-15)

Fast facts: The Warriors lost to Mercyhurst in the last three title games. … Coach Jim Fetter was Michael Sisti’s assistant from 2000-03. … The Warriors snapped a nine-game winless streak (0-8-1) with a season-ending 4-1 win at Robert Morris on Saturday.

No. 5 Robert Morris (10-23-1, 3-12-1 CHA)

Players to watch: F Sara O’Malley (18-12-30), F Brianna Delaney (13-16-29), F Maria Stoa (3-14-17), G Daneca Butterfield (8-16-1, 2.99, .903)

Fast facts: The Colonials recorded all three of their conference wins in the past two weeks. … They finished last in the conference with 23 goals scored and 53 goals against. … O’Malley and Delaney rank among the CHA’s top scorers. … O’Malley tied the school single-season record in goals.

- Victor Fernandes

CHA Tournament schedule

at City Sports Center Arena, Detroit

Quarterfinal – Thursday

No. 4 Wayne State vs. No. 5 Robert Morris, 3 p.m.

Semifinals – Friday

No. 1 Mercyhurst vs. WSU-RMU winner, 4 p.m.

No. 2 Niagara vs. No. 3 Syracuse, 7 p.m.

Championship game – Saturday

Semifinal winners, 5 p.m.

What: Syracuse (17-14-1, 8-6-0 CHA) at No. 1 Mercyhurst College (25-2-3, 12-1-1)

When: Today, 7 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.

Where: Mercyhurst Ice Center

On the air: www.b2livetv.com (live stream), WMCE-FM/88.5 and 104.9 (Internet radio)*

Hillary Pattenden (Contributed/Mercyhurst College)

Players to watch

Mercyhurst – G Hillary Pattenden (24-2-3 record, 1.66 goals-against average, .919 save percentage, 5 shutouts), F Vicki Bendus (25 goals, 32 assists, 57 points), F Jesse Scanzano (18-36-54), F Bailey Bram (24-23-47), F Jess Jones (17-23-40)

Syracuse – F Isabel Menard (14-20-34), F Julie Rising (16-15-31), F Stefanie Marty (13-15-28), G Lucy Schoedel (17-14-1, 2.39, .913, 3 SO), F Holly Carrie-Mattimoe (8-15-23)

Fast facts

Mercyhurst – The Lakers, which have a five-game winning streak, clinched their fourth straight 25-win season with a two-game home sweep of Wayne State last weekend. … The Lakers have scored 29 goals and allowed four during this streak. … They set a NCAA Division I women’s record last weekend by scoring their 20^th short-handed goal of the season. …  They haven’t allowed a power-play goal in the past seven games. … Bendus, Bram and Scanzano – the top three scorers in Division I – headline the nation’s top scoring offense (4.83 goals per game). They also are top three nationally in short-handed goals. … Scanzano leads the nation in assists per game (1.33 per game). … F Kelley Steadman (offensive player of the week) and Pattenden (defensive player of the week) earned two of the CHA’s three weekly honors. … Pattenden leads the nation with a .879 winning percentage. … The Lakers are 6-0 all time against the Orange, a second-year program, including a road sweep last month. …

Syracuse – The Orange need one point to clinch the No. 2 seed in next weekend’s CHA tournament. They trail Niagara by one point, but the Purple Eagles don’t play this weekend. … The Orange have lost six of their last nine games. They scored two goals or fewer in six of those games. … Marty played for her native Switzerland in the Vancouver Olympics. She scored seven goals in the final two classification wins against Slovakia and China and added two goals against Russia, including the shootout goal that clinched fifth place. … Schoedel, the program’s first-ever recruit, earned her second straight nomination for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which is presented to the top Division I women’s player.

Up next: at CHA Tournament in Detroit (March 4-6, TBD)