Oct. 14, 2006

Stats

Big Rapids, Mich. - After a 7-1 setback at Ferris State in the Lakers' season-opener Friday night, Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin tinkered with his Saturday lineup and it nearly paid a huge dividend. But in the end, Ferris State broke a 4-4 tie with a late third period goal to edge the Lakers 5-4 and sweep the two-game weekend series. Despite a much better effort Saturday, the Lakers dropped to 0-2 on the young season while the Bulldogs squared their record at 2-2.

The two teams combined for five goals on just 16 total shots in the opening period. Three goals came within a span of 26 seconds. FSU freshman winger Blair Riley and sophomore forward Brendan Connolly scored goals 16 seconds apart, at 5:14 and 5:30, as the Bulldogs threatened a repeat of Friday's game. But the Lakers came to life when junior forward Ben Cottreau lit the lamp at 5:40, getting the first collegiate assists from freshmen linemates Neil Graham and Chris Risi.

The home team recaptured its two-goal advantage nearly three minutes later when second-year forward J.T. Dahlinger beat Mercyhurst sophomore goalie Tyler Small. The score remained 3-1 for nearly ten minutes before Mercyhurst senior forward and team captain Kyle Gourgon, with Cottreau's help, parked a power play shot behind Ferris State sophomore Mitch O'Keefe, who made his fouurth successive start between the pipes. The Bulldogs outshot the Lakers 10-6 in the opening period.

Risi scored his first collegiate goal, an unassisted marker at 6:24 of the second, to draw the Lakers even. Ferris State senior forward Zac Pearson took advantage of a Mercyhurst penalty to tally a power play goal at 11:14, but the Lakers refused to quit and tied the contest again when sophomore forward Matt Pierce scored his first goal of the season at 17:47. Ferris State had a commanding 16-5 advantage in second period shots.

The score remained deadlocked until 14:18 of the third. That's when junior defenseman Jim Jorgensen decided the affair with his first lamplighter of the year. The Bulldogs had a slight 11-9 margin in third period shots.

There were 16 minor penalties called in the two-hour, eleven-minute contest; nine to Mercyhurst. The Lakers finished one of six with the man advantage, but were blanked in four power play chances in the decisive third period. Ferris State finished one of eight.

The Bulldogs now lead the all-time series 4-0, having won 6-3 and 5-4 verdicts in Erie last season.

Mercyhurst will take to the conference highway next weekend when it visits Holy Cross in an early season showdown. The Crusaders won the 2005-06 conference regular season title by a point over Mercyhurst. Along the way, the Crusaders took the season series 2-1-1.