Nov. 18, 2005

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - Sacred Heart used a three-goal second period and a stiff defense to hand Mercyhurst a 4-2 setback Friday night before over 500 fans at the Ice Center. The Pioneers improved to 5-2-1 overall and 5-1-1 and first place in Atlantic Hockey. The Lakers lost for the second time in their last three and dropped to 6-3-0 overall and 5-2-0 in the conference, one point behind the Pioneers.

Sacred Heart got on the board first late in the first period when Mercyhurst starting goaltender, freshman Tyler Small, misfired on a clearing pass and put the puck right onto the stick of SHU junior forward Peter Ferraro. Ferraro calmly buried his second goal of the season into a wide open net at 15:06 as the Lakers went to the dressing room trailing 1-0.

Sacred Heart then scored twice within a three-minute span early in the second to assume a 3-0 lead. Both goals came courtesy of the Pioneers' top line of sophomore Alexandre Parent, junior Pierre-Luc O'Brien, and freshman Bear Trapp. Trapp, last week's conference Rookie of the Week, finished a 3-on-2 with his fourth goal of the season at 34 seconds and Parent notched his second of the campaign at 3:29. Mercyhurst got on the board at 4:37 when freshman forward Mike Floyd tallied his second of the year, beating SHU junior goaltender Jason Smith from in close. The goal came on a delayed penalty to the Pioneers. But the Pioneers scored what proved-to-be a backbreaking marker at 18:37 when junior defenseman Kalen Wright lit the lamp for the second time this year to restore Sacred Heart's three-goal advantage.

The Pioneers could have put the game away in the third when the Lakers were whistled for back-to-back minor and major penalties, giving SHU 1:42 with a two-man advantage. But Mercyhurst's defense rose to the occasion and kept the contest in doubt. Mercyhurst then closed to within 4-2 at 14:34 when senior forward Dave Borrelli collected the game's only power play goal. Borrelli's fourth of the year was helped by junior defenseman Jamie Hunt and junior forward Scott Champagne. The assist stretched Champagne's scoring streak to 28 games dating to last season and kept him tied for the team scoring lead with Hunt at 17 points. The Lakers pulled Small for an extra attacker late in the game, but couldn't close the gap.

Sacred Heart outshot Mercyhurst 32-25, but finished 0 of 7 with the man advantage. The Lakers were 1 of 6. Small, who became the first Mercyhurst goaltender to start back-to-back games this season, lost for the first time in his collegiate career (3-1-0). Smith improved to 5-2-1 overall. The Parent, O'Brien, Trapp line combined for two goals and five assists with Parent picking up the game's first star.

The teams will conclude the weekend series Saturday night at 7:00.