Nov. 26, 2005

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - Ferris State squandered a 3-0 lead before rallying for a pair of goals late in the third period to turn back stubborn Mercyhurst 5-4 before nearly 700 fans at the Ice Center Saturday night. The Bulldogs completed a two-game weekend sweep as they improved to 7-3-4. The Lakers dropped to 7-6-0.

FSU scored three times in the game's first 13 minutes against Lakers' starting netminder, freshman Tyler Small, and threatened to turn the contest into a rout. But Mercyhurst stopped the bleeding in the period's last seven minutes and junior Jordan Wakefield replaced Small to begin the middle period. The goalie change didn't pay immediate dividends, but a shorthanded strike midway in the middle frame got the Lakers back into the game. The marker came from sophomore winger Kerry Bowman at 11:01 and the Lakers scored twice more within a two-minute span late in the period to knot the contest at 3-3. Junior Kyle Gourgon brought the Lakers within a goal at 3-2 with his 5th of the year at 17:35 and senior Scott Reynolds brought the partisan Mercyhurst crowd to its feet with a power play tally, his 5th lamplighter of the season, at 19:33. Junior forward Scott Champagne extended his program-record scoring streak to 32 games with an assist on Gourgon's goal. Wakefield was superb in the middle period, stopping all 17 Ferris State shots to keep the Lakers in the game.

Senior forward Erik Johnson put Mercyhurst ahead early in the third with his second goal of the year and an upset was definitely in the making. The Lakers had a golden opportunity to stretch the lead when Ferris State received two simultaneous minor penalties at 6:12 and, although Mercyhurst came close to getting a two-goal lead, the Bulldogs held their ground. Ferris then got a power play of its own,its 12th in the weekend pair, at 12:50 and, 45 seconds later, sophomore winger Matt Stefanishion scored his second goal of the game to get the Bulldogs even. It was the only power play goal of the weekend for the Bulldogs. FSU senior forward Greg Rallo then decided the game with a blistering slapshot from between the circles with less than two minutes to play in regulation.

Mercyhurst pulled Wakefield for an extra attacker in the game's final minute, but came up short.

Ferris State outshot Mercyhurst 49-30. Both teams collected one power play and one shorthanded goal.

Save for an exhibition game in late January, Mercyhurst has nothing but Atlantic Hockey Association games remaining on its schedule. Bentley comes to the Ice Center next weekend for Friday and Saturday night affairs.