Jan. 16, 2008

Erie, Pa. -

Complete Release in PDF Format

The Mercyhurst men's hockey team, currently in fourth place in the Atlantic Hockey standings with 16 points, will travel to Storrs to take on 10th-place Connecticut this Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. both nights.

The Lakers have hit their stride lately, winning five of their last seven contests, with the only blemishes coming at the hands of then-No. 20 Michigan Tech at the Ice Center on Jan. 4-5. Mercyhurst has won five straight conference games, all coming at home: Canisius, American International (2) and Army (2). The wins against the Black Knights came last weekend.

UConn split a weekend series at Canisius last weekend. The win on Friday snapped a three-game losing streak, but those three losses all came against non-conference foes: Ferris State, Yale and Union.

The meeting against the Huskies will be the only one in the regular season this year for the Lakers. Last season, the Lakers and Huskies split a weekend series in Erie, with MC winning the opener, 6-4, and the Huskies prevailing the next night, 5-4 in overtime. Also, UConn was the team to bounce Mercyhurst out of the AHA playoffs, squeaking a 5-4 win on March 10 in the AHA Quarterfinals in Storrs.

Fast Facts

• The Lakers have now won five successive conference games, the most since they won six straight to close the 2004-2005 regular season and then won the conference playoffs.
• Mercyhurst's shutout of Army Friday was its first since a 4-0 shutout over Army February 12, 2005, at the Ice Center. The Lakers did not record a shutout in either 2005-2006 or 2006-2007.
• Senior Ben Cottreau has a 7-game scoring streak.
• Sophomore defenseman Matt Fennell recorded the first multiple goal game of his career Saturday in a 4-2 win over Army.
• Junior Matt Lundin recorded the fourth shutout of his career and the first in a Mercyhurst uniform in Friday's 3-0 win. He stopped all 29 Army shots.
• Freshman Ryan Zapolski collected his second career win between the pipes Saturday by stopping 35 of 37 Army shots.
• Freshman forward Steve Cameron had a goal in each game against Army including his first career power play goal.
• Freshman Mike Gurtler's first career shorthanded goal Saturday was also his first-ever game-winner.
• The Lakers have scored more than three goals in a game only five times in their first 22 contests.
• Mercyhurst has played four overtime games this season. They played a club-record 10 last year.
• Mercyhurst has been outshot in 16 of 22 games and has won only one time (RIT) when trailing after two periods.
• Freshmen forwards Brandon Coccimiglio and Scott Pitt and senior Cottreau are the only multiple-point players on the team so far this season.
• Although the Lakers lead the all-time series against UConn 21-7-1, Mercyhurst and Connecticut split a pair of games at the Ice Center last season.
• The Lakers were picked to finish fourth this season in the 10-team Atlantic Hockey Association's pre-season coaches' poll. Connecticut was picked seventh.
• The Lakers are fourth in the conference at the moment; UConn is tenth and last.

Mercyhurst will continue its six-game road trip at Bentley on Jan. 25-26 at 7:05 p.m. both nights. The Falcons are currently tied for fifth place with Holy Cross, only one point behind the Lakers. Bentley is off this weekend while Holy Cross hosts ECACHL-member Quinnipiac on Saturday.