April 8, 2006

Stats

Erie, Pa. - Junior midfielder Adam Mulherin's second goal of the game and 18th goal of the season midway in the fourth quarter broke an 8-8 tie and #6 Mercyhurst went on from there to defeat #3 Adelphi 10-8 Saturday at Tullio Field. The Lakers improved to 7-2 overall and squared their New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) record at 1-1. The Panthers dropped to 6-2 overall and to 0-1 in the conference.

The Lakers got on the board first when freshman attack David Osier, a two-time conference Co-Rookie of the Week, scored his 12th goal of the season with a man advantage just two-and-a-half minutes into the contest. The Panthers rebounded to grab a 2-1 lead after a quarter on goals by Michael Gongas, his 17th, and Wes Green, his 34th. Adelphi had a sizeable 10-3 advantage in shots in the opening fifteen minutes.

Senior attack Greg Stocks got the Lakers even with his 4th goal of the year, a man-up marker with 13 minutes to play in the second. However, Green responded a minute later with his second of the game to restore the Panthers' one-goal margin. The Lakers caught fire with three markers in a three-minute span midway in the quarter to take a 5-3 lead. Osier scored an even strength goal to knot the game at 3-3 and, when juniors Mulherin (#18) and Simon Stocks (#9) both scored with a man up, Mercyhurst enjoyed the first two-goal lead of the contest at 5-3. Matt Price got a man-up goal for Adelphi in the last minute of the half as the Panthers drew within 5-4 at intermission. Mercyhurst outshot Adelphi 11-6 in the second quarter.

Green tied the game at 5-5 early in the third and Mercyhurst freshman midfielder Ryan Arnold (#5) and Price traded goals as the teams ended play in the third quarter all even at 6-6. The Lakers owned a 9-5 advantage in shots.

Green scored his 4th of the game three minutes into the fourth to give the Panthers their final lead at 7-6. Arnold got the Lakers even with his second successive goal and junior midfielder Bryon Lindner (#15) put Mercyhurst ahead 8-7 with better than ten minutes left. Green tied the game for the final time with his fifth goal at 9:54. That set the stage for Mulherin's heroics. Osier gave the Lakers some breathing room and concluded the scoring with his third of the game at 5:37. Mercyhurst had a slight 8-7 advantage in shots in the final quarter and owned a 31-28 margin overall. Mercyhurst cashed 5-of-6 extra man chances while the Panthers finished 1-of-4.

Senior Mike Bringley picked up the win for Mercyhurst and was credited with a dozen saves. Senior Brian Volpi, who played all but 18 seconds between the pipes for Adelphi, made nine saves in absorbing the setback.

Mercyhurst will continue NYCAC play next Saturday at #4 New York Tech.