Jan. 12, 2007

Stats

Detroit, Mich. - Sophomore forward Valerie Chouinard celebrated her return to the United States by scoring her second career hat trick Friday as #1 Mercyhurst opened a two-game conference series at Wayne State by blanking the Warriors 8-0. Chouinard, one of five Lakers who played at the Air Canada Cup in Germany last week, scored two goals in the first period and the game's final marker. The Lakers improved to 19-1-1 overall and to 3-0-0 in College Hockey America while the Warriors dropped to 8-13-0 and 1-2-0 respectively.

Chouinard lit the lamp for the first time at 4:25 of the opening period while the Lakers were up a skater. Freshman Meghan Agosta followed with an even strength goal at 6:20 and, before the period ended, sophomore Natale Payne (12:32) and Chouinard (13:14) cashed opportunities for a 4-0 advantage after twenty minutes. Mercyhurst outshot Wayne State 14-4 in the opening period.

A pair of juniors did the damage in the second period as defender Danielle Ayearst and forward Jackie Jarrell found the back of the net at 7:44 and 18:53. The Lakers owned a 14-2 advantage in shots in the middle frame.

Junior goalie Laura Hosier exited the game at the start of the third and was replaced by sophomore Courtney Drennen. Mercyhurst finished the scoring in the third when junior foward Sherilyn Fraser banged home a power play goal at 9:54 and Chouinard finalized her "hat" at 15:14. Chouinard's first career three-goal game came last March at the same State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit as Mercyhurst beat Robert Morris 9-0 in the College Hockey America semifinals. The Lakers finished the third with an 11-6 shot advantage and owned a 39-12 margin overall. Mercyhurst finished 2 of 6 on the power play while the Warrios were blanked in three chances.

Senior Julia Colizza and freshman Angelica Lorsell finished with four assists apiece. Chouinard took over the team's goal-scoring lead with 17, one more than Agosta. Jarell now has goals in back-to-back games for the first time since October 16 and 17 of 2005 when she registered lamplightes in successive wins over Quinnipiac at the Ice Center.

Mercyhurst has now won nine straight and improved to 27-0-2 lifetime against Wayne State. The shutout was the Lakers' seventh this season.

The two teams will conclude the two-game series tomorrow afternoon at 3:30.