Jan. 14, 2006

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst scored three goals within a 3:08 span early in the second period to erase a 1-0 deficit and went on from there to defeat Wayne State 4-2 in a College Hockey America (CHA) game Saturday afternoon at the Ice Center. The Lakers, held to a 2-2 stalemate by the Warriors Friday night, improved to 14-6-2 overall and to 5-0-1 in the conference. The Warriors dropped to 6-12-4 and 0-1-1 respectively.

Wayne State, held to just eleven shots Friday, totaled nine in the first period and took the lead when freshman forward Melissa Boal notched her 9th of the year at 17:36. Her shot from the right face-off circle eluded Mercyhurst freshman goalie, Courtney Drennen, on the far side. The Lakers struck out in 12 shots against sophomore netminder Tiffany Thompson, who made 42 stops Friday.

But Mercyhurst caught fire in the middle period's early going as sophomore forward Sherilyn Fraser tallied her first of the year at 2:46, junior forward Stefanie Bourbeau gave Mercyhurst its first lead of the series at 5:29 with her 12th of the year, and freshman forward Valerie Chouinard extended the lead to 3-1 twenty-five seconds later with her team-leading 13th of the year. The Warriors called their timeout at that point and averted further damage in the period, one in which WSU enjoyed a 13-10 advantage in shots.

The Warriors made one last run in the third when freshman forward Lindsay DiPietro found the back of the net at 9:04, but the Lakers responded less than a minute later when junior defender Ashley Pendleton scored her 8th of the year at 10:02. Pendleton's goal concluded the scoring. Merychurst outshot Wayne State 17-8 in the final period for 39-30 advantage overall.

The teams played more than 54 penalty-free minutes before referee Gary Hughes assessed coincidental minors. A late boarding call against the Warriors gave the Lakers the game's only power play.

Mercyhurst continues CHA play next weekend with a pair of games at Niagara. The Lakers won't return to the Ice Center until February 3 and 4 when they entertain Colgate.