Dec. 4, 2005

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - Sophomore forward Stephanie Jones 5th goal of the season, with 1:10 left in regulation, gave #6 Mercyhurst a hard-fought 4-3 win over visiting Yale Sunday to complete a two-game weekend sweep. The Lakers, playing their final home game of 2005, imroved to 9-6-1 overall and continued their mastery over the Bulldogs, improving to 8-0-1 all time. Yale dropped to 3-7-2.

Mercyhurst junior forward Julia Colizza had a huge day. Colizza recorded her first career hat trick and assisted on Jones' game-winner. She scored her third and fourth goals of the season, both on the power play within a five-minute span late in the first period, as the Lakers went to the dressing room with a 2-0 advantage.

But the Bulldogs roared back in the second, getting a power play goal from junior forward Christina Sharun at 15:09 and an even strength tally from freshman forward Crysti Howser at 17:46. After being outshot 12-5 in the opening twenty minutes, Yale had a 13-8 shot advantage in the middle period.

Colizza completed her hat trick and put Mercyhurst ahead again in the third with her fifth of the year at 9:11. But Yale got a late power play chance and Howser tied the game at 3-3 with her second goal of the game at 17:11. Mercyhurst took a timeout at that point and whatever strategy discussed worked when Colizza found Jones at the Yale line and the sophomore beat Yale senior goaltender Sarah Love from in close. The Bulldogs then took their timeout and were able to pull Love for the last minute of the game, but couldn't get the equalizer.

Mercyhurst outshot Yale 33-28 as freshman netminder Courtney Drennen picked up her second collegiate win in as many days. Both teams had two power play goals with Yale having five opportunities to Mercyhurst's four. Mercyhurst freshman forward Valerie Chouinard, one of Saturday's heroines in a 6-2 win, assisted on Colizza's first two goals to extend her scoring streak to eleven games, just two shy of the club record of 13 held by Seanna Murphy during the 1999-2000 season.

Mercyhurst will close the 2005 portion of the season next weekend when it travels to College Hockey America (CHA)-rival Robert Morris for a pair of games. The contest will mark the first-ever meetings between the teams with Robert Morris being the newest member of CHA.