No. 6/7 Mercyhurst Hosts Yale and Brown This Weekend - MERCYHURST COLLEGE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Jan. 16, 2008

Erie, Pa. -

The No. 6/7-ranked Mercyhurst women's hockey team will try to avenge a split at Providence last weekend as the Lakers return home to commence an eight-game home stand against ECACHL-members Yale on Friday night and Brown on Saturday evening. The Lakers (15-5-2) are 9-0-1 lifetime against the Bulldogs (7-6-4) and 4-2-0 against the Bears (2-12-3).

Mercyhurst has won five straight against Yale, including last season's 5-4 win in Connecticut, while Brown has lost four straight to the 'hurst after winning the first two in the series. This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Lakers' 3-2 and 2-1 wins in Rhode Island on Feb. 11-12, 2005, and the first encounter in Erie since a 4-2 loss and a 5-3 victory on Feb. 16-17, 2002.

Yale has won three straight entering into Friday's contest, while Brown has gone 1-2-2 in its last five games after snapping a six-game losing streak with a 2-2 overtime tie at Yale. Brown will play at Niagara on Friday while Yale will play the Purple Eagles on Saturday.

Fast Facts

• Meghan Agosta has a 16-game scoring streak, which ties her own team record. Her 8-game goal-scoring streak ended last Saturday at Providence. The last time she was kept off the board was at Minnesota Duluth in a 1-1 overtime tie on October 20. Agosta has 35 multiple-point games and 17 multiple-goal games in her career.
• Junior Natalie Payne had her first goal and first two-point game Sunday (3-0 win at Providence) since a 5-1 win over Colgate October 26. Her third goal of the season was also her third career game-winner. She was on the ice for all three goals Sunday.
• Freshman Cassea Schols snapped a 16-game goal-scoring dry spell with her second of the year last Sunday.
• Senior Stephanie Jones' shorthanded goal Sunday was the second of her career.
• Mercyhurst has eight shorthanded goals this season (Agosta 5). The Lakers had nine shorthanded goals in 2006-07.
• Mercyhurst has scored multiple power play goals in seven games this season. 19 of the team's 28 have come in those contests.
• Mercyhurst had 60 power play goals in 37 games last season; the Lakers have 28 in 22 games in 2007-08.
• 17 of the 21 power play goals Mercyhurst has allowed this season have come in six games.
• Senior goalie Laura Hosier has 64 career wins and 20 shutouts. She took over the career lead in wins last Sunday at Providence and is second to Desi Clark's team record 24 shutouts.
• Mercyhurst finished last season +42 in special teams' play. The Lakers are +13 so far this season.
• Junior forward Valerie Chouinard has five power play goals this season and 29 in her career. She took over first place all-time recently from Stefanie Bourbeau, who finished her career last March with 25.
• Mercyhurst has outscored its first 22 opponents 31-9 in the first period.
• Mercyhurst and Yale have played six common opponents: Colgate, Clarkson, Dartmouth, Princeton, Niagara, and Providence. The Lakers are a combined 8-3-1 against those teams while Yale is 2-3-1.
• Mercyhurst and Brown have also played six common opponents (not counting Mercyhurst/Yale and Brown/Niagara Friday night): Colgate, Dartmouth, Robert Morris, Providence, Clarkson, and Princeton. The Lakers are a combined 8-3-1 against the six while Brown is 0-6-0.

Mercyhurst will host another ECACHL member, and former CHA team, Quinnipiac, on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 25-26, at 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.