Feb. 13, 2008

Erie, Pa. -

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No. 7 Mercyhurst (19-6-3, CHA 4-1-1) will try to bounce back from a disappointing weekend with Wayne State when it tangles with Niagara (7-17-4, 1-5-0) this Friday and Saturday in a pair of conference games at the Ice Center. In celebration of Hockey Weekend Across America, representatives of the Erie Lady Lions will be introduced with the Lakers' starters before each game and there will be a local celebrity on hand to drop Friday night's ceremonial first puck.

Mercyhurst is a game behind Wayne State for regular season supremacy as the Warriors went 1-0-1 in a pair of overtime games in Erie last weekend. WSU prevailed 5-4 Friday and tied Mercyhurst 2-2 Saturday. Despite the 0-1-1 weekend, Mercyhurst remained No. 7 nationally in USCHO.com and dropped only from No. 6 to No. 7 in the USA Today rankings.

Niagara snapped a lengthy dry spell (0-15-2) last Saturday with a 3-2 overtime win at CHA-opponent Robert Morris.

Fast Facts

• Meghan Agosta had a 20-game scoring streak snapped in Friday's 5-4 loss in overtime to Wayne State. She rebounded with an assist Saturday. The last time she had been kept off the board was at Minnesota Duluth in a 1-1 overtime tie on October 20. Agosta has 39 multiple-point games and 21 multiple-goal games in her career.

• Junior Valerie Chouinard had a 7-game scoring streak stopped in Saturday's 2-2 tie.

• Sophomore Geena Prough scored Mercyhurst's first goal in each game against Wayne State and tallied goals in back-to-back games for the second time this season. She has a 4-game scoring streak.

• Freshman Jesse Scanzano had a combined one goal and two assists against the Warriors and now has a 6-game scoring streak.

• Senior Sherilyn Fraser had her second goal of the season Friday.

• This is the first time in College Hockey America history that Mercyhurst has not owned or been tied for first place in the conference.

• Mercyhurst has ten shorthanded goals this season (Agosta 7). The one-season mark of 11 was set in 2004-2005. The Lakers had nine shorthanded goals last year.

• Mercyhurst has scored multiple power play goals in nine games this season. 26 of the team's 36 have come in those contests.

• After scoring on their first power play chance of the two-game series against Wayne State, the Lakers were blanked in their last nine attempts.

• Mercyhurst had 60 power play goals in 37 games last season; the Lakers have 37 in 28 games in 2007-08.

• 17 of the 25 power play goals Mercyhurst has allowed this season have come in six games.

• Senior goalie Laura Hosier has 67 career wins and 20 shutouts. She took over the career lead in wins 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 +18 so far this season.

• Junior forward Valerie Chouinard has seven power play goals this season and 31 in her career. She took over first place all-time this season from Stefanie Bourbeau, who finished her career last March with 25.

• Mercyhurst has trailed only four times this season after the first period (1-3-0).

• Prior to the overtime loss to Wayne State, Niagara was the last team to win a conference game against Mercyhurst, accomplishing the feat with a 3-1 win at the Ice Center February 6, 2004.