March 3, 2008

Minneapolis, Minn./Detroit, Mich. - With the College Hockey America playoffs set to start Friday at Niagara, Mercyhurst remained the No. 7 team nationally in the latest USCHO.com poll released today. Meanwhile, freshman Ashley Cockell picked up conference Rookie of the Week honors.

The latest USCHO.com poll is as folloows:

ABOUT THE POLL: The 11th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the American Hockey Coaches Association and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

Team (First Place)	         Record	Pts	Last Week
1. Harvard (10)              29-1-0  	145	1
2. New Hampshire (5)         30-3-1	136	2
3. Minnesota Duluth          29-4-1	124	3
4. Minnesota	         27-5-4	99	4
5. Wisconsin 	         26-7-3	89	5
6. St. Lawrence	         27-8-1	82	6
7. Mercyhurst	         24-7-3	58	7
8. Dartmouth	         18-7-6	39	10
9. Clarkson                  24-8-5     24        9
10. Connecticut	         22-7-5	22	8

Cockell's rookie award was her first this season. She scored a power play goal last Friday in a 5-2 win over Robert Morris at the Ice Center. The goal snapped a 1-1 tie and put the Lakers ahead to stay. In Saturday's 5-4 overtime win at RMU, which clinched a share of the conference title with Wayne State, she assisted on the Mercyhurst goal which broke a 2-2 tie.

Mercyhurst and Niagara will play Friday at 7:00pm in the conference's second semifinal game. Wayne State and Robert Morris start the day with a semifinal affair at 3:00pm. The two winners meet Saturday at 7:00pm for the conference crown.