Link to USA Today Article "Being No. 1 doesn't faze Lakers"
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Mercyhurst is getting used to being ranked No. 1 in women's hockey, and the Lakers don't mind having to prove they belong there every week.
The Lakers (19-1-3, 6-0-1 College Hockey America) head the USA TODAY/USA Hockey Magazine poll for the 14th week and are the unanimous choice with all 19 first-place votes for the eighth time. Their loss came in an October home split with Minnesota-Duluth, which is ranked fourth this week.
"It proves that we've had a nice season," Mercyhurst coach Mike Sisti says. "What is nice about this year's team is they're proud of the fact that when the chips are down they've been able to reach down for something extra."
That quality was evident last weekend in Mercyhurst's sweep at Syracuse. The Lakers romped 8-1 in the first game but had to stave off a third-period Orange rally to escape 4-3 in the second meeting.
The school in Erie, Pa., competes in Division II in all sports but hockey. Its women's program has won consistently since its inception 11 years ago with Sisti, a former assistant with the men's team, at the helm. But postseason success didn't come until last year, when the Lakers made it to the national title game before falling to Wisconsin.
"I think with our success last year we knew we had a chance of doing well," sophomore goalie Hillary Pattenden says. "Our loss in the finals made us determined to keep up there in the rankings. I think every weekend we want to come out and show why we are No. 1."
Pattenden is a major reason for the Lakers' lofty place in the poll. She started every game between the pipes as a freshman and has done so again this season. She has a 1.86 goals-against average and .915 save percentage this season.
There's a lot of help in front of her.
Sophomore Bailey Bram has a team-high 21 goals, juniors Jesse Scanzano and Vicki Bendus have 26 assists apiece and six players have at least 10 goals.