Nov. 3, 2006

Stats

Milford, Conn. - Sacred Heart scored two goals in each period in handing Mercyhurst a 6-4 defeat Friday night at the Milford Ice Pavilion. The Pioneers improved to 3-3-1 overall and to 2-1-1 in Atlantic Hockey while the Lakers fell to 2-5-0 and 2-3-0 respectively.

Sacred Heart senior forwards Peter Ferraro and Pierre-Luc O'Brien had the lone goals in the first period with O'Brien's marker coming on a 5-on-3 situation. SHU had a 17-6 advantage in shots.

The Lakers got on the board in the first minute of the second period when junior forward Ben Cottreau scored his ninth goal of the season and third power play. But Sacred Heart sophomore winger Bear Trapp cashed the Pioneers' second power play goal of the game about nine minutes later and, when freshman forward Matt Gordon lit the lamp at 13:18, the Sacred Heart lead had grown to 4-1. Freshman forward Nick Vandenbeld kept the Lakers within striking distance when he banged home his second of the year to conclude second-period scoring at 18:08. The Pioneers owned a 12-6 advantage in shots in the stanza.

O'Brien scored his second of the game for Sacred Heart early in the third for a 5-2 lead and the teams concluded the scoring with three goals in less than four minutes late in the period. Sophomore Brett Robinson collected his second of the season at 15:08 before SHU sophomore forward Eric Giosa and Lakers' senior winger Scott Champagne traded power play goals at 17:11 and 18:57. Cottreau and Champagne led the Lakers with a goal and an assist. Senior goalie Jason Smith improved to 2-2-0 on the season in making 19 saves. Mercyhurst sophomore Tyler Small (2-5-0) stopped 40 shots in a losing effort.

Sacred Heart outdistanced Mercyhurst 46-23 in shots in a game interrupted by 57 minutes in penalties, 33 to the Pioneers. The win gave Sacred Heart an 11-10-2 lead in the all-time series and four wins in the last five meetings.

The two teams will conclude the weekend series Saturday night at 7:00pm.