Feb. 25, 2006

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - Army sophomore forward Chase Podsiad's power play goal, midway through the third period, snapped a 2-2 tie and gave the Black Knights a 3-2 win over Mercyhurst Saturday night at the Ice Center. The win was Army's first-ever in Erie and third over the Lakers in four tries this season. The Black Knights left town with an overall mark of 11-16-6 and an Atlantic Hockey slate of 9-11-6. Mercyhurst blew a chance to take over first place in AH as its overall mark slipped to 19-12-1 and its conference record fell to 17-8-1. Sacred Heart defeated first-place Holy Cross for the second night in a row as the Pioneers moved into a first-place tie with the Crusaders with 36 points. Mercyhurst trails with 35. All three teams have two games left in the regular season.

The teams played 37 minutes of scoreless hockey before Mercyhurst sophomore Ryan Toomey gave the Lakers a 1-0 lead with his 7th of the season at 17:16 of the middle period. Army responded quickly when junior defenseman Casey Bickley cashed a power play with just 30 seconds left in the stanza. The goal was his 5th of the season.

Army took its first lead when senior team captain Seth Beamer tallied an even strength goal at 5:39 of the third. Mercyhurst's team captain, senior forward Scott Reynolds, retaliated less than four minutes later with his 13th of the year, scoring late in a Lakers' power play, and the game was deadlocked for the final time. Podsiad's lamplighter came less than two minutes later and was his second game-winner of the season.

Mercyhurst pulled freshman goaltender Tyler Small for an extra attacker with 1:06 left, and earned a 6-on-4 advantage when the Black Knights were assessed a roughing penalty at 19:23, but despite repeated pressure, could not get the equalizer.

Army had a 34-24 advantage in shots, thanks to a 14-4 edge in the first period when the Lakers were whistled for two minors and a five-minute major, leading to an Army two-man advatnage for 1:48.

Army senior goalie Brad Roberts, victimized for six Mercyhurst goals in 40-minutes of action Friday, picked up his 11th win of the season and third against Mercyhurst. Small suffered his 5th loss of the campaign and second against the Black Knights. Mercyhurst still leads the all-time series 14-5-0.

All the conference seedings will be decided next weekend. Mercyhurst, which can finish no worse than third, has a home and home against #6 Canisius, who is just one point ahead of 7th-place UConn. Holy Cross and Sacred Heart, deadlocked at the top, have home-and-home contests of their own against 4th-place Bentley and Connecticut respectively.

The top four teams will host a quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 11. The semifinals and championship will take place at Holy Cross the following weekend.