Feb. 3, 2007

Box Score

Erie, pa. - Sophomore forward Valerie Chouinard and freshman winger Meghan Agosta combined for four goals and five assists as #1 Mercyhurst peppered visiting Niagara for six goals over the final forty minutes in turning back the Purple Eagles 7-2 Saturday afternoon. The Lakers swept the two-game weekend series, stretched their unbeaten streak to 16 games (15-0-1), and improved to 25-1-2 overall and to 6-0-0 in College Hockey America. Niagara, which suffered a 3-1 setback in the series' opener Friday, dropped to 7-16-5 and 2-4-0 respectively.

As in Friday's contest, the Lakers spotted Niagara the early lead when junior forward Charde Hoyle-Levy beat Mercyhurst netminder Laura Hosier at 9:21 on a power play. The goal came just seconds after Niagara goalie Alison Rutledge stoned Agosta on a shorthanded breakaway. Chouinard evened things six minutes later with her first of two and 22nd of the season. The sophomore speedster intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, got around the defense, and beat Rutledge high over her left shoulder. The two teams went to intermission tied at 1-1 although the Lakers, like Friday, had a 15-5 advantage in shots.

Agosta and junior winger Stephanie Jones stretched the lead to 3-1 with even strength markers at :53 and 1:03 of the second. The Purple Eagles took their time out at that point and the strategy paid dividends 90 seconds later when senior forward Chelsea Donovan blasted a shot over Hosiers' shoulder from the left circle to draw Niagara to within a goal. But Agosta countered with her second of the period, and team-leading 14th power play goal, with a blast of her own at 12:29. Mercyhyurst outshot Niagara 9 to 4 in the middle frame.

The third period was all Mercyhurst. Senior Ashley Pendleton, who normally plays on the back line but was moved up front for the game to work with Chouinard and Agosta, notched her 4th goal of the season just 39 seconds into the finale. That seemed to deflate the Purple Eagles who, following a Laker minor penalty, took four straight infractions the rest of the period. Senior Julia Colizza collected her 12th of thr year and Mercyhurst's second power play goal of the game at 7:46. Chouinard finished Niagara and the scoring with her second of the game, on yet another power play, at 10:11. Mercyhurst outshot Niagara 18-5 in the last period and 42-14 for the sixty minutes.

Agosta's pair of goals give her 29 for the season. Her first established a new one-season mark, eclipsing the 27 amassed by forward K.C. Gallo in the 1999-2000 campaign, the program's first year. She also stretched her club-record scoring streak to 16 games (23g, 17a). Her two goals represented her 7th multiple-goal game of the season and her 14 power play goals are also a one-season team mark, but just one ahead of linemate Chouinard. Agosta finished with two goals and two assists

Natalie Payne extended her scoring streak to eleven games (4g, 9a) while Chouinard's five-point effort matched her highest one-game output of the season. She cashed two goals and three helpers at Maine in early October.

Colizza finished with a goal and two assists and, counting three helpers Friday, had a six-point weekend. Jones registered her first three-point effort of the year with one and two.

Hosier stopped 16 of 18 shots and improved to 21-1-1 on the season.

After being blanked in eight tries against Quinnipiac a week ago, the Lakers scored six power play goals in 17 chances in the series, three in each game. Niagara finished one of 13.

Mercyhurst will contine its home stand next Friday and Saturday when Robert Morris visits for a pair of conference tilts. Friday's game begins at 3 while Saturday's is scheduled to start at 2. The Lakers are 28-0-3 in their last 31 confere3nce games. They defeated the Colonials 3-0 and 5-0 in suburban Pittsburgh in December.