Feb. 9, 2007

Box Score

Erie, Pa. - Sacred Heart scored two power play goals, a shorthanded goal, and an empty net to turn back Mercyhurst 5-2 Saturday night at the Ice Center. The Pioneers snapped a two-game skid and improved to 16-9-4 overall and to 13-6-4 in Atlantic Hockey. Mercyhurst, which saw its four-game winning streak severed, fell to 8-17-5 and 8-13-3.

The teams traded goals on the same power play in a first period which saw SHU outshoot the Lakers 13-9. With the Lakers up a man, Sacred Heart senior winger Drew Sanders snapped a scoreless tie at 13:15. Less than a minute later, and with one second left in the man advantage, the Lakers got even on the 9th goal of the season from sophomore Matt Pierce. Junior Matt Warren assisted.

The Pioneers opened a two-goal lead early in the second. Sophomore defenseman Paul Ferraro scored the first of his two power play markers at 5:15, in the final seconds of a 5-on-3. SHU stretched the lead to 3-1 48 seconds later when sophomore forward Eric Giosa beat Mercyhurst senior Jordan Wakefield. The Lakers whittled the lead in half with just over four minutes left in the period when junior forward Ryan Toomey blasted a power play shot over the shoulder of SHU senior netminder Jason Smith. Toomey's 10th of the season was helped by freshman Cody Collins and Wakefield. The conference rivals divided 16 shots equally in the middle frame.

Ferraro's second power play marker, at 9:17 of the third, restored the two-goal lead and the Pioneers finished the scoring with an empty net goal by junior defenseman Scott Marchesi in the game's last minute. The Lakers outshot the Pioneers 16-10 in the finale and 33-31 for the 60 minutes.

Both teams finished 2 for 7 with the man advantage.

Sacred Heart has taken all three regular season contests from Mercyhurst and six of the last seven meetings. The Pioneers now lead the all-time series 13-10-2.

Smith stopped 31 shots to earn his 13th win of the season. Wakefield lost for the first time in his last five starts and saw his record drop to 5-9-2.

The teams will conclude the weekend series Saturday night at 7.