Mercyhurst (12-16-2, 12-8-2 AHA) vs. Canisius (13-11-4, 11-8-3 AHA)
Friday, Feb. 12 - 7:05 p.m.
Buffalo, N.Y. - Buffalo State Sports Arena
Webcast: www.b2livetv.com
Live Stats: www.gogriffs.com
Saturday, Feb. 13 - 7:05 p.m.
Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Ice Center
Webcast: www.b2livetv.com
ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst College men's hockey team returns to Atlantic Hockey Association play this weekend with a home-and-home series against Canisius on Friday, Feb. 12 in Buffalo, N.Y., and Saturday, Feb. 13 in Erie, Pa. Both games are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
With six games remaining in the regular season, the Lakers look to secure a home playoff series in the upcoming AHA Tournament when they face the Golden Griffins for the second time this season.
The AHA Tournament is made up of four rounds: First Round, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and the Championship Game.
The top six teams receive first-round byes, while teams seeded 7 – 10 play at campus sites. The winner of each game, along with teams seeded No. 5 and No. 6, advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face the top four teams from the regular season in a best-of-three series. Winners of those match-ups advance to semifinals at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.
Mercyhurst (12-16-2, 12-8-2 AHA) currently sits in fourth place in the conference standings after going 3-3 in its last six AHA games to open the New Year.
The Lakers swept American International in early January before securing a 6-3 win over Bentley two weeks later. However, a pair of losses to Sacred Heart and a 4-2 downfall to Bentley knocked the Lakers out of first place.
Canisius, meanwhile, also looks to lock up home-ice advantage, occupying the fifth spot with an 11-8-3 mark in conference play and a 13-11-4 overall record. The Golden Griffins went 4-2-3 in their previous nine games following a 7-2 loss to Guelph in an exhibition match-up Jan. 2.
Both teams are separated by a point in the standings, with the Lakers holding 26 and the Golden Griffins with 25.
This weekend's series will mark the 61st and 62nd meetings – the most against a single opponent in program history - in the all-time series that has spanned over the past 22 years. Despite dropping both games - 6-4 and 4-3 - in the first series this year, Mercyhurst still holds the advantage all-time, 33-18-9.
Following this weekend, the Lakers host Army in a two-game series on Friday, Feb. 19 at 8:05 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 20 at 7:05 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. Friday's game will be televised nationally on CBS College Sports.
Mercyhurst vs. Canisius Game Notes
