No. 5 Canisius (15-14-3) vs. No. 4 Mercyhurst (15-18-3)
Mar. 12-14, 2010 - 7:05 p.m.
Best-of-Three Series
Mercyhurst Ice Center

Radio: WMCE (All Games)
Webcast: B2livetv.com (All Games)
Television: Image Sports
Live Stats: www.atlantichockeyonline.com

Canisius vs. Mercyhurst Game Notes

TOP STORY: Mercyhurst College plays host to Canisius in an Atlantic Hockey Association Quarterfinal series this weekend. This year marks the third season in a row during which the Lakers have hosted a quarterfinal series, as the team swept Canisius in 2008 and Army last season.

As a Division I program, the Lakers have gone 11-1 in conference quarterfinal games. Mercyhurst is 4-2 in conference tournament play against Canisius, but has won all four postseason meetings while members of the MAAC and AHA in the Division I era.

Mercyhurst clinched a home playoff series with a 5-1 victory at Connecticut Feb. 26. The Lakers finished the regular season with a 15-18-3 record, going 15-10-3 for 33 points and fourth place in the AHA.

Canisius brings a 15-14-5 record, including a 13-11-4 mark in AHA play, good for fifth in the conference. The Golden Griffins score 3.38 goals per game, the third best scoring offense in the AHA. While the team scores goals in bunches, it also has given up its share, allowing 3.14 goals per 60 minutes. Canisius converts power plays at a 22 percent clip, leading the AHA while ranking sixth in the nation in power play percentage.

Cory Conacher spurs the Golden Griffin offense, ranking second in the nation with 49 points on 20 goals and 29 assists. Carl Hudson ignites the power play from the point, scoring 10 goals with the extra man this season. Hudson is the second-highest scoring defenseman in the nation, averaging one point per game with 13 goals and 19 assists. Vincent Scarsella is in the top 10 in AHA scoring, with 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points. Josh Heidinger has scored 33 points on nine goals and 24 assists. Dan Morrison has played in net during 24 games this season, going 10-10-3 with a 3.24 goals against average and three shutouts.

The Golden Griffins took three out of four meetings against the Lakers this season, sweeping a home-and-home series in Nov. and splitting during Feb. Canisius has won by scores of 6-4 and 4-2 at Mercyhurst and 4-3 at the Buffalo Sports Arena. Mercyhurst beat Canisius 3-1 Feb. 12 in Buffalo.

This weekend's series will mark the 63rd and 64th meetings – the most against a single opponent in program history - in the all-time series that has spanned over the past 22 years.

SERIES SITUATION: This weekend's series is one of four AHA Quarterfinals. The winner of each series will compete in the AHA semifinals at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. Friday, March 19, with the Championship held Saturday, March 20. The Atlantic Hockey champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I national tournament. The Lakers have competed in the AHA Final in each of the last two seasons. The last three AHA tournament quarterfinal rounds have gone to seed, with no upsets.

RECENT TRENDS: The Lakers are 8-5-1 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center this season after going 12-2-2 at home in 2008-09. Mercyhurst scores 3.86 goals on average at the MIC while allowing 2.57 goals on home ice.

NOT SO CLOSE: The Lakers have not won a one-goal game this season, going 0-6-3 in games decided by one goal or tied. Mercyhurst is 0-1-3 in games that require overtime.

SHORTHANDED: Junior Mike Gurtler is tied for first place in the nation in shorthanded goals, scoring four of the Lakers' eight such goals. The Lakers posted a season-high two shorthanded tallies Feb. 12 at Canisius, with freshman Grant Blakey and senior Neil Graham striking with a man down. The last time that the Lakers had scored two shorthanded goals in the same game was Dec. 1, 2007 in a 5-2 victory over Canisius.

STREAKIN': Freshman Grant Blakey had his eight-game point-scoring streak broken in the season finale at UConn. He had scored five goals and added five assists for 10 points during that stretch. He leads all Laker freshmen with 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists.

NO FIRST-YEAR JITTERS: Freshmen Grant Blakey and Paul Chiasson have made an immediate impact, as Blakey is third on the team with 25 points and tied for second in assists. Chiasson has scored 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists, and is tied for second on the team with two game-winning goals. Blakey has six two-point outings and two two-goal games, while Chiasson has five and one, respectively.

PERFECT CHEMISTRY: The line of junior Mike Gurtler, freshman Grant Blakey, and sophomore Derek Elliott has been the most consistent group of forwards over the final nine games of the season, as they combined for 31 points over that span. During the last 10 games, Gurtler has tallied six goals and five assists for 11 points; Blakey has notched five goals and five assists for 10 points; and Elliott has scored nine points on two goals and seven assists.

BLUELINE CHIPPIN' IN: Two out of the Lakers top 10 scorers man the blueline, as senior Matt Fennell has scored four goals and is tied for second with 15 assists, good for 19 points. Junior Jeff Terminesi has notched 16 points on five goals and 11 assists, and leads the team with three game-winners. The pair is effective on the power play, as Fennell is tied for the team lead with four power-play goals and Terminesi has scored twice with the extra man. Terminesi is second in the conference with a +19 rating.

ALMOST THERE: Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin has posted a 399-270-52 in 21 seasons at the helm. With one more win, he would become the 36th men's hockey head coach to earn 400 victories. He is the ninth-winningest active coach with 399 victories. He entered the season 11th among active NCAA Division I coaches in winning percentage. Gotkin will become the 24th coach to earn 400 wins while spending 10 or more years at the Division I level. He would be the 11th coach of a current Division I program to earn 400 victories at the same school. Gotkin is the only head coach to lead the same school to NCAA tournament appearances at the DI, DII, and DIII levels.

BREAKIN' RECORDS: Junior Ryan Zapolski is 14th in the nation in save percentage at .919. He has set a new single-season program record with 1,025 saves, breaking Matt Lundin's mark of 946 during the 2007-08 season. His 1,025 saves lead the nation this season. He ranks fifth all-time in program history with 35 wins. He is third in career saves with 2,282, passing Andy Franck in the season finale.

CONFERENCE PLAYOFF HISTORY: The Lakers are 27-15 all-time in conference tournament play, including 21-7 as an NCAA Division I program. Mercyhurst went 9-2 in MAAC tournament play, winning the tournament championship in 2001, 2003, and 2005. The Lakers are 12-5 in AHA tournament games, including appearances in the finals each of the last two seasons.

2-27-90 at Union (ECAC Quarterfinal) 5-4
3-2-90 Geneseo (ECAC Semifinal) 2-3
3-3-92 Oswego St (ECAC Quarterfinal) 8-2
3-6-92 at Elmira (ECAC Semifinal) 3-0
3-7-92 Plattsburgh State (ECAC Finals) 3-6
3-5-93 Canisius (ECAC Semifinals) 3-5
3-4-94 at Elmira (ECAC Semifinals) 3-5
3-3-95 Elmira (ECAC West Semifinals) 5-4
3-5-95 RIT (ECAC West Championship) 9-2
3-1-96 Canisius (ECAC West Semifinals) 2-6
2-27-97 Elmira (ECAC West Semifinals) 5-8
3-7-98 RIT (ECAC West Semifinals) 0-3
3-5-99 vs. Elmira (ECAC West Semifinals) 7-4
3-6-99 at RIT (ECAC West Finals)1-6
3-11-00 Holy Cross (MAAC Quarterfinal) 10-3
3-16-00 at UConn (MAAC Semifinal) 0-2
3-10-01 Fairfield (MAAC Quarterfinal) 10-5
3-15-01 vs. Canisius (MAAC Semifinal) 4-3
3-17-01 vs. Quinnipiac (MAAC Finals) 6-5
3-9-02 Army (MAAC Quarterfinal) 2-1
3-14-02 vs. UConn (MAAC Semifinal) 5-0
3-16-02 vs. Quinnipiac (MAAC Championship) 4-6
3-15-03 Iona (MAAC Quarterfinal) 5-4
3-21-03 vs. Bentley (MAAC Semifinal) 10-2
3-23-03 vs. Quinnipiac (MAAC Championship) 4-3
3-13-04 vs. Bentley (AHA Quarterfinal) 5-4
3-14-04 vs. Sacred Heart (AHA Semifinal) 2-3
3-12-05 UConn (AHA Quarterfinal) 7-4
3-18-05 vs. Holy Cross (AHA Semifinal) 4-3 (ot)
3-19-05 at Quinnpiac (AHA Championship) 3-2 (ot)
3-11-06 Canisius (AHA Quarterfinal) 7-2
3-17-06 vs. Bentley (AHA Semifinal) 2-3 (2ot)
3-10-07 at UConn (AHA Quarterfinal) 4-5
3-7-08 Canisius (AHA First Round) 4-1
3-8-08 Canisius (AHA First Round) 2-1 (ot)
3-14-08 vs. Sacred Heart (AHA Quarterfinal) 4-1
3-15-08 vs. Army (AHA Semifinal)) 4-2
3-16-08 vs. Air Force (AHA Championship) 4-5 (ot)
3-13-09 Army (AHA Quarterfinal) 6-2
3-14-09 Army (AHA Quarterfinal) 5-0
3-20-09 RIT (AHA semifinal) 5-4 (ot)
3-21-09 Air Force (AHA final) 0-2