Cornell vs. Mercyhurst Game Notes

ERIE, Pa. - The No. 4/5 Mercyhurst College women's hockey team closes out non-conference play Tuesday, Jan. 18, against No. 2 Cornell in the second game of a home-and-home series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. The Lakers (18-4-0, 7-0-0 CHA) dealt Big Red its first and only loss of the season back in early November, when they defeated them 4-3 in overtime in Ithaca, N.Y. The victory avenged a 3-2 OT setback in the 2010 NCAA Women's Frozen Four Semifinals and pushed the Lakers advantage to 12-1-1 in the all-time series.

Mercyhurst enters the game on a four-game winning streak after dropping a 7-4 decision to top-ranked Wisconsin in the second game of the 2011 Easton Hockey Showcase Jan. 2. Since that game the Lakers have averaged over seven goals per game (7.25) and posted three straight shutouts, a feat that has not been accomplished since the 2007-08 campaign. The team has also seen two of its members – head coach Michael Sisti and senior assistant captain Jesse Scanzano – achieve milestones during the winning streak.

Sisti became the seventh coach in women's hockey history to record his 300th career victory in a 12-0 decision over Brown, and Scanzano recorded her 200th career point, a feat that has only been accomplished by two other Lakers – senior captain Meghan Agosta and 2009 graduate Valerie Chouinard.

Offensively, Agosta leads the attack with a team-high and nation-best 57 points. Through 21 games, missing one due to Canadian National Team play, she has scored 24 goals and dished out 33 assists. Senior assistant captain Vicki Bendus ranks second on the club with 15 goals and 38 points, followed by Scanzano with 14 goals and 35 points.

In net, junior Hillary Pattenden has recorded 16 of the team's 18 victories on the season while boasting a 2.27 goals against average. Sophomore Stephanie Ciampa holds the other two wins, with her last occurring on Saturday in the 12-0 decision over Brown.

Looking to even the season series, Cornell visits Erie, Pa., on a winning streak of its own, accumulating 13 straight victories since that 4-3 setback to the Lakers back in November. Big Red, boasting the best winning percentage in the country, has beat up on opponents with a potent offense that averages 4.39 goals per game while surrendering a mere 0.83 GPG for the season.

Rebecca Johnston, a member of the Canadian National Team that captured gold at last year's Olympics, leads the squad with 13 goals and 27 points. Rookie standout Brianne Jenner, one of the last cuts the Canadian Olympic team, ranks second with a team-best 14 goals and 26 points, while Catherine White and Chelsea Karpenko are tied for third with nine goals and 20 points apiece.

With the likes of 2010 All-Americans Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau in front of her, third-year netminder Amanda Mazzotta has coasted through the season in goal, building a 13-1-0 record with a 0.91 GAA and a .953 save percentage.

Following Tuesday's game with Big Red, Mercyhurst will take on College Hockey America foe Robert Morris on Friday, Jan. 21 and Saturday, Jan. 22 at the RMU Island Sports Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Lakers own a 24-0-0 record against the Colonials since their first meeting back in 2005.