ERIE, Pa. – Five different Lakers found the back of the net as the Mercyhurst College men's hockey team snapped a three-game losing skid and sent its senior class out in style with a 5-1 win over Canisius on senior night at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

Celebrating the accomplishments of seniors Jeff Terminesi, Scott Pitt, Mike Gurtler, Jesse Echternach, Ryan Raven, Steven Cameron and Ryan Zapolski prior the game, the Lakers carried the excitement on to the ice as they broke a 1-1 tie with four unanswered goals over a span of 14 minutes and 20 seconds.

Three of the team's five goals in the game came courtesy of four-year veterans Pitt, Gurtler and Terminesi, who led all skaters with three points, while freshman Daniel O'Donoghue and John Mousso got in on the act as well.

Zapolski posted 34 saves and allowed one goal, a power-play score, to earn the win.

After dropping the first game by a 3-2 count in Buffalo, Mercyhurst (14-16-4, 12-13-2 AHA) came out of the gates flying, outshooting the Golden Griffins 16-10 in the first period alone. Terminesi gave the home team a 1-0 lead when his shot from the blueline sailed through traffic past an unsuspecting netminder Dan Morrison at the 7:14 mark.

Canisius, however, countered the score less than two minutes later, as Cory Conacher converted on the power play at 8:41.

The score would not remained tied for long though, as Mousso and Gurtler tallied back-to-back goals 48 seconds apart at 12:03 and 12:51. Mousso put the Lakers in front for good when he took the puck from classmate Trent Frey, split two defenseman and beat the goalie one-on-one. Gurtler then gave the Lakers a two-goal lead when he deflected in a pass from sophomore Paul Chiasson on the doorstep.

Mercyhurst added to its lead and closed out the scoring in the second with two goals in the first six minutes and 23 seconds of the frame. Pitt made it a 4-1 game with just 27 seconds elapsed thanks to perfect centering pass that he sent over the netminder's shoulder, while O'Donoghue knocked home his own rebound after the goalie made the initial save at 6:23.

Mercyhurst outshot the Golden Griffins for the second straight game, holding a 36-35 advantage, and converted both of its power-play opportunities (2-for-2). Canisius ended the game 1-for-7 on the man advantage.

With the regular season now wrapped up, the Lakers will wait to see who they play in the opening round of the 2011 AHA Tournament. It will either be Robert Morris or Niagara, depending on the outcome of tonight's game between the Colonials and Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo. Please check back at www.hurstathletics.com on Sunday, Feb. 27 for more details.