Box Score

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Mercyhurst University men's hockey team spotted Air Force three goals in the opening 5:19 of the game, but battled all the way back, and skated away with a 5-4 victory in front of a sellout crowd of nearly 2,500 fans at the Cadet Ice Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Mercyhurst improved to 5-5-1 overall and 5-2-0 in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings. The Falcons, meanwhile, dropped to 3-7-3 overall and 2-4-1 in conference play.

Mercyhurst evened the all-time series with the Falcons at 10-10-2. However, the Lakers improved to 7-2-1 at the Cadet Ice Arena.

Senior Grant Blakey capped off the Laker comeback with his second game-winning goal of the season at the 9:52 mark of the third period. Blakey now has back-to-back game-winning tallies for Mercyhurst, as he also scored the game-clincher in Mercyhurst's 4-3 overtime win at Bentley last Friday. Sophomore Chris Bodo and junior Kyle Just each had a goal and two assists to help the Lakers' rally.

Mercyhurst concluded its 11-game road trip with a 5-5-1 overall mark, and, more importantly, 5-2-0 in conference play. The Lakers currently sit in a tie for third-place with Bentley in the conference standings despite not playing a single home game in the first two months of the season.

Senior goaltender Max Strang was touched up for three goals on six shots in the opening 5:19 of the contest, as Air Force gave the sellout crowd plenty to cheer about in the early stages. But, junior Jordan Tibbett relieved Strang after the Falcons' third goal, and the cheering quickly diminished as the Lakers began to chip away at the lead.

Mike McDonald gave the hosts a 1-0 lead at the 2:40 mark with an assist to Stephen Carew. John Kruse followed just 58 seconds later with his fourth goal of the season to give Air Force a 2-0 advantage. Alex Halloran and Chad Demers had the assists. Strang's night was done when Cole Gunner scored his first goal of the season 1:41 later, giving the Falcons a 3-0 advantage. Kyle DeLaurell and Eric Artman had the assists.

Tibbett entered and the Lakers started the comeback. With Mercyhurst on the power play, Bodo got the Lakers on the board at the 11:51 mark of the opening period with his fourth goal of the season - all four of which have come on the power play. Just and sophomore Matthew Zay had the assists. After being held scoreless in his first four games of the season, Bodo has seven points in his last six contests.

Just pulled the Lakers to within one just 54 seconds later with his second goal of the season at the 12:45 mark. Junior Randy Cure picked up his first point of the season with an assist. It was Just's first goal since scoring against Ferris State on October 19. The junior now has five points in his last three contests.

Mercyhurst outshot Air Force 14-8 in the opening period.

The Lakers scored a pair of power play goals in the second period to take a 4-3 lead after forty minutes of action.

Zay got Mercyhurst even at 3-3 at the 15:36 mark of the middle stanza with his third goal of the season. Just and Bodo had the assists. Zay finished the night with a goal and an assist for his first multiple-point game of the year.

Sophomore Nardo Nagtzaam then gave the Lakers a 4-3 advantage at the 18:43 mark with his first goal of the season. Nagtzaam, who finished second on the team in scoring as a freshman with 11 goals and 19 assists last season, was held to four assists in the first ten games of the year before finally breaking through on Friday night. Bodo and sophomore Tyler Shiplo had the helpers.

Air Force outshot the Lakers 13-6 in the second period.

The Falcons would not go quietly, however, as Gunner solved Tibbett for his second goal of the game at the 5:24 mark of the third period to tie the game at 4-4. McDonald and Artman had the assists.

But, Blakey recaptured the one-goal lead for Mercyhurst at the 9:52 mark with his third goal of the season. Junior Daniel O'Donoghue and senior Charlie Carkin had the assists on Blakey's fourth career game-winning goal.

Mercyhurst outshot Air Force 19-10 in the third period and 39-31 for the game. Tibbett picked up the win in relief for the Lakers, stopping 24-of-25 Air Force shots in 54:41. He improved to 2-3-0 on the season and lowered his goals against average to 2.14 in the process. Jason Torf suffered the loss for the Falcons, dropping to 3-7-3 on the season. He turned aside 34 Mercyhurst shots.

Special teams were key to the Laker comeback. Mercyhurst went 3-for-6 on the power play while Air Force went 0-for-2. Mercyhurst was whistled four times for 16 minutes in penalties. Meanwhile, Air Force was assessed seven penalties for 25 minutes, including a five-minute major with 45 seconds left in regulation.

Mercyhurst will play its first home games of the regular season next Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8 when the Yellow Jackets of American International College come to the Mercyhurst Ice Center for a pair of contests. Friday's faceoff is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. while Saturday's game is slated for 4:05 p.m.

Friday's contest will mark Mercyhurst's second annual Teddy Bear Toss. Fans will receive free admission to the game when they bring a new or genly used teddy bear to the contest. Fans will then be encouraged to toss the teddy bear onto the ice when the Lakers score their first goal. All teddy bears collected will go directly to local needy children for the Christmas holiday through the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program.