Complete Box Score

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - The fifth-ranked Mercyhurst women's hockey team got goals from five different players and strong goaltending from senior Hillary Pattenden as the Lakers defeated Niagara 6-1 at the Dwyer Arena in Niagara Falls, N.Y. on Friday night. The win lifted Mercyhurst to 19-5-1 overall and 5-1-1 in the College Hockey America standings. Meanwhile, Niagara dropped to 9-13-6 overall and 2-4-1 in conference play.

Senior Bailey Bram was the only Laker with more than one goal, finishing the night with two tallies. The goals were her first since scoring a goal against Lindenwood in the final game of the 2011 portion of the regular season on December 15. Seniors Kelley Steadman and Jess Jones and freshmen Molly Byrne and Kristine Grenier had the other goals for the Lakers.

Steadman got the offense on the board, continuing her torrid goal-scoring pace, with her team-leading 27th goal of the season at the 13:31 mark of the opening period. Senior defenseman Pamela Zgoda had the lone assist on Steadman's 11th goal in the last seven games. The reigning CHA Player of the Month leads the country with 1.08 goals per game this season.

The Lakers outshot Niagara 13-3 in the opening twenty minutes and then broke the game open with three goals in the first 6:56 of the second period. Byrne buried her fifth goal of the season, a power play tally, just 39 seconds into the middle stanza. Byrne, the CHA's Rookie of the Month in January, is second among Division I defensemen in scoring, trailing only Cornell's Laura Fortino. Steadman and Jones had the assists.

Jones would score her 11th goal of the season exactly six minutes into the second, redirecting a Gina Buquet shot past Niagara's starting goaltender Sarah Moses. Junior Lauren Jones had the other assist. Then, just 56 seconds later, Bram knocked home her 22nd goal of the season, giving the Lakers a 4-0 advantage. Sophomores Christine Bestland and Christie Cicero had the helpers. Bestland's assist extended her scoring streak to ten consecutive games.

Shots again favored Mercyhurst in the second period, 11-8.

Bram then scored her second goal of the night, and 23rd of the season, off an assist from Steadman at the 6:18 mark of the third period, giving Mercyhurst a 5-0 lead. The Purple Eagles would end Pattenden's bid for a shutout at the 11:29 mark, when Kathleen Bortuzzo solved the Laker netminder. Kaleigh Chippy had the lone assist.

Grenier would cap off the scoring 1:07 later with an unassisted goal, her third tally of the season, and her first since a 9-0 win against Lindenwood on December 14.

Mercyhurst outshot Niagara in the third period, 11-9, and finished the game with a 35-20 shot advantage. Pattenden stopped 19-of-20 Niagara shots to improve to 16-5-1 on the season. The win was the 96th of her career, as she attempts to become the first goaltender in NCAA history to record 100 wins at the Division I level. She is already the all-time winningest goaltender in history, having surpassed former Wisconsin goaltender Jessie Vetter with the 9-0 victory over Lindenwood on December 14.

Meanwhile, Moses and Abby Ryplanski combined to stop 29-of-35 Mercyhurst shots in defeat.

The Lakers finished the game 1-of-5 on the power play, while Niagara went 0-for-4.

The teams will square off again on Saturday night, this time at the Mercyhurst Ice Center for a 7 p.m. faceoff. Saturday's game will celebrate the 2012 National Girls and Women In Sports Day. All girls K-12 will be admitted free to the contest and there will be a ceremonial puck drop and other in-game promotions.