Complete Box Score

ERIE, Pa. - Freshman Matthew Zay scored a pair of goals, his first collegiate multi-goal performance, and senior goaltender Max Strang did the rest, stopping 41-of-42 shots, as the Mercyhurst men's hockey team defeated Holy Cross 3-1 on Sunday night to take the best-of-three Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinal series two games to one. The Lakers improved to 20-15-4 overall while the Crusaders conclude their season with an identical 20-15-4 mark.

It marks the first time since the 2008-09 season that the Lakers have posted 20 wins in a season. That season was also the last time Mercyhurst advanced to the semifinal round, where Mercyhurst defeated RIT 5-4 in overtime before bowing to Air Force in the championship game by a 2-0 final. The Lakers finished that season with 22 victories.

The teams exchanged power play goals in the opening twenty minutes of play, with the Lakers jumping out in front 1-0 just 2:31 into the contest. Junior Paul Chiasson scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season when he banged home a rebound past Holy Cross freshman netminder Matt Ginn. The initial shot was taken from the point by sophomore defenseman Nick Jones, which was redirected in front by sophomore Daniel O'Donoghue. Ginn made the save but could not corral the rebound and Chiasson capitalized.

Then, at the 9:57 mark, the Crusaders would tie the game at 1-1 on a power play goal by defenseman Matt Clune. The shot seemed to change direction on Strang and appeared to hit a Mercyhurst defender in front of the goal before finding the back of the net. Andrew Cox and Adam Schmidt assisted.

As was the case for much of the series, Holy Cross held a significant shot advantage after the opening period, 15-4.

The two teams battled back-and-forth for a majority of the second period, which included a five-minute power play for the Crusaders after a checking from behind penalty was assessed to senior defenseman Kevin Noble at the 4:36 mark. However, during the major penalty, Holy Cross' Shayne Stockton was whistled for a minor infraction, causing two minutes of four-on-four hockey. The Lakers killed off the penalty and then Zay went to work.

Zay scored his fourth goal of the season at the 13:27 mark, snapping a shot over the shoulder of Ginn and just below the crossbar, regaining a 2-1 lead for the Lakers. Identical to the first Mercyhurst goal of the night, O'Donoghue and Jones had the assists.

Holy Cross peppered Strang with 17 shots in the second period, but the senior turned aside all 17 attempts, enabling the Lakers to keep their one-goal advantage. Mercyhurst countered with 13 shots in the second period on Ginn.

With the Lakers clinging to a 2-1 lead after forty minutes, Mercyhurst came out with significant pressure to start the third. And, it didn't take long for Mercyhurst to take a two-goal lead. Good movement inside the Holy Cross zone by the line of Zay, O'Donoghue, and freshman Ryan Misiak, resulted in Zay parked wide open from in front of Ginn. The freshman tapped home a rebound for his second goal of the night, and fifth of the season, just 1:21 into the final period. His linemates, O'Donoghue and Misiak, had the assists.

Strang then took over, turning aside 10 more shots in the third period. The senior also got great defense in front, as the Lakers blocked seven shots in the final twenty minutes, and finished with 24 blocked shots for the game.

The senior goaltender is on  a roll. Strang stopped 113-of-117 Holy Cross shots in the three-game series (.966) and, over his last seven appearances, has allowed seven goals on 231 shots, for a .970 save percentage. He improved to 16-13-3 on the season, while Ginn, who stopped 24-of-27 Mercyhurst shots, ended his rookie campaign with a 17-8-2 mark.

Mercyhurst advances to the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals, which will take place on Friday, March 16 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York. Time and opponent are yet to be determined. Stay tuned to hurstathletics.com for further information.