Complete Mercyhurst Game Notes
Complete RIT Game Notes
Complete Canisius Game Notes
FRIDAY:
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SATURDAY:
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ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University men's hockey team, fresh off an 8-2 victory over Air Force last Saturday to open conference play, will be back in action this Friday and Saturday for a pair of conference contests. The Lakers will host Rochester Institute of Technology on Friday night at the Mercyhurst Ice Center and then will make the short trip to Buffalo to take on the Golden Griffins of Canisius College at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. Faceoffs both nights are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
Mercyhurst is just 15-30-6 lifetime against RIT in the all-time series and just 1-9-1 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center since RIT joined the Atlantic Hockey Association for the 2006-07 season. Meanwhile, the Lakers are 39-26-9 lifetime against the Golden Griffins, but will be looking to avenge last season's 7-2 loss to Canisius in the AHA Championship contest.
The Lakers (2-5-1, 1-0-0 AHA) scored the final five goals of last Saturday's contest to break open a 3-2 game and to win their conference opener. Senior
Daniel O'Donoghue and junior
Ryan Misiak each had a pair of goals while juniors
Matthew Zay (1g, 2a) and
Tyler Shiplo (1g, 2a), and senior
Nick Jones (3a) each had three points in the victory over the Falcons. Junior goaltender
Jimmy Sarjeant earned the Atlantic Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week honors with his 36-save performance. It was his first-ever victory against a conference opponent.
Zay leads Mercyhurst with four goals and six assists for ten points in eight games. He has scored at least one point in each of the last seven contests after being shutout in the season opener. O'Donoghue ranks second on the team with eight points, but leads the Lakers with five goals. He has all eight of his points over his last five games.
Sarjeant has started five of the eight contests and has posted a 2-2-1 overall record with a 2.80 goals against average and a .917 save percentage. His goals against average ranks second in the conference while his save percentage is fourth.
The Tigers (0-4-2, 0-1-0 AHA) enter as one of only three winless teams left in the conference. Last weekend, they played their only game against Air Force on Friday, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Falcons. RIT outshot Air Force 39-25 but could not solve Air Force goaltender Jason Torf. Jordan Ruby started in goal and stopped 23-of-25 to fall to 0-4-2 on the season.
Ruby has seen all of the action between the pipes this season for RIT and has posted a 3.59 goals against average and an .887 save percentage.
Michael Colavecchia leads the Tigers with four goals and two assists for six points this season. RIT has only scored 12 goals in six contests this year.
The Golden Griffins (1-4-0, 0-2-0 AHA) picked up their only win of the season at national power Denver on October 26 by a 4-1 final. Canisius opened the season with a pair of conference losses at Niagara and at Air Force and then were swept on the road by another national power, Miami, last weekend by the scores of 3-0 and 5-2. Defenseman Ben Danford leads Canisius in scoring with one goal and six assists for seven points while Kyle Gibbons is second on the team with five points and has a team-high three goals.
Like Mercyhurst, the expected starting goaltender entering the 2013-14 season has struggled early and has lost playing time to the expected backup. Junior
Jordan Tibbett has given way to Sarjeant for Mercyhurst and senior Tony Capobianco has started losing time to Keegan Asmundson. Asmundson is 1-1-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .948 save percentage. Capobianco, meanwhile, is 0-3-0 with a 4.38 goals against average and an .893 save percentage.
Capobianco was brilliant last season posting a .929 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average.
