WATERTOWN, Mass. - The Mercyhurst University men's hockey team will take to the road this weekend as it squares off against Atlantic Hockey Association-rival, Bentley University, for a two-game series. Faceoffs from the Ryan Skating Arena are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. both Friday and Saturday nights.

Mercyhurst (5-3-0, 3-1-0 AHA) enters the series on a three-game winning streak and is fresh off a sweep of Army last weekend at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. The Lakers took game one from the Black Knights by a 2-0 final as senior Jimmy Sarjeant stopped 39 shots for his second career shutout. On Saturday, Mercyhurst scored three goals in the final 16 minutes to rally for a 7-5 victory. Sophomore Spencer Bacon relieved Sarjeant early in the third period and stopped all 12 shots he faced for his first collegiate victory. Senior Chris Bodo had two goals and an assist while senior Ryan Misiak chipped in with a goal and two helpers to pace the Laker offense.

The Falcons (4-5-0, 2-2-0 AHA) split a series against Niagara in Watertown, Massachusetts, last weekend. Bentley blanked the Purple Eagles, 6-0, on Friday night before Niagara picked up its first win of the season the following night with a 3-2 overtime victory. Senior goaltender Blake Dougherty stopped all 33 shots he faced on Friday night for his second shutout of the season. Sophomore Max French paced the Bentley offense in Friday's win with his first collegiate hat trick, improving his league-leading goal total to eight on the season.

LAST MEETINGS ...

February 1, 2014
at Mercyhurst 4, Bentley 1

In front of the largest crowd in Mercyhurst Ice Center history, partially due to the appearance of the Stanley Cup, the Lakers scored three times in the third period to snap a 1-1 tie and to defeat the Falcons of Bentley by a 4-1 final. Kyle Cook scored the Lakers' first goal at the 4:33 mark of the second period and then scored an empty net goal to seal the win. Nardo Nagtzaam scored the game-winner at the 4:33 mark of the third while Matt Zay added a power play at the 12:20 mark of the third. Jordan Tibbett stopped 37 of 38 shots in place of an injured Jimmy Sarjeant. Alex Grieve scored for Bentley while Branden Komm stopped 25 shots in the loss.

January 31, 2014
at Mercyhurst 2, Bentley 2 (OT)

Kyle Cook scored at the 10:51 mark of the third period to force overtime and to lift the Lakers to a 2-2 overtime tie in game one of a pivotal weekend series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. Zac Frischmon gave the Lakers a 1-0 lead when he scored at the 3:41 mark of the second period. Max French tied the game at 1-1 for Bentley with his tally with 4:04 left in the middle period. Brett Gensler gave the Falcons a 2-1 lead just 35 seconds into the final frame before Cook forced the overtime tie. Jordan Tibbett, starting in place of an injured Jimmy Sarjeant, stopped 32 shots while Branden Komm turned aside 28 shots in the stalemate.

LAST WEEKEND ...

Mercyhurst earned its first weekend sweep of the season by taking two games against the Black Knights of Army at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. The Lakers won 2-0 last Friday behind a 39-save shutout from senior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant and a pair of goals, just 44 seconds apart in the first period, from freshman Kane Elliot and senior Zac Frischmon. On Saturday, Mercyhurst outslugged Army 7-5 behind two goals and an assist from senior Chris Bodo and a goal and two assists from senior Ryan Misiak.

THE SERIES VS BENTLEY ...

Mercyhurst holds a 29-11-7 edge over the Falcons in the all-time series and is 13-7-2 at the Ryan Skating Arena. Last season, Mercyhurst took three of a possible four points from the Falcons at the Mercyhurst Ice Center after playing to a 2-2 overtime tie on January 31 and then skating to a 4-1 victory on February 1. The Lakers hold a 5-3-2 advantage over the last ten meetings between the two schools.

SCOUTING THE FALCONS ...

Bentley enters the weekend series with a 4-5-0 overall record and a 2-2-0 conference mark. The Falcons swept a weekend series against Rensselaer back on October 24 and 25 before losing a pair of one-goal games at Penn State the following weekend. Bentley has split conference series against Sacred Heart and Niagara for its 2-2 conference mark.

As in years past, Bentley enters with a potent offense, averaging nearly 3.5 goals per game. Sophomore Max French leads the Falcons with eight goals and three assists for 11 points while junior Andrew Gladiuk (10 points) and senior Alex Grieve (9 points) are right on French's heels. Senior Blake Dougherty and junior Gabe Antoni have split duties in goal with Dougherty providing the better numbers. The senior is 2-2-0 with a 1.75 goals against average and a .947 save percentage this season. The Falcon power play unit is the best in the country, converting on 14-of-37 attempts (37.8%) this season.

LUCKY SEVEN ...

Mercyhurst outscored Army 7-5 on Saturday night, November 8, at the Mercyhurst Ice Center to mark the most goals the Lakers have scored this season and the most since scoring seven goals in a 7-1 win against Sacred Heart on December 6, 2013. Senior Chris Bodo led the way with two goals while senior Ryan Misiak, redshirt senior Kyle Just, junior Anthony Mastrodicasa, sophomore Kyle Dutra, and freshman Jonathan Charbonneau tallied the others.

44 SECONDS ...

Mercyhurst scored two goals last Friday, which proved to be all senior Jimmy Sarjeant would need as he stopped 39 shots for his second career shutout. Those two goals came in the span of 44 seconds late in the first period when freshman Kane Elliot notched his first collegiate goal (also the game winner) and senior Zac Frischmon scored his first goal of the season. Sarjeant did the rest, stopping 29 shots over the final two periods to preserve the shutout.

THAT LINE IS WORKING ...

The line of senior Chris Bodo (four goals, two assists), junior Alec Shields (two goals, four assists), and senior Zac Frischmon (one goal, five assists) is off to a blazing start, with all three players tied for second on the team in scoring with six points. The trio has played together in six of the Lakers' eight games this season and have combined to score 16 points in those six games. Last weekend, against Army, Bodo had two goals and one assist, Frischmon had one goal and one assist, and Shields chipped in with three helpers to lead the Lakers to a weekend sweep.

BACON SIZZLES IN RELIEF ...

Sophomore Spencer Bacon was pressed into services in the third period last Saturday against Army after senior Jimmy Sarjeant had allowed five goals on just 18 shots. Just 37 seconds into the third period, after Sarjeant allowed his fifth goal, Bacon entered with the Lakers trailing 5-4. Mercyhurst scored three goals down the stretch and Bacon stopped all 12 shots he faced to earn him his first collegiate victory.

It was only his second collegiate appearance with his only other outing coming in relief at Ohio State on December 30, 2013. In that contest, he stopped nine of ten Buckeye shots.

BODO OFF TO FAST START ...

Senior Chris Bodo is off to an impressive start to the season as he tries to make a run at 100 career points. After tallying a career-high tying three points (two goals, one assist) on Saturday, Bodo leads the Lakers with four goals this season and is tied for second on the team with six points. His two goals was his first mutliple-goal game since recording his first collegiate hat trick in a 4-2 victory at Holy Cross on January 10, 2014. The St. Thomas, Ontario native now needs seven goals to reach 50 for his career and he needs 21 points to reach the century mark. In 125 career games, Bodo has 43 goals and 36 assists for 79 points.

RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF ...

During Mercyhurst's playoff run last season, Alec Shields emerged as an offensive threat in the Laker lineup. After recording two assists in his first 18 games last season, Shields had five points in his last four games, with four of those points coming in three playoff contests. His first collegiate goal was a game-winner in game two of the AHA Quarterfinals against Holy Cross. He also scored a pair of goals in the AHA Semifinal loss to Canisius.

This season, Shields has two goals and four assists for six points and has at least one point in five of the eight games this season. All told, dating back to last season, Shields has registered at least one point in nine of 12 contests. In just 30 career games, the junior has five goals and eight assists for 13 points.

PICKING UP THE SLACK ...

Junior Anthony Mastrodicasa is taking over as the offensive-minded defenseman for the Lakers after the graduation of Nick Jones, who left Mercyhurst as one of the highest-scoring blueliners in program history. Mastrodicasa was second to Jones in points by a defenseman last season after recording five goals and 13 assists as a sophomore.

After being held scoreless in the season-opening weekend at Air Force, Mastrodicasa tied a career-high with three points (one goal, two assists) in the 5-4 overtime loss to Merrimack on October 24. He added an assist in the 3-2 win over Merrimack on October 25 for a four-point weekend. Last Saturday, the junior scored his first collegiate game-winning goal when he scored with 7:42 left in regulation on Saturday. He is tied for sixth on the team in scoring with two goals and three assists for five points through eight games this season.

SPREADING IT OUT ...

The Lakers have scored 23 goals through eight games and only senior Chris Bodo (four) and freshman Jonathan Charbonneau (three) have more than two goals on the season. In the opening weekend at Air Force, Mercyhurst had five goals by five different goal scorers. Against Merrimack, Mercyhurst had seven goals by seven different players, while against Colgate, the Lakers had two goals by two different players. Last weekend, Mercyhurst had nine goals by eight different players (only Bodo had more than one goal against Army)

The Lakers already have 19 players with at least one point this season with only six players (including goaltenders Jimmy Sarjeant and Spencer Bacon), who have played in at least one game, not recording a point this season.

HOME ICE SUCCESS ...

Mercyhurst improved to 23-1-2 lifetime against Army at the Mercyhurst Ice Center after sweeping the Black Knights last weekend. The only time the Lakers suffered a loss to Army on home ice was on February 25, 2006 - a 3-2 Black Knight victory.

WELCOME TO COLLEGE HOCKEY ...

Freshman Jonathan Charbonneau didn't take long to make his presence felt in the Mercyhurst lineup. After being held off the scoresheet in the season opener, Charbonneau had a goal and an assist in the Lakers' 4-2 win at Air Force in game two of the series. For his efforts, the St-Colombant, Quebec-native earned Co-Freshman of the Week honors from the Atlantic Hockey Association. He has scored at least one point in five of his first eight collegiate games and leads the Lakers in scoring with three goals and four assists for seven points.

Defenseman Tyler Enns recorded an assist and was a +3 in his only game in the Air Force series (game two). Zach Todd took a whopping four games to pick up his first point - he earned an assist in the team's 3-2 win over Merrimack on October 25. Kane Elliot scored his first collegiate goal (which proved to be the game-winner) last Friday against Army - his second career game. Only Patrick Piacentini, who has played in one game at Colgate, has not factored in the scoring among the newcomers who have dressed at least once.

SIGNATURE WIN ...

Mercyhurst's upset win at fourth-ranked Colgate last Saturday marked the highest-ranked team that the program has defeated since becoming a Division I member in 1999-2000. The highest-ranked foe that the Lakers knocked off prior to Saturday night was a 6-4 win over #7 Princeton on November 29, 2008 in the opening round of the Rensselaer Holiday Tournament. Mercyhurst defeated fourth-ranked Michigan in a shootout on October 2, 2010 to open the 2010-11 campaign. However, the game went down as a tie in the record books.

BAHNTGE ON THE BOARD ...

Senior Daniel Bahntge picked an opportune time to pick up his first goal, and his first point, of the 2014-15 season. His goal with 3:10 left in regulation last Saturday at #4 Colgate proved to be the game-winner as the Lakers knocked off the Raiders, 2-1. It was Bahntge's 40th career goal with six of them being game-winning tallies. The senior has not missed a game in his collegiate career (130 games) and now needs seven points to become a member of the 100-point club during the Division I era at Mercyhurst.

FRIDAY VS SATURDAY ...

Last Friday's victory against Army was Mercyhurst's first win to open a series this season. Mercyhurst improved to 1-3-0 on Friday nights this season but is still being outscored by a 14-7 margin in series openers.The Lakers remained perfect at 4-0 in games on Saturday and have outscored the opposition on Saturdays by a 16-10 margin.

UP-AND-DOWN START ...

The reigning Atlantic Hockey Association Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year, senior Jimmy Sarjeant, has had a roller coaster start to the 2014-15 season. In the season-opening series at Air Force, Sarjeant managed to stop just 21-of-26 shots in a 5-1 loss on October 10 but then bounced back for a 40-of-42 save performance the following night - a 4-2 Laker win. Two weekends later, Sarjeant allowed five goals in an overtime loss to Merrimack before responding with 33 saves the following night - a 3-2 win. At #4 Colgate, Sarjeant and the Lakers allowed three first period goals in a 4-0 loss in the opener. He stopped 39-of-40 in the Lakers' biggest upset win in program history the following night - a 2-1 win. Then, last weekend, Sarjeant was brilliant in turning aside all 39 shots for his second career shutout on Friday against Army. However, on Saturday, Sarjeant didn't finish the game, giving way to sophomore Spencer Bacon, after allowing five goals on 18 shots.

Consistency was the name of Sarjeant's game last season and if the Lakers are to repeat as conference champions and to make a run at the NCAAs, the senior will need to get back to that consistency that made him one of the top goaltenders in the country a year ago.

All told, Sarjeant is 4-3-0 with a 3.12 goals against average and a .912 save percentage this season.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB ...

Senior forward Matthew Zay scored with 32 seconds left in regulation last Friday night to force overtime and to become the 17th player in the Division I era at Mercyhurst to record 100 career points. It was Zay's first goal of the season and the 34th of his career. He now has 102 points in 120 career games with the Lakers and has scored 88 points in his last 82 games after registering just 14 points in 36 games as a rookie.

SPECIAL TEAMS SHOWS SIGNS OF LIFE ...

Mercyhurst went 2-for-7 on the power play against Army last weekend and moved to 4-for-34 on the season (11.8%), which ranks 38th in the country. The only two power play goals that Mercyhurst had scored prior to the Army series was against Merrimack (Ryan Misiak, Matt Zay). Last season, Mercyhurst had one of the best power play units in the country, capitalizing on 35-of-160 chances for a 21.9% success rate. Meanwhile, the Lakers have struggled on the penalty kill as well, allowing eight goals in 34 opponent chances (76.5%). That percentage ranks the Lakers 50th in the country. Last season, Mercyhurst killed off 83.5% of opponent power play chances and also led the country with ten shorthanded goals.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME ...

Redshirt senior Kyle Just recorded, what proved to be, his first collegiate game-winning goal in the 3-2 win over Merrimack on October 25. His first goal of the season and first game-winner in 109 career games. His deflection off of a centering feed from redshirt freshman Jack Riley was originally waived off by the officiating crew but was overturned when the officials went to the video replay.

ALMOST THERE ...

Senior Matthew Zay became the 17th player in the Division I era at Mercyhurst to record 100 career points when he sent the opening game of the Merrimack series to overtime. Seniors Ryan Misiak and Daniel Bahntge are close to becoming numbers 18 and 19 to reach the plateau. Misiak had a goal and two assists in Saturday's win against Army and is now just one point shy of 100. Meanwhile, Bahntge pulled to within seven points after his game-winning goal at Colgate on November 1 and his assist last Saturday against Army.

WILD PERIOD ...

A total of 12 goals were scored at the Cadet Ice Arena in the season-opening weekend between Mercyhurst and Air Force. Of the 12 goals, eight were scored in the second period, with six of those coming in the span of 3:21 of game action. On Friday night, Air Force snapped a 1-1 tie with three goals in the span of 1:18 late in the second period to break the game open. Mercyhurst returned the favor on Saturday night, scoring three goals in 2:03 to also break a 1-1 deadlock. Mercyhurst's four goals on Saturday all came in the second period and were scored in the span of 9:03.

EXHIBITION OPENER ...

Mercyhurst opened the 2014-15 season on October 5 with a 6-1 victory over Ryerson University of Toronto at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. After a scoreless first period, the Lakers scored four times in the second, three of which came during a 75-second span midway through the frame. Freshman Jonathan Charbonneau put Mercyhurst on the board with a power play goal before Ryerson tied it at 1-1 just over three minutes later. Seniors Ryan Misiak, Zac Frischmon, and Ed DeWald scored 75 seconds apart to give the Lakers a 4-1 lead after two. Sophomore Philippe Drouin and Stephen Hrehoriak closed out the scoring in the third. Misiak led the offense with a goal and three assists, while Charbonneau, DeWald, and Drouin had one goal and one assist each. Sophomore Spencer Bacon started in goal and stopped 14-of-15 shots in nearly 30 minutes. Freshman Brandon Wildung closed out the contest by stopping all 17 shots he faced.

NON-CONFERENCE SLATE ...

Since joining the Division I ranks in the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers have struggled against teams out-of-conference. Mercyhurst is 21-92-11 against non-conference opponents in its Division I history and posted a 2-8-1 non-conference mark last season. The Lakers earned victories over Merrimack and Rensselaer and a tie at Alaska in 2013-14. This season, Mercyhurst is 2-2-0 out of conference, having split against Merrimack two weekends ago and at #4 Colgate last weekend..

SEASON OPENING STRUGGLES ...

Since joining the Division I ranks in 1999-2000, Mercyhurst has not fared well in season openers. In fact, Mercyhurst is 0-15-1 in its 16 season-opening games since becoming a Division I member. The only non-loss in those 16 games was a 4-4 overtime tie at Michigan to open the 2010-11 season. The Lakers eventually defeated the Wolverines in a shootout but the game went in the record books as a tie. Mercyhurst has been outscored 68-30 in those 16 contests.

AYE, AYE CAPTAIN ...

Head coach Rick Gotkin announced that senior forward Matthew Zay will serve as this year's team captain, while seniors Ryan Misiak and Tyler Shiplo will be the assistants.

Zay, a native of Glendale, New York, entered the 2014-15 season needing just four points to become the 17th player in school history, at the Division I level, to record 100 career points. He has led the Lakers in each of the last two seasons in scoring, including a career-high 43 points last year. He was a First Team All-Atlantic Association selection and was named the team's Best Forward at the annual postseason banquet last season. Zay participated in the Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Development Camp over the summer.

Hailing from Shelby Township, Michigan, Misiak entered needing just five points to reach the century mark in his career. He had a career-high 25 assists last season, helping him tie his career-best of 38 points he also recorded as a sophomore. He led the Lakers with 29 points against conference opponents last season and was named an All-AHA Second Team honoree in 2012-13. Misiak attended the New Jersey Devils Prospect Development Camp in the summer of 2013.

Shiplo, who calls Oakville, Ontario, home, is one of two senior defensemen this season for the Lakers. He scored a career-high five goals last season and entered his senior campaign needing one point for 50 in his career. Last season, Shiplo was fifth on the team with a +13 plus/minus rating and was second on the squad with 66 blocked shots.

MUCH BETTER IN CONFERENCE OPENERS ...

In contrast to Mercyhurst's 0-15-1 record in season openers since becoming a Division I program in 1999-2000, the Lakers have fared much better in conference openers. Since the 1999-2000 campaign, Mercyhurst is 10-5-1 in its conference opening contests and have outscored the opposition by a 55-40 margin.

MERCYHURST PICKED TO WIN AHA IN PRESEASON POLL ...

For the first time since the 2006-07 season, Mercyhurst was picked to win the Atlantic Hockey Association according to the annual preseason coaches' poll. The Lakers garnered six first-place votes en route to the top spot in the voting. Coming off of the team's first-ever AHA regular season championship last season and first since winning the last of three MAAC Hockey League regular season titles in 2002-03, Mercyhurst has much of its team returning from a year ago. Last year's AHA representative in the NCAA tournament, Robert Morris, came in second and received three first-place nods. Air Force, Niagara, and Bentley rounded out the top five.

PLENTY OF FIREPOWER RETURNING ...

Mercyhurst has the luxury of returning 12 of its top scorers from an offense that averaged 3.61 goals per game and ranked third in the nation a year ago. Nine returners up front finished the 2013-14 season with double digit points, led by senior Matthew Zay (17g, 26a), who tied for the team lead with 43 points. He was an All-AHA First Team choice after earning Third Team honors as a sophomore. He led the AHA outright in scoring during his sophomore campaign, becoming the first Mercyhurst player to accomplish the feat since joining the conference. Senior Ryan Misiak (13g, 25a) established a career-high in assists and tied his career-high in points last season. He was an All-AHA Second Team member as a sophomore. Senior Daniel Bahntge (15g, 17a) was a member of the AHA All-Rookie Team as a freshman. All three of them are within ten points of reaching the century mark for their careers.

Redshirt senior Kyle Just established career-highs in goals (8) and points (27) while senior Nardo Nagtzaam (11g, 11a) tied his career-high in goals despite only playing in 23 games. Senior Zac Frischmon (8g, 14a) had career-highs in goals, assists, and points. Sophomore Kyle Dutra (7g, 15a) led all freshmen on the team in scoring and was the AHA Rookie of the Month for December. Senior Chris Bodo (10g, 11a), junior Kyle Cook (11g, 7a), and sophomore Stephen Hrehoriak (6g, 7a) also finished in double figures a year ago.

CLOSING IN ...

Three Lakers - seniors Matthew Zay, Ryan Misiak, and Daniel Bahntge - entered the 2014-15 season within 10 points of becoming members of the 100-point club at the Division I level at Mercyhurst. Zay became the 17th player to reach the milestone against Merrimack on October 24 with his goal late in regulation. Prior to Zay, the last reach the benchmark was Daniel O'Donoghue, who reached the milestone last December. Misiak (39g, 60a) is just one point shy. Bahntge (40g, 53a) is seven points away from the century mark.

Also with a shot this season to reach the century mark are senior Chris Bodo (43g, 36a), redshirt senior Kyle Just (18g, 55a), and senior Nardo Nagtzaam (24g, 38a). Bodo, who is 21 points shy, recorded a career-high 27 points during his sophomore campaign and has four goals and two assists through the first eight games. Meanwhile, Just (27 points away) and Nagtzaam (38 points away) would have to post career-highs to reach the plateau. Just's career-high is 27 set last season while Nagtzaam scored 30 as a freshman and had 22 points in 23 games last season.

GOTKIN CLIMBS THE LEADERBOARD ...

Head coach Rick Gotkin enters his 27th season as the Mercyhurst head coach. He is the only coach in NCAA history to take the same program to the NCAA tournament at all three divisions (D-III - 1991; D-II - 1993, 1995; D-I - 2001, 2003, 2005). He has guided the Lakers to a record of 479-339-72 and ranks 25th on the all-time list of NCAA coaches in victories. He ranks 12th among active coaches with his 479 victories and needs four wins to surpass Joe Marsh (St. Lawrence, 1985-2012) and to move into 24th on the all-time wins list. He is 21 wins shy of 500 victories with the Laker program.

17 NAMED TO AHA ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM ...

Last June, Mercyhurst had 17 players named to the Atlantic Hockey Association's All-Academic Team, which was tied for sixth-most in the conference and part of a record 202 student-athletes to be named to the AHA All-Academic Team. Of Mercyhurst's honorees on the All-Academic squad, nine were repeat winners - tied for fifth-most in the conference. Senior Nick Jones was one of ten players named Student-Athlete of the Year for maintaining for 4.0 GPA throughout the entire season.

Earning spots on the AHA All-Academic Team were: Spencer Bacon (Freshman / Victoria, British Columbia), Kyle Cook (Sophomore / Middleburg Heights, Ohio), Philippe Drouin (Freshman / Cumberland, Ontario), Kyle Dutra (Freshman / Mississauga, Ontario), Trent Frey (Senior / River Falls, Wisconsin), Zac Frischmon (Junior / Ham Lake, Minnesota), Grant Gettinger (Junior / North Olmsted, Ohio), Stephen Hrehoriak (Freshman / Stittsville, Ontario), Kyle Johnson (Junior / Buena Vista, Saskatchewan), Nick Jones (Senior / Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania), Kyle Just (Redshirt Junior / Arnprior, Ontario), Anthony Mastrodicasa (Sophomore / Woodbridge, Ontario), Ryan Misiak (Junior / Shelby Township, Michigan), Mychal Monteith (Sophomore / Toledo, Ohio), Daniel O'Donoghue (Senior / Port Jefferson Station, New York), Tyler Shiplo (Junior / Oakville, Ontario), and Matthew Zay (Junior / Glendale, New York).

GOING CAMPING ...

Senior Matthew Zay participated in the Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Development Camp over the summer, joining a list of current Lakers who have been to NHL camps in the past. Nardo Nagtzaam participated in the Washington Capitals camp in the summer of 2012 while Ryan Misiak was at the New Jersey Devils camp in the summer of 2013. Nagtzaam also played for his native country, Netherlands, in the IIHF World Championships (Division I - Group B) in Vilnius, Lithuania this past April. He was the only collegiate player on the Dutch roster.

SARJEANT ON USCHO.COM AND MIKE RICHTER WATCH LISTS ...

Coming off of his brilliant 2013-14 campaign, senior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant was recognized as one of ten goaltenders to watch according to USCHO.com and one of twenty on the initial list for the second annual Mike Richter Award, given to the nation's top goaltender. Sarjeant, who was one of 19 finalists for the inaugural Mike Richter Award, posted an 18-5-6 overall record with a 2.46 goals against average and a .930 save percentage last season.

CHECKING IN ON O'DONOGHUE AND JONES ...

At the end of last season, Daniel O'Donoghue became the fifth player from Mercyhurst in the history of the program to sign an NHL entry level contract when he signed with the Phoenix Coyotes. O'Donoghue joined Jody Robinson (New York Islanders), T.J. Kemp (Edmonton Oilers), Jamie Hunt (Washington Capitals), and Cullen Eddy (Philadelphia Flyers) as the list of NHL signees. Hunt remains the only Mercyhurst alum to play in an NHL regular season contest when he played one game for the Capitals in the 2006-07 season.

O'Donoghue, a native of Port Jefferson Station, New York, began the season with the Coyotes' AHL affiliate - the Portland Pirates. He played three contests with the Pirates at the end of last season. O'Donoghue played one game for the Gwinnett Gladiators in the East Coast Hockey League, tallying one assist. He since has rejoined the Pirates and has not scored in his first two games with Portland this season.

Jones, meanwhile, signed a contract with the AHL's Worcester Sharks in the offseason. The Cranberry Township, Pa., native played two games with the Sharks at the tail end of last season. He is currently playing with the Indy Fuel in the East Coast Hockey League and is off to a terrific start, tallying one goal and five assists for six points in ten games.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS? ...

As with every season, Mercyhurst has brought in a host of freshmen that will be looking to contribute at the collegiate level. Seven newcomers join the roster in 2014-15 - three forwards, three defensemen, and one goaltender. Up front, Kane Elliott played for the Milton Icehawks (OJHL) and scored 59 points (27g, 32a) in 51 games last season. Jonathan Charbonneau played for the St. Jerome Panthers (QJAHL). He tallied 40 goals and 49 assists in just 42 games with the Panthers. Finally, head coach Rick Gotkin's son, Brandon Gotkin, joins the team after playing four seasons with the Cathedral Prep Ramblers in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League. He had a career-high 29 points during his junior season and registered 67 points and 149 penalty minutes in 72 career games.

On the blueline, Tyler Enns played three seasons for the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots (OJHL). He had 14 points in 31 games during the 2013-14 season. Patrick Piacentini was a member of the North York Rangers (OJHL) for the past two seasons. He had 10 goals and 75 assists in 103 games with the Rangers during his career. Finally, Zach Todd played with the Boston Jr. Bruins (USPHL) last season and recorded 12 goals and 21 assists. Prior to that, Todd played for the Brockville Braves in the CCHL and had 24 goals and 28 assists in 54 games with the team during the 2012-13 season.

Brandon Wildung is the lone new face between the pipes. He competed with the Minot Minotauros in the NAHL during the 2013-14 season. He went 14-17-3 with a 2.44 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. He also played with the Flin Flon Bombers of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in 2012-13. While there, he went 11-6-0 with a 2.61 goals against average and a .926 save percentage.

Redshirt freshman Jack Riley also rejoins the club this season after an injury forced him out of the Laker lineup for all but seven games in his rookie season a year ago. The son of Army coach Brian Riley, Jack had one assist in his seven games with the Lakers last season.