Box Score

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – Freshman Kyle Dutra's goal with 2:57 left in regulation snapped a 2-2 tie and junior Nardo Nagtzaam followed with an empty net goal to give the Mercyhurst University men's hockey team a 4-2 victory at Niagara on Saturday night from the Dwyer Arena. The win clinched a first-round bye for the Lakers in the Atlantic Hockey Association playoffs as they improved to 18-12-6 overall and 16-4-5 in the AHA standings. The Purple Eagles dropped to 10-17-5 overall and 10-10-5 in conference play.

Paired with other results on the night, Mercyhurst has clinched at least a share of the Atlantic Hockey Association regular season championship thanks to a 5-2 loss by Bentley against Sacred Heart. The only team that can tie Mercyhurst is Air Force, who was at home against RIT late Saturday. Air Force, however, would win a tiebreaker over Mercyhurst due to sweeping the Lakers earlier this month.

Eerily similar to Friday night at the Mercyhurst Ice Center, the Lakers jumped in front 2-0 on Saturday night only to see the Purple Eagles battle back to tie the contest at 2-2 just past the midway mark of the third period. But, Dutra and the Lakers would not allow another game to slip away.

Junior defenseman Grant Gettinger wristed a shot towards Niagara goaltender Jackson Teichroeb from the left point that Dutra, who was left unattended in front of the Purple Eagle net, got his stick on to redirect it past the Niagara netminder for a 3-2 Laker lead. It was his sixth goal of the season and proved to be his second game-winning goal of the season. Sophomore Mychal Monteith had the other helper.

Niagara pulled Teichroeb for an extra attacker moments later, but Nagtzaam intercepted a pass inside the neutral zone, skated to the Niagara blue line, and sent a shot into the empty net with 1:27 left in regulation to put the icing on the cake. It was Nagtzaam's second goal of the game and his ninth tally of the season.

The difference on Saturday was the play of junior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant who finished with 38 saves to stay unbeaten against AHA opponents this season. He improved to 14-0-4 in league play this season and his overall record moved to 16-4-5. Sarjeant came up with some of his best saves late, including a pad save on a breakaway opportunity by Niagara's Patrick Divjak in the third period.

Niagara owned a majority of the play in the opening period but it was Mercyhurst getting the only goal of the frame, courtesy of Nagtzaam, who buried his eighth goal of the season at the 4:35 mark. Senior Randy Cure was able to keep a clearing attempt deep inside the Niagara zone and worked the bouncing puck to Nagtzaam, who wound up in the slot and beat Niagara goaltender Jackson Teichroeb over the netminder's glove and off the post for a 1-0 Mercyhurst advantage. Cure picked up the lone assist.

That proved to be Mercyhurst's only shot until junior Zac Frischmon had the Lakers' second shot with roughly three minutes left in the period. Mercyhurst had two more shots in the waning seconds of the frame to narrow the shot margin to 11-4 in favor of the Purple Eagles after twenty minutes.

The Lakers' lead extended to 2-0 at the 5:12 mark of the second period on a breakaway goal from junior Ryan Misiak. Niagara had pressure inside of the Mercyhurst zone but a centering pass by Mike Conderman went off the stick of Sarjeant and ended up in the neutral zone where Misiak, who had just come off the Laker bench, was well behind the defense. Misiak deked and went to the forehand, sliding a shot between the pads of Teichroeb for his 12th goal of the season with Sarjeant picking up his first collegiate assist.

Niagara responded with a goal at the 11:37 mark when Isaac Kohls one-timed a centering pass from T.J. Sarcona from the slot that beat Sarjeant up high. It was Kohls' 12th goal of the season.

Mercyhurst outshot Niagara in the second period, 14-12.

The Purple Eagles tied the game at 2-2 with 8:57 left in the third period on the second goal of the season from Dan Kolenda. A behind-the-back centering pass from Patrick Conte behind the Laker net found Kolenda stationed in front. The forward one-timed it past an unknowing Sarjeant for the tying goal.

The Lakers were outshot 40-27 for the game with the difference being the play of Sarjeant, who stopped 38 shots. Teichroeb, meanwhile, stopped 23 shots in defeat for Niagara.

Mercyhurst will return home on Friday, February 28 when the Colonials of Robert Morris visit the Mercyhurst Ice Center in the Lakers' final home game of the regular season. It will be Senior Night as Mercyhurst will honor five seniors prior to the opening faceoff. Start time is slated for 7:05 p.m.