Box Score

ERIE, Pa. - Junior Nardo Nagtzaam had a goal and two assists to help the Mercyhurst University men's hockey team skate to a 5-5 overtime tie against the Colonials of Robert Morris University on Friday night at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. It was the final home game of the regular season for the Atlantic Hockey Association regular season champions, who moved to 18-12-7 overall and 16-4-6 in conference play. The Colonials, still fighting for a first-round bye in the tournament, moved to 13-15-5 overall and 13-8-5 in the AHA standings.

It was the fourth consecutive tie between the two schools as the Lakers now lead the all-time series 5-4-6. It was also Mercyhurst's six tie in its last eight home games (1-1-6). The seven ties by the Lakers this season is tied for the most in program history - the 2007-08 squad finished the year with a 15-19-7 overall record.

Goaltending struggled early for both teams as all ten goals were scored in the first 32:09. However, after freshman Kyle Dutra tied the game at 5-5 at the 12:09 mark of the second period, neither team could score the remainder of the night (32:51). Junior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant allowed five goals on 36 shots to remain unbeaten in conference play (14-0-5). He moved to 16-4-6 on the season. Colonial netminder Terry Shafer allowed five goals on 42 shots to move to 13-13-5 overall.

Mercyhurst held a 3-2 advantage after the opening twenty minutes despite allowing two Robert Morris goals in the opening 2:58 of the contest. Brandon Denham gave the visitors a 1-0 lead just 17 seconds into the contest, banking a shot from behind the goal line off of Sarjeant and into the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season. Greg Gibson and Matt Cope had the assists. Cody Wydo gave the Colonials a 2-0 advantage with his team-leading 22nd goal of the season at 2:58. Denham and Tyson Wilson had the helpers.

But, the Lakers responded with three goals to close out the first period - two of which came on the power play. Nagtzaam got the home team on the board at the 7:06 mark with his first power play goal of the season, and his tenth goal overall. Nagtzaam sent a shot from just inside the blue line between two RMU defenders and off the top of the glove of Shafer for his seventh tally in the last nine games. Sophomore Anthony Mastrodicasa had the lone assist.

Senior Nick Jones, honored along with fellow seniors Trent Frey, Randy Cure, and Daniel O'Donoghue prior to the game, knotted the contest at 2-2 with his seventh goal of the season at the 15:14 mark. His blast from the point, with the Lakers on the power play, hit a Colonial defender in front, changing direction and getting past Shafer. Juniors Kyle Just and Ryan Misiak had the assists. Just then scored his seventh of the season, banging home his own rebound, at the 18:47 mark for Mercyhurst's first lead of the night. Chris Bodo had the assist.

Shots in the wide-open first period favored Robert Morris by a 16-13 margin.

The Colonials would score early again to start the second. Andrew Blazek tied the game at 3-3 just 35 seconds into the middle stanza with his third goal of the season. Scott Jacklin and Zac Lynch earned the assists. However, just 12 seconds later, junior Tyler Shiplo wristed a shot from the left point that Shafer never saw, giving the Lakers the one-goal lead back at 4-3. Shiplo's fourth goal of the season came directly after an offensive zone faceoff win by Nagtzaam, who earned the lone assist.

Robert Morris scored the next two goals to take a 5-4 advantage, tallying twice in the span of 44 seconds. Gibson beat Sarjeant at the 6:50 mark to knot the game at 4-4. Denham and Cope assisted. Cope followed with a goal of his own at 7:34 with Gibson and Denham earning the assists.

Dutra tied the game at 5-5 with 7:51 left in the second, beating Shafer with a shot from the right wing circle using an RMU defender as a screen. It was Dutra's seventh goal of the season and was assisted by Nagtzaam and Bodo.

Oddly enough, despite the amount of goals during the first half of the contest, Dutra's tally would prove to be the final score of the night.

Mercyhurst finished the night 3-of-5 on the power play, scoring on each of its first three chances before being held scoreless over the last two, including one with 3:47 left in regulation. Robert Morris, meanwhile, went 1-for-4 with the man advantage on the night.

The teams will close out the series, and the regular season, at the 84 Lumber Arena in Moon Township, Pennsylvania on Saturday night. Faceoff is slated for 7:05 p.m.