Box Score

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Redshirt junior goaltender Jordan Tibbett tied a career-high with 48 saves and senior Daniel O'Donoghue scored a pair of goals to lift the Mercyhurst University men's hockey team to a 5-2 victory at Robert Morris to close out the 2013-14 regular season. The Lakers improved to 19-12-7 overall and finished the year with a 17-4-6 mark in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings. The Colonials fell to 13-16-5 overall and 13-9-5 in conference play.

Tibbett improved to 3-8-1 overall on the season and 3-4-1 in conference play with the victory. After starting 0-6, the Indianapolis native is 3-2-1 in his last six decisions and has allowed just 14 goals in his last six starts, posting a .968 save percentage during that stretch (242-of-256). He saved his best work, on Saturday night, for the third period when he stopped 23-of-24 Colonial shots in the final twenty minutes.

The win by the Lakers snapped a string of four consecutive ties between the two schools in the all-time series. It also gave Mercyhurst 19 victories prior to postseason play - the most since going 19-14-3 before the conference tournament in the 2008-09 season. That year, the Lakers lost to Air Force by a 2-0 final in the AHA Championship.

After a scoreless first period, the Lakers jumped in front with their national-leading tenth shorthanded goal of the season at the 6:17 mark of the second period. After an outlet pass from senior Nick Jones, redshirt junior Kyle Just and sophomore Kyle Cook broke into the Robert Morris zone on a 2-on-1 break. Cook, skating down the right wing, centered a pass to Just who snapped a shot from between the circles that deflected off of Robert Morris goaltender Terry Shafer and into the back of the net. It was Just's first man-down goal of the season and his eighth goal of the year. Cook and Jones had the helpers.

With the assist by Jones, he became the first Laker defenseman since Jamie Hunt scored 45 points during the 2005-06 campaign to record at least 30 points in a season. Hunt still remains the only Mercyhurst player to play in the National Hockey League, playing with the Washington Capitals in the 2006-07 season. Jones has seven goals and 23 assists for 30 points this season.

The Lakers extended their lead to 2-0 at the 7:51 mark with a power play goal by O'Donoghue, who was the beneficiary of some fancy puck movement inside the offensive zone. Juniors Daniel Bahntge and Ryan Misiak provided the initial passing with Misiak finding a wide open O'Donoghue stationed at the side of the Robert Morris net. The senior one-timed the centering feed past Shafer for his 12th goal of the season and his first tally since January 25 against Canisius.

Robert Morris, playing for a first-round bye in the AHA playoffs which begin next weekend, fought back at the 12:52 mark of the middle stanza when Colin South redirected a shot through the five-hole of Tibbett to cut the Laker lead to 2-1. Jeff Jones and John Rey had the assists.

But, O'Donoghue responded with his second goal of the game and a career-best 13th goal of the year at the 15:21 mark to finish the scoring in the second period. Misiak, again, centered a pass to the senior, who blasted a one-timer from the right wing circle over the glove hand of Shafer for a 3-1 Mercyhurst advantage after forty minutes. Bahntge had the secondary assist.

The hosts cut the lead to 3-2 at the 9:13 mark of the third period when Cody Wydo buried his team-leading 23rd goal of the season. Zac Lynch and Scott Jacklin had the assists.

Robert Morris continued peppering Tibbett in the third period, but junior Nardo Nagtzaam gave Mercyhurst some breathing room at the 16:44 mark with his 11th goal of the season. Since returning from an injury that cost him two months of the season, Nagtzaam has eight goals and seven assists for 15 points in ten games.

Shafer was pulled for an extra attacker and the shot barrage resumed for the Colonials. But, Tibbett was sensational down the stretch, keeping Robert Morris off the scoreboard. Then, with Lynch in the penalty box for RMU, senior Trent Frey scored his first goal of the season, and his first career power play goal, with four seconds left for the final margin. Junior Zac Frischmon and redshirt freshman Alec Shields had the assists.

Frey, who was playing his 90th career game on Saturday, now has five career goals. It was his first tally since February 5, 2013 at Robert Morris.

Shafer stopped 22 Mercyhurst shots and dropped to 13-14-5 overall. The Lakers, who were outshot 50-27, went 2-for-5 on the power play and finished the weekend series going 5-for-10 with the man advantage. The Colonials were 0-for-6 and allowed Just's shorthanded goal.

The Lakers, who clinched their first-ever AHA regular season championship last weekend, will be off next weekend as the postseason tournament kicks off. Mercyhurst will host a best-of-three quarterfinal series against an opponent to be determined on March 14, March 15, and, if necessary, March 16. All faceoffs are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.