HAVERHILL, Mass. - One half of the Atlantic Hockey Association's First Team consisted of members from the Mercyhurst University men's hockey team in an announcement from the conference office on Thursday afternoon. Junior forward Matthew Zay, senior defenseman Nick Jones, and junior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant were all honored with a spot on the AHA's First Team, while senior forward Daniel O'Donoghue was recognized with an AHA Second Team selection.

All of the selections were nominated by their own coaches and were voted on by the other 11 coaches in the league. Sarjeant was the only unanimous selection and Jones, with his First Team nod, becomes just the second Laker in program history to earn back-to-back First Team honors. Former defenseman T.J. Kemp earned the award in both the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.

The three First Team selections marks the most in Mercyhurst's history since the inception of the Atlantic Hockey Association in 2003-04. The Lakers had two First-Team honorees after the 2005-06 season - Dave Borrelli and Jamie Hunt - while the 2003-04 (Kemp), 2004-05 (Kemp), and 2012-13 (Jones) teams each had one First Team selection. The four total honorees is tied with the 2008-09 squad for the most in program history. That season, the Lakers had three Second Team selections and one Third Team member.

Joining the three Lakers on the First Team were Bentley senior forward Brett Gensler, Bentley junior defenseman Steve Weinstein, and junior Robert Morris forward Cody Wydo.

Sarjeant, a native of Aurora, Ontario, was the only unanimous selection and was easily selected as the AHA's First Team goaltender. The junior netminder was unbeaten in conference play this season, posting a 14-0-5 mark against league opponents to help the Lakers win their first-ever Atlantic Hockey Association regular season championship. He had a 2.00 goals against average and a .943 save percentage in league play and led all conference goaltenders in both categories.

All told, the Laker goaltender enters the AHA Quarterfinals against Holy Cross with a 16-4-6 overall record, a 2.42 goals against average, and a .931 save percentage. He ranks eighth nationally in both winning percentage (.731) and in save percentage (.931).

A native of Glendale, New York, Zay missed six conference games this season, but still managed to finish with 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in league play. His 1.29 points per game in the conference ranked fourth in the league, behind Gensler (1.40), Mercyhurst's Nardo Nagtzaam (1.31), and Bentley's Alex Grieve (1.30).

Zay, who was a Third Team selection last year, leads the Lakers in overall scoring with 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points in 32 games this season. He became the first player since Scott Pitt scored 41 points, during 2010-11, to record at least 40 points in a season.

Hailing from Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, Jones has established career-highs in assists (23) and points (30) this season. He finished second among Atlantic Hockey Association defensemen this season with four goals and 19 assists for 23 points in league contests, trailing only Weinstein of Bentley in blueliner scoring.

Jones was a First Team selection last season and was a Third Team honoree as a sophomore in 2011-12.

O'Donoghue earned his first postseason accolade, earning a spot on the Second Team. A native of Port Jefferson Station, New York, the senior finished with nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in league play and is second on the team in overall scoring this season with 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points - all career-highs.

On December 14, he became the 16th player in the Division I era at Mercyhurst to record 100 career points after registering three assists in a 5-5 tie against Robert Morris. He is currently tied for ninth on the program's Division I scoring list with 43 goals and 70 assists for 113 points.

Mercyhurst (19-12-7) and the Crusaders of Holy Cross (14-20-3) will play for the right to advance to the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York next weekend. This weekend's quarterfinal series begins on Friday, March 14 with game two on Saturday night, and game three, if necessary, on Sunday, March 16. All faceoffs are currently scheduled for 7:05 p.m from the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

Atlantic Hockey Association First Team
Forward - Matthew Zay (Sr., Mercyhurst)
Forward - Brett Gensler (Sr., Bentley)
Forward - Cody Wydo (Jr., Robert Morris)
Defenseman - Nick Jones (Sr., Mercyhurst)
Defenseman - Steve Weinstein (Jr., Bentley)
Goaltender - Jimmy Sarjeant (Jr., Mercyhurst)

Atlantic Hockey Association Second Team
Forward - Daniel O'Donoghue (Sr., Mercyhurst)
Forward - Cole Gunner (Jr., Air Force)
Forward - Alex Grieve (Jr., Bentley)
Defenseman - Adam McKenzie (Sr., Air Force)
Defenseman - Matt Blomquist (Soph., Bentley)
Goaltender - Branden Komm (Sr., Bentley)

Atlantic Hockey Association Third Team
Forward - Jon Puskar (Sr., American International)
Forward - Andrew Gladiuk (Soph., Bentley)
Forward - Brant Harris (Sr., Connecticut)
Defenseman - Kevin Ryan (Sr., Niagara)
Defenseman - Ben Danford (Sr., Canisius)
Goaltender - Terry Shafer (Soph., Robert Morris)