ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University men's hockey team returns to the Mercyhurst Ice Center on Friday, January 9 and Saturday, January 10 when it hosts Atlantic Hockey Conference-foe Sacred Heart University for a two-game series. Faceoffs both nights are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

THE SERIES VS SACRED HEART ...

Mercyhurst leads the all-time series against Sacred Heart, 21-19-3. The Lakers have won each of the last six meetings, seven of the last eight, and ten of the last thirteen, between the two schools. Mercyhurst is 13-7-1 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center against Sacred Heart and has not lost to the Pioneers on home ice since a 3-2 overtime loss on November 23, 2007.

In six games against the Pioneers, senior Daniel Bahntge has nine goals and three assists for 12 points while posting a +9 plus/minus rating. Seniors Matt Zay and Ryan Misiak have chipped in eight points apiece in six career contests against Sacred Heart.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS ...

Sacred Heart enters the weekend series just a point behind Mercyhurst in the Atlantic Hockey Conference standings. The Pioneers, coming off of a 1-0-1 weekend against Niagara, are 6-11-3 overall and 5-6-3 in league play. Sacred Heart is scoring 2.55 goals per game and allowing 3.45 goals per contest. The power play has been a season-long struggle for the Pioneers as they have just eight goals in 96 opportunities (8.3%). The penalty killing unit is right at 80% (76-of-95).

Zach Luczyk, a transfer from Quinnipiac, leads Sacred Heart in scoring in what is his first season with the Pioneers. He has seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points. Five other players have also reached double figures in scoring this season. Meanwhile, seniors Andrew Bodnarchuk and Alex Vazzano have split all but seven minutes in goal this season. Bodnarchuk is 4-5-3 with a 3.02 goals against average and a .906 save percentage while Vazzano is 2-6-0 with a 3.46 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

LAST TIME OUT ...

Mercyhurst dropped to 1-5-1 lifetime against Ohio State after going 0-1-1 against the Buckeyes at the Erie Insurance Arena last Friday and Saturday in the first annual Snowtown Throwdown. The Buckeyes defeated the Lakers, 6-3, on Friday night before the teams skated to a 2-2 overtime tie on Saturday afternoon. Mercyhurst finished the season with a 2-3-1 overall record against non-conference opponents.

ALL RILED UP ...

Redshirt freshman Jack Riley had an assist in Friday's 6-3 loss and then scored his second career power play goal in Saturday's 2-2 tie against the Buckeyes. He now has a five-game point-scoring streak entering the weekend series against Sacred Heart.

During the month of December, Riley had three goals and three assists in four games to be named the Atlantic Hockey Conference Rookie of the Month. Just hours after winning that honor, Riley was named the Hockey Commissioners' Association National Rookie of the Month. Along with his team-leading six points, Riley was a +3, blocked seven shots, and took eight shots on goal. His month was highlighted by his two-goal, two-assist performance in his return to West Point on Saturday, December 6 against his father's Army squad.

He has moved into fifth place on the team in scoring with five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 16 games.

JUST DOING HIS THING ...

Redshirt senior Kyle Just scored a power play goal, and a shorthanded goal, in the third period to snap a scoreless tie and to lift Mercyhurst to a 3-0 win over Robert Morris on December 14. He scored 49 seconds into the third period with the man advantage and the scored at 17:27 with the Lakers shorthanded. It was his first collegiate multiple-goal game and was Mercyhurst's first shorthanded goal of the season.

After recording an assist in each of the two games against Ohio State, Just has registered one point in each of his last seven contests and in nine of his last ten outings (11 points). He started the season needing a career-high 32 points to reach the century mark and has closed to within 18 after recording five goals and nine assists for 14 points this season. Three of his five goals on the year have been game-winners, giving him the team lead. In 122 career games, Just has 21 goals and 61 assists for 82 points.

WILDUNG SOLID ...

After senior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant allowed six goals in game one of the series against Ohio State, freshman goaltender Brandon Wildung got the call on Saturday and performed well. Making just his third career start, Wildung stopped 26-of-28 Ohio State shots to help the Lakers skate to a 2-2 tie. Wildung is now 1-1-2 in four appearances, posting a .908 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average.

POSITION CHANGE PAYING OFF ...

Senior Ryan Misiak, a career-long forward, moved to defense for the second game of the Colgate series on November 1. His scoring prowess has not dipped since the position change, as he enters the series against Sacred Heart on a six-game point-scoring streak and has scored ten of his 11 points this season since the switch.

ABOUT THE SNOWTOWN THROWDOWN ...

Mercyhurst and Ohio State met in the inaugural Snowtown Throwdown, sponsored by Buffalo Wild Wings, at the Erie Insurance Arena on January 2 and 3. Proceeds from the two-game series will benefit The Warming Center, hosted at the Mental Health Association of Northwest Pennsylvania.

The men's hockey program last played at the then-Erie Civic Center on November 30, 1991 when, still a Division III member, it defeated Wisconsin-Stevens Point by a 6-2 final. Eight nights later, the Lakers played in their new home, the Mercyhurst Ice Center, in front of a standing-room only crowd against Rochester Institute of Technology. The then-Erie Civic Center served as one of four different "homes" for Mercyhurst until the MIC opened in 1991. The Lakers played 32 games at the old Erie Civic Center from when the program started in 1987 to that final game in November of 1991. Mercyhurst went 22-8-2 in those 32 games.

SARJEANT SHINES ...

After a subpar performance in the opening game of the series against Robert Morris, senior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant returned to his old form in game two, turning aside all 41 Robert Morris shots for his second shutout of the season - and third of his career - in the Lakers' 3-0 victory. He also blanked Army on November 7 with a 39-save performance.

BAHNTGE REACHES CENTURY MARK ...

Senior Daniel Bahntge became the third player on this year's roster to record 100 career points when he scored in the second period of the 7-4 loss to Robert Morris on December 13. The goal was his fifth of the season and the 44th of his career. He became the 19th member of the 100-point club in the Division I era. Bahntge, who has never missed a game in his career (139 games), now has 104 points (45 goals, 59 assists) as a Laker.

MEMORABLE MOMENT ...

Redshirt freshman Jack Riley returned home to West Point to square off against his father's Army team on December 5 and 6. It marked the first time that the Rileys played against each other at Tate Rink - they met earlier this season at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. After being held scoreless on Friday night, Riley notched a career-high two goals and two assists for four points in Saturday's 6-3 win to earn the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week honors. Three of his four points came in the final period to help snap a 3-3 tie. Riley, who had one goal and four assists in 18 career games prior to his career night, now has five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 16 games this season.

ZAY - O ...

Senior Matt Zay scored a goal in each game of the weekend series at Army on December 5 and 6, marking his first goals since scoring against Merrimack on October 24. The Laker captain is tied for the team lead in scoring with three goals and 11 assists for 14 points and now has 110 points in 129 career games with Mercyhurst. With his three points against Robert Morris, Zay moved into 11th place on the school's all-time Division I scoring list with his 110 points. Next in his sights is Tom McMonagle (1998-2002) who had 113 points in 115 career games.

WILDUNG EARNS FIRST LAKER WIN ...

Freshman goaltender Brandon Wildung earned his first collegiate victory on December 6 in Mercyhurst's 6-3 win at Army. He turned aside 30-of-33 shots and improved to 1-0-1 on the season. In his four games (three starts), Wildung is 1-1-2 with a 2.82 goals against average and a .908 save percentage.

BAHNTGE HEATING UP ...

After going scoreless for the month of October, senior forward Daniel Bahntge has scored six goals and dished out seven assists in his last 12 games and is now tied for third on the team in scoring. He scored a pair of goals in the 3-3 tie at Canisius on November 22, which was his first multiple-goal game since scoring twice at Canisius on January 23, 2014 - a span of 26 games. With his streak, Bahntge became the 19th member of the 100-point club in the Division I era at Mercyhurst. He also has yet to miss a game in his career - 139 consecutive games.

DUTRA ON A STREAK ...

Sophomore Kyle Dutra scored the Lakers' other goal at Canisius on November 22 and now has scored one goal in six of his last ten games. After scoring seven goals all of last season, he leads the team with seven goals this season and ranks second with 44 shots on goal. Dutra led all Laker rookies in scoring last season with seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points in 39 games. The sophomore also ranks fourth on the team with 23 blocked shots in the defensive zone.

NO ORDINARY ROOKIE ...

Freshman Jonathan Charbonneau has been sensational in his first 17 games at the collegiate level and is currently tied for third on the team in scoring with four goals and nine assists for 13 points. He had his third multiple-point game of the season with a pair of assists in the 3-3 tie at Canisius on November 22 and now has at least one point in ten of the team's 17 games. He also is second on the team with a +5 plus/minus rating.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB ...

Senior forward Matthew Zay scored with 32 seconds left in regulation against Merrimack on Friday, October 24 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 110 points in 127 career games with the Lakers and has scored 96 points in his last 91 games after registering just 14 points in 36 games as a rookie.

Then, on Saturday, November 15 at Bentley, senior Ryan Misiak earned an assist early in the second period to join Zay in the 100-point club. In 133 career games, Misiak has 42 goals and 62 assists for 104 points. He has 85 points in his last 98 games.

Senior Daniel Bahntge became the third member this season to reach 100 career points with his goals against Robert Morris on December 13. In 137 career games, Bahntge has 44 goals and 58 assists for 102 points.

The three players to join this season has tied the Division I program record for most players on one Laker team to join the 100-point club, set in 2004-05 (T.J. Kemp, Rich Hansen, David Wrigley) and 2005-06 (Scott Reynolds, Scott Champagne, and Dave Borrelli).

POWER PLAY IMPROVING ...

After starting the season 2-for-29 on the power play through the first seven games, the Lakers have been much better with the man advantage over the last eight contests, going 13-for-41 to increase the team's percentage from 6.9% to 21.4% on the season. The Lakers are tied for 11th in the country, with North Dakota, in power play percentage. On November 14 and 15, the Lakers went 5-for-8 at Bentley, including a perfect 3-for-3 in the series finale. The Lakers went 4-for-9 in the Robert Morris series. Five different players (Daniel Bahntge, Kyle Dutra, Kyle Just, Anthony Mastrodicasa, and Jack Riley) lead the team with two each.

PENALTY KILLING STARTING TO COME AROUND ...

It has been a season-long struggle killing off penalties for the Lakers, but over the last two weekends, the unit has shown signs of life. Overall, Mercyhurst has killed off 55-of-69 (79.7%) but over the last two weekends, against Robert Morris and Ohio State, the Lakers have killed off 16-of-18 (88.9%). The Lakers have moved into a tie for 48th in the country in penalty killing percentage. Mercyhurst did score its first shorthanded goal of the season on December 14 in the Lakers' 3-0 win over Robert Morris. Last season, Mercyhurst killed off 83.5% of opponent power play chances and also led the country with ten shorthanded goals.

THAT LINE IS WORKING ...

The line of senior Chris Bodo (six goals, three assists), junior Alec Shields (two goals, six assists), and senior Zac Frischmon (two goals, eight assists) is off to a fast start. The trio has played together in 11 of the Lakers' 17 games this season and have combined to score 24 points in those ten games. However, that line has had to be tweaked with Bodo missing four of the last five games due to injury.

Two more lines, however, have emerged over the last couple of weekends. Matt Zay, Kyle Just, and Jonathan Charbonneau have played together five times and have scored 13 points while the line of Jack Riley, Daniel Bahntge, and Kyle Dutra have scored 11 points in four games together.

TWEAKING THE LINES ...

Head coach Rick Gotkin has used 27 different line combinations and 12 different defensive pairs through the first 17 games of the season as the Lakers try to find the lineup to go with for the second half of the season.

SPREADING IT OUT ...

The Lakers have scored 55 goals through 17 games and 17 different players have tallied at least once this 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. Against Army, Mercyhurst had nine goals by eight different players (only Bodo had more than one goal) and then at Bentley, six different players scored the Lakers' eight goals (Bodo and Dutra had two each).

The Lakers have 22 players with at least one point this season with only four players, who have played in at least one game, not recording a point this season. Of those 22 players, 13 have scored at least five points on the year and eight have hit double figures.

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. Defenseman Tyler Enns recorded an assist and was a +3 in his first collegiate 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) on Friday, November 8 against Army - his second career game. Only Patrick Piacentini, who has played in five games, has not factored in the scoring among the newcomers who have dressed at least once. However, Piacentini is a +4 in his five games.

GAME ONE vs. GAME TWO ...

The victory against Army on Friday, November 7, was Mercyhurst's first win to open a series this season. Mercyhurst is 2-5-1 in series-opening games and is being outscored by a 33-21 margin in those contests.The Lakers suffered their first loss in a series finale at Bentley on November 15, but is still 6-1-2 in games in game twos and have outscored the opposition by a 34-23 margin.

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 21-93-12 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 finished 2-3-1 out of conference, having split against Merrimack and at #4 Colgate and then earning a tie against Ohio State on January 3.

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, 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 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.

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 482-341-74 and is tied for 24th on the all-time list of NCAA coaches in victories. He ranks 12th among active coaches with his 482 victories and needs one win to break the tie with Joe Marsh (St. Lawrence, 1985-2012) and to move into sole possession of 24th on the all-time wins list. He is 18 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 part of a record 202 student-athletes to be named to the AHA All-Academic Team. Senior Nick Jones was one of ten players named Student-Athlete of the Year for maintaining for 4.0 GPA throughout the entire season. Joining jones with spots on the AHA All-Academic Team were: Spencer Bacon, Kyle Cook, Philippe Drouin, Kyle Dutra, Trent Frey, Zac Frischmon, Grant Gettinger, Stephen Hrehoriak, Kyle Johnson, Kyle Just, Anthony Mastrodicasa, Ryan Misiak, Mychal Monteith, Daniel O'Donoghue, Tyler Shiplo, and Matthew Zay.

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 alum to play in an NHL regular season contest when he played one game for the Capitals in the 2006-07 season. O'Donoghue began the season with the Coyotes' AHL affiliate - the Portland Pirates. O'Donoghue has played five games for the Gwinnett Gladiators (one goal, one assist) in the ECHL, and 13 games (no points) 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. After scoring one goal and five assists with the Indy Fuel in the ECHL, Jones was called up to Worcester and has played in 11 games with the Sharks, recording two assists.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS? ...

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 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.