ERIE, Pa. - The Mercyhurst University men's hockey team enters the final four games of the regular season in a tie for second place in the bunched-up Atlantic Hockey Conference (AHC) standings. The Lakers will continue their quest to secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament this Friday and Saturday, February 20 and 21, in a crucial home-and-home series against arch-nemesis Canisius College. Friday night's tilt will begin at 7:05 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Ice Center and then the teams will convene in Buffalo on Saturday night at the new HARBORCENTER, beginning at 7:35 p.m.

Friday's game at the Ice Center will also serve as Senior Night as the program will honor one of the most prolific classes in school history. Eleven seniors will be playing their final regular season home game on Friday night - a graduating class that has combined to score 282 goals and 476 assists for 758 points. The lone senior goaltender, Jimmy Sarjeant, won 25 games, earned three shutouts, and was the Atlantic Hockey Player and Goaltender of the Year last season.

Mercyhurst (16-10-4, 14-7-3 AHC) enters the series on a four-game winning streak while Canisius (13-10-7, 12-6-6 AHC) has gone 7-2-2 in its last eleven games and sits one point behind Mercyhurst and Bentley in the conference standings.

LAST TIME OUT ...

Mercyhurst swept last-place Niagara at the Mercyhurst Ice Center last weekend, winning by the scores of 5-2 and 4-1, to move into a tie for second place in the Atlantic Hockey Conference standings with four games remaining. The Lakers evened the all-time series with the Purple Eagles in the process - 11-11-2.

THE SERIES VS CANISIUS ...

This weekend will mark the 81st and 82nd meetings between the two schools in the all-time series with Mercyhurst holding a 40-30-10 advantage over Canisius. However, the Golden Griffins have narrowed the gap in recent history, posting a 6-3-1 record against Mercyhurst in the last ten contests. Two of those six victories have come in the Atlantic Hockey tournament - in the championship game two years ago and in the semifinals last season.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GRIFFINS ...

Canisius is 7-2-2 in its last 11 games and enters the weekend series with a 13-10-7 overall record and a 12-6-6 mark in the conference standings - one point behind Mercyhurst and Bentley, which currently are tied for second. Last weekend, however, Canisius split a weekend series with ninth-place Army in Buffalo with the Black Knights taking game one, 2-1, before Canisius responded with a 3-1 win this past Saturday. Junior forward Ralph Cuddemi leads Canisius with 18 goals and is tied for the team lead, with sophomore Shane Conacher, with 32 points. Conacher has a team-high 23 assists. Cuddemi is the only Canisius player who has scored at least ten goals this season. Junior Keegan Asmundson has seen a majority of time in goal and is 8-7-4 with a 2.21 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. Against league opponents, Asmundson is 7-5-3 with a 1.99 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Freshman Reilly Turner, who is 1-0-1 against Mercyhurst this season, is 5-3-3 overall with a 2.40 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.

STRETCH RUN FOR FIRST-ROUND BYE ...

If the playoffs started today, Mercyhurst would have a first-round bye in the opening round of the Atlantic Hockey tournament and would host a best-of-three quarterfinal series on March 13, 14, and 15. The Lakers, however, only hold a one-point lead over Canisius, a four-point lead over fifth-place RIT, and is just five points clear of sixth-place Air Force. The top five teams get a bye in the opening round with the bottom six teams playing in the first weekend of March. Then, in the quarterfinals, fifth-place travels to fourth-place while the three opening round winners go to the top three teams in the league.

ZAY - O ...

Senior Matt Zay led the Lakers in the two-game series against Niagara with two goals and three assists, leading Mercyhurst to a weekend sweep of the Purple Eagles. For his efforts, Zay was named the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week for the first time this season. The senior enters the weekend series on a five-game point-scoring streak and has five goals and three assists during the stretch. He is third on the team in scoring with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points this season and became the ninth player in the Division I era at Mercyhurst to record 125 career points. He is three points shy of passing Rich Hansen and Adam Tackeberry for seventh on the D-I scoring list.

ZAY'S ODDITY ...

On Friday, February 13, Zay recorded two goals in the 5-2 win over Niagara for his first multiple-goal game of the season. In fact, it was only the second two-goal game of his career - his first came against Holy Cross in game three of the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals at the Mercyhurst Ice Center on March 13, 2012 - Zay's freshman season.

WELL DONE WILDUNG ...

Freshman goaltender Brandon Wildung earned the Atlantic Hockey Conference Goaltender of the Week award for the second straight week after his performance against Niagara. The freshman allowed three goals (only one even strength) on 49 shots in earning both wins. In the weekend prior, against AIC, Wildung earned both victories - one as a starter and one in relief - and turned aside 44-of-45 shots in the two games. He stopped 27-of-28 in Friday's 3-1 victory and then stopped all 17 shots he faced in just over 30 minutes of relief on Saturday. Over his last four appearance (three starts), Wildung is 4-0-0 with a 1.15 goals against average and a .957 save percentage (90-of-94). All told, the rookie is 8-4-3 with a 2.26 goals against average and a .924 save percentage this season.

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. Just has scored at least one point in 16 of his last 20, and 18 of his last 23 games (10 goals, 17 assists), but did have an eight-game point-scoring streak snapped on January 10. He started the season needing a career-high 32 points to reach the century mark and has closed to within two after recording 11 goals and a team-leading 19 assists for 30 points this season. He has had four consecutive two-point games (two goals, six assists). In 133 career games, Just has 27 goals and 71 assists for 98 points. His 11 goals this season are a new career-high, surpassing the eight he scored last year. His 30 points is also a career-best, surpassing the 27 he had last season.

DIFFERENT HERO EVERY NIGHT ...

Mercyhurst has won 16 games this season and only two players - senior Daniel Bahntge and redshirt senior Kyle Just - have more than one game-winning goal. The Lakers have had 11 different players record a game-winning goal this season, with Bahntge (4) and Just (3) leading the way. Senior Chris Bodo has not scored a game-winner this season but has the team's only game-tying goal. Against Niagara, senior Matt Zay scored his first game winner of the season while freshman Jonathan Charbonneau scored the winner on Saturday - the first of his career.

TODD ON THE BOARD ...

Freshman Zach Todd scored the first goal of his collegiate career on Friday, February 13 in the 5-2 win over Niagara. He added an assist earlier in the contest for his first career mutliple-point contest. He entered the Niagara series with two assists in 14 games but doubled his season point total and now has a goal and three assists in 16 games.

THE FULL MONTY ...

Junior defenseman Mychal Monteith has played sparingly this season for the Lakers after playing more often than not during his first two seasons. Monteith played both games against AIC and scored his first collegiate goal, in his 72nd career game, in Saturday's 5-2 victory. The goal also proved to be the game-winning tally. He also added an assist in the win for his second career multiple-point game. In ten games this season, Monteith has those two points to his credit.

INJURY UPDATE ...

Junior forward Kyle Cook has been ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury. He played in 20 games this season and had two goals and eight assists for ten points. Senior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant has played his final game in a Mercyhurst uniform as he will need season-ending sports hernia surgery. After earning Goaltender and Player of the Year honors from Atlantic Hockey last season, Sarjeant, playing through pain for most of the season, went 6-5-0 with a 3.31 goals against average and a .909 save percentage this year.

THE LIFE OF RILEY ...

For the second consecutive month, redshirt freshman Jack Riley was named the Atlantic Hockey Conference Rookie of the Month after scoring 11 points in 11 games during the month of January. He had three goals and eight assists during the month to finish second on the team in scoring during the stretch (senior Daniel Bahntge had 13 points). The West Point, New York native tied a season-high with four points in a win over Sacred Heart on January 9 and was named the AHC Rookie of the Week on January 13 for his efforts - the third time he had been honored with the award.

Riley, who was limited to seven games during his true freshman campaign a year ago, is fourth on the team in scoring with eight goals and fourteen assists in 29 games this season. He also is tied for third on the team with a +5 rating and leads all Laker forwards with 29 blocked shots.

FRISCH PRINCE OF MERCYHURST ...

Senior Zac Frischmon tallied his fourth goal of the season on Friday, January 23 against Sacred Heart, which also proved to be his 50th career point in a Laker uniform. He became the player on this year's roster with at least 50 career points. In 142 games, Frischmon has 20 goals and 33 assists. Up next to attempt to reach the 50-point plateau is junior defenseman Anthony Mastrodicasa who has nine goals and 32 assists for 41 points in 94 career games.

WELCOME TO THE LINEUP - PART DEUX ...

One week after adding freshman forward Michael Verboom, freshman Bryan Sienerth joined the Mercyhurst squad for the team's series against Sacred Heart on January 23 and 24. Sienerth is a native of Erie, Pennsylvania and was playing for the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL. A highly-touted college prospect, Sienerth had seven career points in 35 games with the Stampede. Sienerth did not factor in the scoring in game one, but did block three shots in the defensive zone. He came down with the flu prior to Saturday's contest and had to sit out the second game of the series. He earned his first collegiate point on January 31 - an assist - in the Lakers' 4-3 loss to Bentley.

JUST COOK BACON ...

The Laker trio of redshirt senior Kyle Just, junior Kyle Cook, and sophomore Spencer Bacon served up the 2-1 win over Holy Cross on Friday, January 16. Just and Cook scored the goals, with Cook's goal proving to be the game-winner (the fourth of his career), while Bacon earned his first start since November 15 and stopped 31-of-32 Holy Cross shots to improve to 2-1-1 on the season. The sophomore netminder lost his shutout bid with 3:32 left in regulation with Holy Cross on the power play.

SHIPLO-WERS THE BOOM ...

Senior defenseman Tyler Shiplo provided the Lakers with a weekend sweep after scoring the game-winner with 1:51 left in overtime against Holy Cross on Saturday, January 17. It was his second goal of the contest - the first time he had scored multiple goals in his first 141 career games. It was also just his second career game-winning goal - his first came against RIT on November 9, 2012. In 149 career games, Shiplo has 17 goals and 47 assists for 64 points.

WELCOME TO THE LINEUP ...

Mercyhurst welcomed in freshman forward Michael Verboom to the Laker lineup in the weekend series against Holy Cross. Verboom joined the team after serving as team captain for the Chatham Maroons in the GOJHL. Prior to Mercyhurst, Verboom had impressive numbers with Chatham - 54 points in 33 games in the first half of 2014-15 and 94 points in 43 games during the 2013-14 season. Verboom played both games on a line with senior Matt Zay and redshirt senior Kyle Just. He did not register a point but blocked two shots in the defensive zone. He scored his first collegiate point, an assist, on Saturday, February 14 in the 4-1 win over Niagara.

HOT, HOT, HOT ...

After going scoreless for the month of October, Bahntge has scored 13 goals and dished out 18 assists for 31 points in his last 25 games and continues to lead 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. He, more recently, added a career-high five points in a 7-2 win over Sacred Heart on January 9. 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 - 152 consecutive games.

ALL RILED UP ...

Redshirt freshman Jack Riley had his eight-game point-scoring streak snapped against Holy Cross on January 16 and during the eight-game streak, Riley had six goals and nine assists for 15 points, which included two four-point games against Army (2g, 2a) on December 6 and at home against Sacred Heart (1g, 3a) on January 9. 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.

WHAT A WEEKEND ...

Senior forward Daniel Bahntge had a weekend to remember as the Lakers swept Sacred Heart on January 9 and 10. Bahntge scored a career-high five points (two goals and three assists) in the 7-2 win to open the series and then added a goal and an assist in the 4-2 victory to close the weekend. He had the game-winning goal in each game of the series to give him a team-leading four on the season - which also ties him for fourth in the country in that department. He finished the weekend with three goals and four assists, took five shots on goal, and was a +6. Bahntge was named the Atlantic Hockey Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

FEASTING ON THE PIONEERS ...

With his seven-point weekend, Bahntge added to his unbelievable history against Sacred Heart. Prior to the series on January 23 and 24, the senior had scored at least one goal in the first eight meetings against the Pioneers. Bahntge, however, was held scoreless against the Pioneers in that last series and now has twelve goals and seven assists for nineteen points in those ten meetings. Bahntge is also a +14 in the ten games and has four of his nine career game-winning goals against Sacred Heart. Meanwhile, seniors Ryan Misiak and Matt Zay have also had success against Sacred Heart. Zay has six goals and six assists in ten games while posting a +9 rating. Misiak has three goals and seven assists in ten games and is a +11.

DON'T FORGET ME ...

While Bahntge and Riley got most of the headlines during the sweep of Sacred Heart, a pair of freshmen made significant contributions to aid in the weekend. Freshman forward Kane Elliot, playing on the same line with Bahntge and Riley, tallied a career-high three assists in the 7-2 victory and then added another helper in the 4-2 win. He entered the weekend with one goal and one assist in ten games, but finished the weekend with four assists.

Meanwhile, goaltender Brandon Wildung had a breakout weekend replacing an injured Jimmy Sarjeant between the pipes. Wildung stopped 67-of-71 Sacred Heart shots (.944 save percentage) to earn back-to-back victories for the first time in his young career.

SPREADING IT OUT ...

The Lakers have scored 100 goals through 30 games and 20 different players have tallied at least once this season. The Lakers have 25 players with at least one point this season with only three players, who have played in at least one game, not recording a point this season. Of those 25 players, 17 have scored at least five points, 12 have hit double figures, and five have reached at least 20 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. He then helped the Lakers sweep Sacred Heart on January 9 and 10, stopping 67-of-71 shots in the process.

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 Holy Cross having scored at least one point in 13 of his last 19 games. Misiak has scored 19 of his 20 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 benefitted The Warming Center, hosted at the Mental Health Association of Northwest Pennsylvania. On January 19, Mercyhurst's 11 seniors and head coach Rick Gotkin presented The Warming Center with 11 Mercyhurst blankets and a check for $2,000 to help the shelter keep its doors open during the coldest of Erie winter days.

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.

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 125 points in 142 career games with the Lakers and has scored 111 points in his last 106 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 146 career games, Misiak has 43 goals and 72 assists for 115 points. Senior Daniel Bahntge became the third member this season to reach 100 career points with his goals against Robert Morris on December 13. In 152 career games, Bahntge has 52 goals and 70 assists for 122 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).

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 had one goal and four assists in 18 career games prior to his career night.

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 23 contests, going 23-for-95 (24.2%) to increase the team's percentage from 6.9% to 20.2% on the season. The Lakers are tied for 17th in the country, with Canisius, in power play percentage. Kyle Just leads with five while Kyle Dutra has four. Seven other players (Daniel Bahntge, Zac Frischmon, Anthony Mastrodicasa, Ryan Misiak, Jack Riley, Tyler Shiplo, and Matt Zay) have two each.

THAT LINE WORKED ...

Due to the injury bug, head coach Rick Gotkin had to put together some different lines in the weekend series against Sacred Heart on January 9 and 10. The new combination that put on a show against the Pioneers was the line of Daniel Bahntge, Kane Elliot, and Jack Riley. The trio combined for four goals and twelve assists in the sweep of Sacred Heart. The trio combined for both goals in the 5-2 loss against Canisius on Tuesday and then added one goal and two assists in the sweep of Holy Cross.

NEW LINE ...

Seniors Matt Zay, Kyle Just, and Daniel Bahntge have clicked over the last five games - the first games this season that the trio has played on the same line. The line has contributed 23 points in the last five contests with Zay on a five-game point-scoring streak (5g, 3a), Just on a four-game point-scoring streak (2g, 6a), and Bahntge on a four-game point-scoring streak (2g, 5a). The Lakers are 4-1-0 in the games that the trio has been on the same line.

BACON SIZZLES IN RELIEF ...

Sophomore Spencer Bacon was pressed into services in the third period on Saturday, November 8 against Army after senior Jimmy Sarjeant had allowed five goals on just 18 shots. Just 37 seconds into the third period, after Sarjeant allowed his fifth goal, Bacon entered with the Lakers trailing 5-4. Mercyhurst scored three goals down the stretch and Bacon stopped all 12 shots he faced to earn him his first collegiate victory. It was only his second collegiate appearance with his only other outing coming in relief at Ohio State on December 30, 2013. In that contest, he stopped nine of ten Buckeye shots. Then, at Bentley, Bacon came on in relief again on Friday, November 14 after Sarjeant had to leave the game with an injury. The sophomore then earned his first collegiate start on Saturday, November 15, stopping 36 of 41 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss.

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) and then scored his first collegiate goal against Sacred Heart on January 10. 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.

SIGNATURE WIN ...

Mercyhurst's upset win at fourth-ranked Colgate on Saturday, November 1, marked the highest-ranked team that the program has defeated since becoming a Division I member in 1999-2000. The highest-ranked foe that the Lakers knocked off prior to the win over Colgate was a 6-4 win over #7 Princeton on November 29, 2008 in the opening round of the Rensselaer Holiday Tournament. Mercyhurst defeated fourth-ranked Michigan in a shootout on October 2, 2010 to open the 2010-11 campaign. However, the game went down as a tie in the record books.

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME ...

Redshirt senior Kyle Just recorded, what proved to be, his first collegiate game-winning goal in the 3-2 win over Merrimack on October 25. His first goal of the season and first, and only, game-winner in his first 115 career games. His deflection off of a centering feed from redshirt freshman Jack Riley was originally waived off by the officiating crew but was overturned when the officials went to the video replay.

GOTKIN CLIMBS THE LEADERBOARD ...

Head coach Rick Gotkin is in 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 490-346-76 and is 24th on the all-time list of NCAA coaches in victories. He ranks 12th among active coaches with his 488 victories and trails Dean Fuller (Fitchburg State, 1984-pres) by six victories to move into 23rd on the all-time wins list. He is 10 wins shy of 500 victories with the Laker program and recorded his 300th win at the Division I level on February 6 when the Lakers defeated AIC, 3-1, in West Springfield, Massachusetts.