ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The Mercyhurst University men's hockey team, after a thrilling two games to one series win at Bentley in last weekend's quarterfinal round, will square off against top-seeded Robert Morris University in the first Atlantic Hockey Conference semifinal game at the Blue Cross Arena on Friday, March 20. Faceoff is scheduled for 5:05 p.m.

It marks the fourth consecutive trip to the Blue Cross Arena for the Lakers, who are hoping to advance to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time since 2005. Two wins this weekend would do just that.

The Lakers (18-15-4) and the Colonials (24-7-5) met twice during the regular season with each team winning once at the Mercyhurst Ice Center in mid-December. Robert Morris took game one of the series by a 7-4 final before Mercyhurst rebounded for a 3-0 win the following afternoon.

Mercyhurst leads the all-time series against Robert Morris, 7-5-6. The Lakers are 4-2-4 against the Colonials in the last ten meetings between the two schools.

The winner of the Mercyhurst-Robert Morris contest will meet the winner of the second semifinal between #2 seeded Canisius and the #3 seed RIT for the conference championship on Saturday night at the Blue Cross Arena.

LAST TIME OUT ...

Mercyhurst advanced to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals for the fourth consecutive season with a thrilling two games to one series victory at Bentley in the quarterfinal round last weekend. Mercyhurst took game one in overtime by a 1-0 final, lost game two 5-3, and came-from-behind to win game three by a 3-2 score.

WHAT A COMEBACK ...

After splitting the first two games, it all came down to a decisive game three on Sunday at Bentley to see who would advance to the semifinals. Trailing 2-0 with 7:48 left in regulation, the Lakers mounted a comeback for the ages - scoring two goals 14 seconds apart to tie the contest at 2-2. Then, in the waning seconds, senior Nardo Nagtzaam became the latest Laker hero, scoring with 5.5 seconds left in regulation to lift Mercyhurst to a stunning 3-2 win in game three to advance to the semifinals. It was the Lakers' first victory when trailing after two periods this season (1-11-0).

DUTCH TREAT ...

Nagtzaam, the only collegiate player from the Netherlands, scored with 5.5 seconds left in game three to send the Lakers to the Blue Cross Arena this weekend for the semifinals/championship. It was Nagtzaam's fourth goal of the season and his first game-winning goal of the year. He became the 13th different Laker to score a game-winner this season. He has missed 65 games due to injury and has played in 94 career games. He still has managed to score 68 points (27 goals, 41 assists) and Sunday's game-winner was the fourth of his career.

GAME ONE A RARITY ...

Senior Ryan Misiak scored the game-winning goal in game one of the quarterfinal series at the 4:46 mark of overtime to lift the Lakers to a 1-0 victory. It was just the fourth 1-0 overtime victory in Atlantic Hockey playoff history. Last season, Niagara defeated American International 4:43 into double overtime. Holy Cross defeated American International in 2009 and Canisius defeated Quinnipiac during the 2004 postseason – both of those instances were single overtime periods.

SENIORS OWN THE SERIES ...

Mercyhurst scored seven goals in the three games against Bentley during the quarterfinals last weekend. All seven goals were scored by members of the senior class - Chris Bodo (3), Kyle Just (1), Ryan Misiak (1), Nardo Nagtzaam (1), and Matt Zay (1). The Lakers totaled 21 points in the series, 20 of which were scored by seniors. The only non-senior to register a point last weekend was freshman defenseman Zach Todd who recorded an assist on the Lakers' first goal on Sunday.

ARGUE WINS BATTLE, WILDUNG WINS WAR ...

Bentley goaltender Jayson Argue was the Atlantic Hockey Conference's selection for the goaltender spot on the All-Rookie Team, and was a unanimous pick. However, Mercyhurst freshman Brandon Wildung got the better of Argue last weekend in the quarterfinals. Wildung stopped all 40 shots he faced in the Lakers' 1-0 overtime win in game one for his first collegiate shutout. After struggling a bit in game two, allowing four goals on 29 shots, Wildung was sensational in game three, stopping 35-of-37 to help the Lakers clinch the series. All told, Wildung stopped 100-of-106 shots in the series and posted a 2.30 goals against average in his first collegiate postseason action.

WE'RE BACK ...

Mercyhurst earned a trip back to the Blue Cross Arena for the Atlantic Hockey semifinals/championship weekend for the fourth consecutive year after ousting Bentley last weekend. The senior class has been to the final weekend all four years and played for the conference championship two years ago against Canisius. In 16 Division I seasons, Mercyhurst has now advanced to at least the conference semifinals in 13 of those seasons.

IT'S BEEN A DECADE ...

Mercyhurst has not reached the NCAA Division I Tournament since 2005 when it lost to Boston College in the opening round of the East Regional by a 5-4 final. It marks the longest stretch in program history that the team has not played in the NCAAs. The Lakers made the D-III playoffs in 1991, played for the D-II National Championship in both 1993 and 1995, and reached the D-I tournament in 2001, 2003, and 2005. Head coach Rick Gotkin is the only coach in college hockey history to take the same program to the national tournament at all three divisions.

AGAINST ROBERT MORRIS ...

Mercyhurst and Robert Morris played two times during the regular season - a weekend series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center on December 13 and 14. The Colonials peppered Mercyhurst goaltenders for seven goals in game one of the series - a 7-4 Robert Morris victory. However, in game two, senior goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant recorded his third career shutout, a 41-save performance, in a 3-0 Laker victory. Mercyhurst is 7-5-6 lifetime against Robert Morris in the all-time series but is 0-1 on neutral ice against the Colonials. The two teams met on October 8, 2011 in the consolation game of the Mutual of Omaha Stampede. Mercyhurst and Robert Morris have met one time in the postseason - a 5-1 Mercyhurst win in Moon Township in the first round of the conference tournament on March 5, 2011.

WHO LIKES THE COLONIALS? ...

Four seniors - Daniel Bahntge, Ryan Misiak, Kyle Just, and Matt Zay - have done well in their history against Robert Morris, each averaging at least one point per game against the Colonials. Bahntge leads the way with three goals and eleven assists for 14 points in 12 career meetings while Misiak has six goals and seven assists for 13 points, also in a dozen meetings. Just has five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 11 games and Zay has two goals and eight assists for ten points in ten meetings between the two schools.

IF IT GETS THAT FAR ...

If the Lakers are fortunate enough win on Friday, Saturday's potential championship opponent would be either Canisius or RIT. The Lakers went a combined 0-5-1 against the two schools this season - 0-3-1 against Canisius and 0-2-0 against RIT. In the last ten meetings against each squad, Mercyhurst is 2-7-1 against Canisius (including 0-5-1 in the last six) and 4-5-1 against RIT.

THREE EARN POSTSEASON HONORS ...

Redshirt freshman Jack Riley, two weeks ago, was named to the Atlantic Hockey Conference All-Rookie Team after leading Laker newcomers in scoring this season. He has nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points overall and eight goals and twelve assists in league play. Late last week, senior defenseman Ryan Misiak was selected to the All-Conference Second Team while senior forward Daniel Bahntge was a Third Team honoree. Misiak led Laker defenseman with six goals and 15 assists for 21 points during the regular season while Bahntge led the squad in scoring with 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points.

FANTASTIC FOUR ...

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 127 points in 149 career games with the Lakers and has scored 113 points in his last 113 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 154 career games, Misiak has 44 goals and 74 assists for 118 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 159 career games, Bahntge has 52 goals and 74 assists for 126 points. Finally, last Saturday in game two of the quarterfinals at Bentley, redshirt senior Kyle Just had a goal and an assist in the third period to become the fourth member this season, and 20th overall, to reach the milestone. In 141 career games, Just has 28 goals and 72 assists for an even 100 points.

The four players to join this season has surpassed 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).

RARIFIED AIR ...

With Zay, Misiak, Bahntge, and Just all reaching the 100-point plateau this season, it became the first time in Atlantic Hockey history that four players from one school reached 100 career points during the same season. Air Force accomplished the feat during the 2001-02 season when it was still a member of the College Hockey America men's conference. In fact, dating back to when Mercyhurst became a Division I member in 1999-2000, only seven other schools have had four players reach the 100-point milestone in the same season: Quinnipiac (2013-14), North Dakota (2010-11), Denver (2004-05), St. Cloud State (2001-02), and Minnesota twice (2005-06 and 2003-04). Michigan had five players hit the milestone during the 2004-05 season.

WHERE THEY RANK ...

Zay, is currently tied for seventh on the school's all-time scoring list with 127 points. He is tied with Adam Tackaberry (2000-04) and Rich Hansen (2001-05) and is two points shy of tying Dave Borrelli (2002-06) for sixth on the list. Misiak (118 points) ranks 12th on the school's all-time Division I scoring list and trails Daniel O'Donoghue (2010-14) by one point to move into a tie for 11th. Bahntge has 126 career points - 10th on the all-time Division I list. He trails Zay, Tackaberry, and Hansen by one point to move into a tie for seventh and is three points of tying Borrelli for sixth. Just is tied for 19th on the school's all-time list with T.J. Kemp (2001-05), the only four-year defenseman in the program's D-I history to reach the milestone, with an even 100 points. He needs one point to move into a tie for 17th with Matt Pierce (2005-09) and Peter Rynshoven (2000-04).

WHAT A CLASS ...

Mercyhurst has 11 seniors on its roster this season - forwards Nardo Nagtzaam, Zac Frischmon, Kyle Just, Ed DeWald, Matt Zay, Chris Bodo, and Daniel Bahntge - defensemen Tyler Shiplo, Grant Gettinger, and Ryan Misiak - and goaltender Jimmy Sarjeant. The 11 players have combined to score 290 goals and 494 assists for 784 points in their collegiate careers. Sarjeant, the only senior goaltender, was last season's Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year. Zay, Misiak, Bahntge, and Just have all recorded at least 100 points while Bodo has 50 career goals and 92 career points. Nagtzaam has 68 points, Shiplo has 66 (and is one assist shy of 50 for his career), and Frischmon has 55 points to give the team eight players with at least 50 career points. The seniors have made it to the Blue Cross Arena all four seasons and played for the conference championship in 2013 against Canisius.

DIFFERENT HERO EVERY NIGHT ...

Mercyhurst has won 18 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 13 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.

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.

SPREADING IT OUT ...

The Lakers have scored 111 goals this season and 21 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, 18 have scored at least five points, 12 have hit double figures, and five have reached at least 20 points.