Setting the Stage
The Mercyhurst men's hockey team will travel to Springfield, Mass. to take on American International College on Dec. 8-9 for a two-game Atlantic Hockey series. Puck drops at 2 p.m. both days.
 
Last Weekend Recap
Mercyhurst split its home weekend series against Sacred Heart, winning 3-2, in overtime on Friday before falling, 5-3, the next night.
 
Jack Riley had three goals on the weekend while Taylor Best had two goals and Les Lancaster had one goal.
 
Jonathan Charbonneau and Derek Barach each tallied three assists while Tyler Enns, Zach Todd, James Anderson, Patrick Piacentini and Michael Verboom recorded one assist each.
 
Previous Matchup
Last season, the Lakers and Yellow Jackets met twice during the regular season and twice during the post season.
 
During the regular season, the Yellow Jackets came to Erie on Oct. 28-29. The Lakers lost 5-3, before winning 6-3 the next night.
 
Mercyhurst and AIC met in the first round of the playoffs, when Mercyhurst swept the series winning, 4-3 and 5-0 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
 
Barach scored four goals, Matthew Whittaker, Todd, Lancaster, Charbonneau and Riley scored two goals and Taylor Best, Joseph Duszak and Verboom scored one goal against AIC last season.
 
Martin Mullberg scored two goals while Dominik Florian, Andrew DeBrincat, Bryant Christian, Ryan Polin, Kyle Stephan and Hugo Reinhardt scored one goal against Mercyhurst last season.
 
All-Time Series
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series against AIC by a 42-7-1 margin, including a 9-1-0 advantage in the past 10 contests.
 
Scouting AIC
The Yellow Jackets come into the weekend with a 5-10-2 overall and 4-7-2 conference record. They are looking to bounce back after a 6-2 lost to Bentley last Friday.
 
Brennan Kapcheck is on top of the AIC roster with nine assists and 13 points. Mellberg is close behind with 11 points and Janis Jaks has 10 points.
 
Alex Murray, Zackarias Skog and Stefano Durante have all seen action between the pipes. Murray has put forth a 4.98 goals against average and .855 save percentage and Skog has a 3.24 GAA and .888 save percentage. Durante has earned the top spot with a 2.21 GAA and .911 save percentage with a 3-4-0 record.
 
Laker Lineup
Mercyhurst is 6-6-2 overall and 3-3-2 AHA on the season.
 
Barach is leading the Lakers with 11 assists and 15 points, while Best has 14 points. Riley and Lancaster each have 12 points.
 
Colin DeAugustine came to the relief of Brandon Wildung in net on Saturday, stopping one shot. Wildung has a 3.23 GAA and .907 save percentage.
 
Power Play
After scoring 16 power play goals in a nine-game stretch, the Lakers have only scored one power play goal in their past four games. They have since moved down to sixth in the nation on the power play, with 25.8 percent.
 
Players to Watch
For Mercyhurst
Lancaster recorded six assists and eight points against AIC last season. He also scored the over-time game winning goal against Sacred Heart last weekend. Lancaster is tied for 11^th in the nation, for points per game by a defenseman with 0.86.
 
Barach tallied four goals and nine points against the Yellow Jackets last season. He has recorded three assists in his past two games and is tied for second in the nation in game winning goals with three.
 
For Sacred Heart
Reinhardt added three assists and four points against the Lakers last season. He is currently riding a two-game point streak in which he has recorded one goal and one assist.
 
Coaches Corner
"We need to find a way to be more consistent for two games in a row on the weekend and it starts with our preparation during the week and the way we start the game" said assistant coach Tom Upton.
 
Next Up
Mercyhurst will play in its first of two home-and-home series against Robert Morris University on Dec. 16-17. The Lakers will play Saturday's game at Robert Morris with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop, before returning to the MIC for a 4:05 p.m. game on Sunday.
 
Stay Connected
Keep up with the team by following our social media:
Twitter: @HurstMensHockey
Facebook: facebook.com/mercyhurstmenshockey
Instagram: @mercyhursthockey
Snapchat: @hurstmhockey