Setting the Stage
The Mercyhurst men's hockey team will welcome American International College on Jan. 19-20 for a two game Atlantic Hockey matchup. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. both nights.
 
Last Time Out
Mercyhurst took on RIT at the Mercyhurst Ice Center on Tuesday when they won 6-3.
 
Derek Barach scored two goals while Josh Lammon, Les Lancaster, Taylor Best and Patrick Piacentini each scored one goal.
 
Previous Matchup
The Lakers took on the Yellow Jackets in Springfield, Mass on Dec. 8-9 when they lost 3-1 on Friday, before winning 4-2 the next day.
 
Jack Riley, Wes Baker, Joseph Duszak, Lammon and Barach scored goals for Mercyhurst.
 
Blake Christensen scored two goals while Joel Kocur, Jared Pike and Janis Jaks each scored one goal for AIC.
 
All Time Series
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series against AIC by a 43-8-1 margin, including an 8-2-0 advantage in the past 10 games.
 
Scouting AIC
The Yellow Jackets are coming into the weekend with a 9-13-2, 8-9-2 record.
 
Last weekend they split their series with Canisius College, winning 3-0 on Friday, before falling 6-1 on Saturday.
 
AIC received votes in the USCHO.com poll for the first time in program history this week.
 
Brennan Kapcheck is leading the Yellow Jacket roster with 18 points. Jaks is next with 15 points and Martin Mellberg has 13 points.
 
Spending the most time in net is Stefano Durante with a 7-7-0 record, 2.12 goals against average and .915 save percentage. Zackarias Skog has earned a 1-3-2 record, 3.24 GAA and .888 save percentage. Alex Murray has put forth a 1-3-0 record, 4.98 GAA and .855 save percentage.
 
AIC is 14.6 percent on the power play, ranking them 47th in the nation. They are 78.1 percent on the penalty kill ranking them 48th in the nation.
 
Mercyhurst Record
The Lakers are coming into the weekend with a 11-10-2, 8-7-2 record.
 
Laker Leaders
Best and Barach are tied for first on the Laker roster with 20 points each. Close behind with 16 points each are Jonathan Charbonneau, Zach Todd, Riley and Duszak. Lancaster has 15 points.
 
Between the Pipes
Brandon Wildung has earned a 10-9-2 record, 3.02 GAA and .913 save percentage. Colin DeAugustine has a 1-1-0 record, 2.91 GAA and .896 save percentage.
 
Special Teams
The Lakers scored three power play goals on Tuesday, moving them up five spots to seventh in the nation on the power play with 23.8 percent. They are 80.6 percent on the penalty kill, ranking them 34th in the nation.
 
Players to Watch
For Mercyhurst
Todd is riding a three-game point streak. He has three assists in his last three games. He currently has 13 assists and 16 points on the season.
 
For AIC
Durante has become AIC's go-to goaltender. He had 26 saves in the Yellow Jackets' shutout of Canisius College on Friday and has also been in net for both of the Yellow Jackets' weekend series sweeps. He is ranked 12th in the nation and first in Atlantic Hockey with a 2.21 GAA. He is ranked 18th in the nation with a .915 save percentage.
 
Military and First Responder Weekend
All Military Personnel and First Responders will get into both games for free.

Next Up
The Lakers will travel to West Point, N.Y., to take on Army on Jan. 26-27.
 
Follow the Action
WATCH
Game Statistics
 
Stay Connected
Keep up with the team by following our social media:
Twitter: @HurstMensHockey
Facebook: facebook.com/mercyhurstmenshockey
Instagram: @mercyhursthockey
Snapchat: @hurstmhockey