The Mercyhurst men's ice hockey team is set for a home-and-home series with Robert Morris on Nov. 23-24. The Lakers will travel to Moon Township, Pa., on Friday before welcoming the Colonials to the Mercyhurst Ice Center on Saturday. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. both nights.
 
Last Time Out
Mercyhurst traveled to Sacred Heart and swept the weekend winning 4-3 in overtime on Friday and 3-0 on Saturday.
 
Steven Ipri and James Anderson both recorded four points while Dalton Hunter and Joseph Duszak tallied two points each. Single points were credited to Derek Barach, Jeremy Wu, Brendan Riley, Matthew Whittaker, Tommaso Bucci, Josh McDougall and Michael Bevilacqua.
 
Stefano Cantali made 27 saves in net during the overtime win on Friday. Garrett Metcalf was perfect in net on Saturday making 30 saves for the Lakers.
 
Previous Matchup
The Lakers and Colonials met five times last season, including an Atlantic Hockey Semifinals matchup. Robert Morris came away with a 3-2-0 advantage in the five games.
 
During the regular season, the Lakers and Colonials met for two home-and-home series. Robert Morris took the first series winning 5-2 and 5-3. Mercyhurst took the second series winning 2-1 and 3-2 in overtime.
 
During the post season, Robert Morris won 5-4 in overtime to earn its spot in the AHA Championship game, where they fell to Air Force.
 
Taylor Best, Wes Baker, Joshua Lammon, Duszak, Barach and Bucci picked up points for Mercyhurst. Colin DeAugustine made 23 saves in net, during the Lakers' 5-3 loss.
 
Eric Israel, Michael Louria, Alex Tonge, Luke Lynch, Sean Giles and Daniel Mantenuto recorded points for Robert Morris. Francis Marotte made 125 saves in net.
 
All-Time Series
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 12-10-8. The Lakers hold a 5-4-5 edge at home and a 6-5-3 edge away. The two teams are even at neutral sites going 1-1-0.
 
Scouting Robert Morris
The Colonials are coming into the weekend series with a 3-6-1, 2-3-1 AHA record. They had the weekend off, after a series with Penn State. They fell 7-2 on Nov. 9 and 11-6 the next night.
 
Tonge is on top of the Colonial roster with six goals and 11 points. Lynch is next with eight points and close behind him are Israel and Nick Lalonde, with seven and six points, respectively.
 
Between the pipes, Marotte is put forth a 3-5-1 record with a 3.68 goals against average and .882 save percentage. Reid Cooper has a 0-1-0 record, 6.88 GAA and .815 save percentage and Dyllan Lubbesmeyer, in a relief effort, made four saves in net.
The Colonials are tied for 39th on the power play with 16.7 percent. They are 31st on the penalty kill going 82.0 percent.
 
A Look at the Lakers
Mercyhurst is coming into the weekend with a 5-5-2, 3-2-1 AHA record.
 
Duszak is leading the Laker roster with 11 assists and 14 points. Hunter is next up with ten points and Barach has nine points. Close behind are Whittaker with eight points and Anderson, Lammon and McDougall with seven points each.
 
In net, Cantali has earned a 3-3-1 record with a 2.65 GAA and .908 save percentage. Metcalf has put forth a 2-1-0 record, 2.25 GAA and .917 save percentage. DeAugustine has a 0-1-1 record with a 5.98 GAA and .860 save percentage.
 
The Lakers are 53rd on the power play going 12.1 percent. They are tied for 43rd on the penalty kill with 78.2 percent.
 
National Rankings
Duszak is tied for 15th in the nation with .92 assists per game. He is also tied for eighth in the nation with 1.17 points per game as a defenseman.
 
Hunter is tied for 17th in the nation with .83 points per game is a freshman.
 
Streaking
The Lakers are unbeaten in their last five contests going 4-0-1.
 
Mercyhurst went on a nine-game unbeaten streak last season that lasted from Jan. 12 to Feb, 11. During the streak the Lakers went 7-0-2. They then went on to win six straight games before falling in the AHA Semifinals. 
 
Laker Firsts
Metcalf earned his first shutout as a Laker during the Lakers' 3-0 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday. He made 30 saves in net during the contest.
 
Follow the Action
Friday:
LIVE STATS
VIDEO
 
Saturday:
LIVE STATS
VIDEO
 
Ticket Information
Tickets go on sale 90 minutes before puck drop at the front desk in the lobby. Cash payments only. Mercyhurst students receive free admission with student ID.
 
Adults: $15
Students and Seniors: $8
 
Next Up
The Lakers will travel to Bentley for a two-game weekend matchup on Nov. 30-Dec. 1. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. both nights.
 
Stay Connected
Keep up with the team by following our social media:
Twitter: @HurstMensHockey
Facebook: facebook.com/mercyhurstmenshockey
Instagram: @mercyhursthockey
Snapchat: @hurstmhockey