Setting the Stage
The Mercyhurst men's hockey team is set to host Rochester Institute of Technology for a rare Monday makeup game on Feb. 12 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Mercyhurst swept its weekend series against Atlantic Hockey Opponent Holy Cross on Feb. 9-10. The Lakers won 6-5 on Friday night and shutout the Crusaders 4-0 on Saturday.
 
Derek Barach and Bryan Sienerth each recorded four points during the weekend, Les Lancaster and Zach Todd tallied three points, Joshua Lammon, Jonathan Charbonneau, Jack Riley and Patrick Piacentini picked up two points and Wes Baker, Michael Verboom, Taylor Best and Joseph Duszak each had one point.
 
Previous Matchup
Mercyhurst and RIT have met once this season on Jan. 16, when Mercyhurst won 6-3.
 
Barach had two goals while Lammon, Lancaster, Best and Piacentini each scored one goal for Mercyhurst.
 
Erik Brown, Alden Dupuis and Adam Brubacher recorded goals for RIT.
 
All-Time Series
RIT holds a 39-21-6 margin over Mercyhurst, including a 7-3-0 advantage in the last 10 contests.
 
Scouting RIT
The Tigers are heading into the game with a 12-15-2, 11-11-1 record.
 
They are coming out of a weekend sweep of Robert Morris, winning 4-3 and 6-2 this past weekend.
 
Myles Powell is on top of the RIT roster with 18 assists and 28 points. Close behind with 27 points are Gabe Valenzuela and Brown.
 
Logan Drackett has spent the most time in net with a 6-7-2 record, 3.59 goals against average and .868 save percentage. Ian Andriano has earned a 2-4-0 record, 3.39 GAA and .877 save percentage and Christian Short has a 4-4-0 record, 2.90 GAA and .891 save percentage.
 
The Tigers are ranked 37th in the nation on the power play with 17.5 percent. They are 35th on the penalty kill going 80.4 percent.
 
Mercyhurst Record
The Lakers have earned a 15-10-4, 12-7-4 record. They are riding a nine-game unbeaten streak, going 7-0-2.
 
Laker Leaders
Barach is leading the Laker roster with 31 points. Riley is leading the Lakers in goals with 15 and has 27 points on the season. Zach Todd is next with 22 points.
 
Barach Hits Century Mark
Barach recorded four points this past weekend, ultimately hitting 100 points as a Laker. He is welcomed into the 100-point club as the 21st player and sixth junior to reach the mark during the programs Division 1 era.
 
Wildung Shutout
Wildung recorded his third shutout of the season, with 34 saves during the Lakers 4-0 win over Holy Cross on Saturday. He is ranked 14th in the nation in with a .918 save percentage. He's also earned a 14-9-4, 11-6-4 record and 2.81 GAA.
 
Soaring Sienerth
Sienerth continues to add points to the score sheet, with two goals and four points on the weekend. He has 21 points on the season, including 16 points in his last 10 games. Seven of those 10 games have been a multi-point night for Sienerth.
 
National Ranked Defensemen
With 0.76, Todd is ranked 18th in the nation in points per game for a defenseman. Lancaster is ranked 24th with 0.72.
 
Streaking
Barach and Sienerth are riding seven-game points streaks. Barach has recorded seven goals and 14 points while Sienerth has picked up nine assists and 14 points.
 
Todd and Piacentini are riding three-game points streaks. Todd has five assists while Piacentini has added three assists.
 
Unbeaten Streak
Mercyhurst's nine-game unbeaten streak is the program's longest unbeaten streak since 2002 when the Lakers went 12-0-1 from Jan. 12 until Feb. 22. This nine-game unbeaten streak ties for the fifth-longest unbeaten stretch in program history and is the third-longest during Mercyhurst's Division 1 era.
 
Winning Coach
With the sweep of Holy Cross, head coach Rick Gotkin moved into a tie for 21st all-time with his 540th collegiate win. Gotkin (540-397-88) is now tied with Don Brose (540-363-79), who coached four seasons at Concordia, Minn., and then 30 seasons at Minnesota State-Mankato.
 
Century Mark Watch
Riley is two points shy of becoming the second player this season and 22nd player in the programs Division 1 program history to hit 100 points. Charbonneau is eight points away.
 
USCHO Votes
For the first time since Nov. 2015, Mercyhurst has received votes on the weekly United States College Hockey Online poll for two straight weeks.
 
Special Teams
Mercyhurst went 6-for-9 on the power play this past weekend, moving them up 10 spots to sixth in the nation on the power play with 25.0 percent. The Lakers were perfect on the penalty kill against Holy Cross, killing off eight penalties and moving them up five spots to 14th in the nation with 83.7 percent.
 
Players to Watch
For Mercyhurst
Piacentini has recorded 13 points this season, a career high and leads the team in blocked shots with 43.
 
For RIT
Chase Norris has recorded five assists and six points in his last five games. The senior has recorded six assists and eight points against Mercyhurst.
 
#CaptainJack For Hobey Baker
Jack Riley has been nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. Fans can vote now through March 4th. VOTE
 
Next Up
Mercyhurst will play its second home-and-home series against Robert Morris on Feb. 16-17. They will head to Moon Township, Pa on Friday before playing their last regular season home game on Saturday at the MIC.
 
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