Men's Ice Hockey | 2/24/2018 9:52:00 PM

Box Score ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Mercyhurst men's ice hockey team clinched the Atlantic Hockey regular-season championship with a 4-3 win over the Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday at the Gene Polisseni Center in front of 2,696 spectators.
 
Joseph Duszak had a goal and an assist while Michael Verboom, James Anderson and Bryan Sienerth each had one goal. Jonathan Charbonneau, Kane Elliot, Zach Todd, Derek Barach and Nathan Ferriero had assists for Mercyhurst (19-11-4, 16-8-4).
 
Erik Brown scored two goals while Matt Abt scored one goal for RIT (14-18-3, 13-14-1).
 
Halfway through the first period, Brown capitalized on the power play to give RIT an early lead. Gabe Valenzuela and Adam Brubacher had assists.
 
With 1:40 left in the first period Verboom tied the game at 1-1. Duszak passed the puck up ice to Charbonneau, who skated it over the blue line, towards the net and slid it across to Verboom, who found the back of the net for the second time this season.
 
During the second period, Brown converted on the power play for the second time of the game to give RIT a 2-1 lead. Brubacher and Chase Norris tallied assists.
 
Late in the third period, Anderson tied the game for the second time with his third goal of the season. Elliot bounced the puck off the boards, up the ice to Anderson, who took the puck toward the net and went bar-down.
 
With four seconds left in the second period, RIT converted on the power play for the third time of the game with a goal from Abt. Myles Powell and Brubacher picked up assists.
 
Forty-eight seconds into the third period, Mercyhurst capitalized on the power play to tie the game at 3-3 with a goal from Sienerth. Barach passed it across ice to Todd, who skated it to the right side of the net and took a shot that was deflected onto the stick of Sienerth and put in the net.
 
Mercyhurst took its first lead of the game with Duszak's eighth goal of the season. Ferriero brought the puck out of the Lakers defensive zone, across the blue line and passed it to Duszak through traffic. Duszak then, on the breakaway, bet RIT goaltender Logan Drackett glove side.

"I'm so happy for our team," said head coach Rick Gotkin. "Our team really persevered all year and it's just a great way to end the regular season as champions, but there's still a lot more to be accomplished."

The Lakers went 1-for-5 on the power play while the Tigers finished 3-for-6.
 
Brandon Wildung made 24 saves out of 27 shots in net for Mercyhurst. Logan Drackett stopped 16 out of 20 shots for RIT.
 
Mercyhurst will be the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament and will receive a bye for the first round. The AHA Tournament quarterfinals will take place on Mar. 9-11. The Lakers will host an opponent that is yet to be determined.