The Mercyhurst men's ice hockey team is set for a home-and-home series with Atlantic Hockey opponent Canisius on Jan. 11-12. Puck drops at 7:35 p.m. in Buffalo, N.Y. on Friday and at 7:05 p.m. in Erie, Pa on Saturday.
 
Tickets
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Follow the Action
Friday: LIVE STATS
Friday: VIDEO
Saturday: LIVE STATS
Saturday: VIDEO

Last Time Out
Mercyhurst welcomed Holy Cross to the Mercyhurst Ice Center and split the weekend winning 4-3 on Friday and falling 5-4 on Saturday.
 
During Friday's game, Joseph Duszak scored three goals and had an assist while James Anderson scored the other Laker goal and added an assist. Derek Barach and Jonny Lazarus had two assists while Jeremy Wu tallied one assist.
 
In net, Garrett Metcalf made 35 saves on 38 shots.
 
On Saturday, Taylor Best picked up a goal and an assist while Joshua Lammon, Duszak and Barach scored the other Laker goals. Steven Ipri, Ethan Johnson, Brendan Riley, Matthew Whittaker, Owen Norton, Wu and Anderson had one assist each.
 
Between the pipes, Metcalf made 20 shots on net.
 
Previous Matchup
The Lakers and Golden Griffins met for a weekend series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center once last season and both teams came out with a win. Mercyhurst won 4-3 in overtime, before Canisius won 7-3 the next night.
 
Wes Baker, Barach, Duszak, Lammon and Whittaker recorded points for Mercyhurst.
 
Matt Hoover, Dylan McLaughlin, Nick Hutchison, Ian Edmondson, Alex Jaeckle, Matt Stief, Jimmy Mazza, Cameron Heath, Felix Chamberland, Jesse Pereira and Grant Meyer recorded points for Canisius. 
 
Between the pipes for Canisius, Danial Urbani made 37 saves during the Griffs 7-3 win.
 
All-Time Series
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 43-35-10. The Lakers are 3-6-1 against Canisius in the past 10 games. 
 
Scouting Canisius
Canisius is coming into the weekend with an 8-9-2, 5-7-1 record. The Griffs are coming into the series riding a sweep of thirteen ranked North Dakota. They won 3-1 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday.
 
McLaughlin is leading the Griffs roster with 23 points and is tied co-leading the roster with 12 assists. Hutchison is next with 17 points and Meyer has 16 points. Austin Alger and Mazza are close behind with 14 points each.
 
Blake Weyrick has a 4-5-2 record with a 2.99 goals average and .907 save percentage. Tucker Weppner has earned a 3-3-0 record, 3.98 GAA and .859 save percentage. Matt Ladd has a 1-1-0 record with a 2.52 GAA and .941 save percentage. Jake Zurat played in one game and made three saves.
 
The Griffs are tied for 31st on the power play with 18.2 percent and ranked 31st on the penalty kill going 81.0 percent.
 
McLaughlin is ranked 16th in the nation with 1.21 points per game and ranked 22nd in the nation with 0.58 goals per game. Meyer is tied for 25th in the nation with 0.75 assists per game. Mazza is 33rd in the nation with 0.78 points per game as a defenseman.
 
A Look at the Lakers
Mercyhurst is coming into the weekend with a 9-11-2, 7-6-1 record.
 
Duszak is co-leading the Laker roster with nine goals and is leading the team with 16 assists and 25 points. Barach is next with 21 and behind him are Anderson with 14, Whittaker with 13 and Lammon, Best and Ipri with 12 points each.
 
Stefano Cantali has a 4-6-1 record, 3.06 GAA and .902 save percentage. Metcalf has earned a 5-4-0 record, 2.68 GAA and .915 save percentage. Colin DeAugustine has a 0-1-1 record, 6.36 GAA and .852 save percentage.
 
The Lakers are ranked 50th on the power play with 13.8 percent and ranked 59th on the penalty kill going 73.7 percent.
 
Hat Trick Club
Duszak recorded his first collegiate hat trick during the Lakers' 4-3 win over Holy Cross on Friday.
 
AHA Defensive Player of the Week
Duszak was named the AHA Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Holy Cross.
 
National Rankings
Duszak is ranked third in the nation with 1.19 points per game as a defenseman, ranked 17th in the nation with 1.19 points per game and is ranked 24th the nation with 0.76 assists per game. 
 
Laker Firsts
Lazarus recorded his first collegiate points with two assists during the Lakers' 4-3 win over Holy Cross on Friday.
 
Streaking
Duszak is riding a four-game point streak in which he has recorded four goals and four assists. Barach and Anderson are both on three-game point streaks. Barach as tallied one goal and three assists while Anderson has picked up two goals and two assists.

Next Up
The Lakers head to Niagara on Jan. 18-19 for a two-game weekend series. 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

Here's the next episode of #HurstInsider previewing Canisius and recapping Holy Cross!
Ft. Associate Head Coach Greg Gardner, F Jonny Lazarus and D Joey Duszak #HurstHockey pic.twitter.com/YIXr4Oa4ix

— Mercyhurst Hockey (@HurstMensHockey) January 10, 2019