The Mercyhurst men's ice hockey team travels to Atlantic Hockey opponent Niagara for a two-game weekend series on Jan. 18-19. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m.
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Last Time Out
The Lakers played in a home-and-home series with Canisius and swept the weekend. Mercyhurst defeated Canisius 6-2 in Buffalo on Friday before welcoming the Griffs to the Mercyhurst Ice Center and finishing the sweep with a 6-3 win on Saturday.
Derek Barach, Matthew Whittaker, Michael Bevilacqua, Dalton Hunter, Steven Ipri, Joseph Duszak, Tommaso Bucci, Dalton Hunter, Jonny Lazarus, Jeremy Wu, Joshua Lammon and James Anderson had points for Mercyhurst.
In net, Garrett Metcalf had 62 saves during the weekend.
Previous Matchup
Mercyhurst and Niagara met for a weekend series at the MIC and Mercyhurst came away with 3-2 wins both nights.
Taylor Best, Brendan Riley, Barach, Duszak and Baker recorded points for Mercyhurst.
Nick Farmer, Chris Harpur, Justin Kendall, Zach Mills, Nic Mucci, Kris Spriggs, Eric Cooley and Johnny Curran had points for Niagara.
Brian Wilson made 51 saves in net for Niagara during the weekend.
All-Time Series
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 18-12-4, including a 7-1-2 advantage in the last 10 contests.
Scouting Niagara
The Purple Eagles are coming into the weekend with an 8-12-3, 7-7-2 record. They are coming off of a 3-3 tie and 4-1 loss to Holy Cross last weekend.
Noah Delmas is leading the Purple Eagle roster with 12 assists and 19 points. Ludwig Stenlund is leading with nine goals and has 18 points. Cooley also has 18 points while Kendall is close behind with 15 points.
Wilson has put forth a 8-9-3 record with a 2.75 goals against average and .910 save percentage. Cole Weaver has a 0-2-0 record, 4.65 GAA and .900 save percentage and Joe O'Brien has a 0-1-0 record, 8.00 GAA and .873 save percentage.
Delmas is ranked 26th in the nation with 0.83 points per game as a defenseman. Stenlund is ranked 17th in the nation with 0.78 points per game as a freshman.
The Purple Eagles are ranked 31st on the penalty kill with 80.6 percent and ranked 33rd on the power play going 17.4 percent.
A Look at the Lakers
Mercyhurst is coming into the weekend series with a 11-11-2, 9-6-1 record.
Duszak is on top of the Laker roster with 11 goals, 18 assists and 29 points. Barach is close behind with 24 points and Whittaker has 18 points.
Metcalf has earned a 7-4-1 record, 2.64 GAA and .917 save percentage. Stefano Cantali has put forth a 4-6-1 record with a 3.06 GAA and .902 save percentage and Colin DeAugustine has a 0-1-1 record, 6.36 GAA and .852 save percentage.
The Lakers are ranked 41st on the power play with 16.0 percent and ranked 56th on the penalty kill going 75.7 percent.
National Rankings
Duszak is ranked second in the nation and first in AHA with 1.26 points per game as a defenseman. He is ranked 11th in the nation and first in AHA with 1.26 points per game. He is also ranked 22nd in the nation with 0.78 assists per game.
Laker Firsts
Lazarus scored his first goal as a Laker during the 6-3 win over Canisius on Saturday.
Streaking
Duszak is riding a seven-game point streak in which he has recorded 10 goals and six assists for 16 points. Barach is on a five-game point streak with two goals and five assists. Whittaker and Ipri are both riding three-game points streaks. Whittaker has two goals and four assists in the last three and Ipri has one goal and two assists.
Coach Connections
Mercyhurst assistant coach Greg Gardner spent his college career with Niagara as a standout goaltender. He was the assistant coach for Purple Eagles from 2006-2011.
AHA Weekly Honors
Duszak was named the AHA Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week. Hunter was named the AHA Rookie of the Week. Both players tallied four points against Canisius.
Hobey Baker Award
Duszak and Barach have been nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. Fans can vote now until March 10. Vote HERE.
Next Up
The Lakers will host American International for a two-game series at the MIC on Jan. 25-26. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. both nights.
Fighting for Folgs
Saturday January 26, will be the "Fighting with Folgs" game. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance HERE.
Stay Connected
Keep up with the team by following our social media:
Twitter: @HurstMensHockey
Facebook: facebook.com/mercyhurstmenshockey
Instagram: @mercyhursthockey
Snapchat: @hurstmhockey
