The Mercyhurst men's ice hockey team is set to host American International at the Mercyhurst Ice Center on Jan. 25-26. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. both nights.
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Fighting for Folgs
Saturday's game will be Mercyhurst's "Fighting for Folgs" game, where the Mercyhurst community will come together in support of longtime hockey equipment manager and athletic trainer
Mike Folga, who is staging a battle against cancer.
The event is aimed at raising support for Folgs, his family and the American Cancer Society.
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance. All proceeds will be donated directly to Folgs, his family and the American Cancer Society.
Last Time Out
Mercyhurst traveled to Niagara and lost 7-3 on Friday and 5-4 on Saturday.
Dalton Hunter,
Matthew Whittaker,
Derek Barach,
Joshua Lammon,
Michael Bevilacqua,
Steven Ipri,
Joseph Duszak,
Ethan Johnson,
Jeremy Wu,
James Anderson and
Tommaso Bucci had points for the Lakers.
Garrett Metcalf made 44 saves in net during the weekend. In a relief effort on Friday,
Stefano Cantali made one save. In a relief effort on Saturday,
Colin DeAugustine stopped all ten shots that he faced.
Previous Matchup
The Lakers and Yellow Jackets met for two-weekend series last season and the Lakers came out with a 2-1-1 record.
In Springfield, Mass., the Lakers fell 3-1 before winning 4-2 the next day. Later in the season, Mercyhurst hosted AIC, winning 3-1 and tying 4-4.
During the four games,
Wes Baker,
Brendan Riley, Lammon, Barach, Duszak, Bucci and Wu
DeAugustine made 31 saves in net during the Lakers 4-2 win.
Joel Kocur, Kyle Stephan, Blake Christenson, Jared Pike, Brennan Kapcheck, Hugo Reinhardt, Nicolas Luka, Janis Jaks, Martin Mellberg, Darius Davidson, Johno May and Ryan Polin tallied points for AIC.
Stefano Durante made a total of 85 saves in net during the four games for the Yellow Jackets.
All-Time Series
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 44-8-2, including a 7-2-1 advantage in the past ten contests.
Scouting American International
The Yellow Jackets are coming into the weekend with a 12-11-1, 12-7-1 record. They are leading the conference and are coming off of a sweep of Holy Cross.
Christenson is leading the Yellow Jacket roster with 19 assists and 27 points. Behind him are, Kapcheck with 17, Stephan with 16 and Mellberg and Shawn McBride with 15 points each. Tobias Fladeby is leading the team with 11 goals.
In net, Zackarias Skog has earned a 9-8-0 record, 2.92 goals against average and .891 save percentage. Durante has a 3-3-1 record with a 3.16 GAA and .868 save percentage and Evan Plotnik has made one save in net.
The Yellow Jackets are ranked 37th on the power play with 17.0 percent and 51st on the penalty kill going 76.7 percent.
Christensen is tied for 25th in the nation with 1.12 points per game and ranked 20th with 0.79 assists per game.
A Look at the Lakers
Mercyhurst is coming into the weekend with a 11-13-2, 9-8-1 record.
Duszak is on top of the Laker roster with 22 assists and 33 points. Barach is next with 26 points. Behind him are Whittaker with 19, Lammon and Ipri with 17 and Anderson and Hunter with 16.
Between the pipes, Metcalf has earned a 6-4-0 record, 2.96 GAA and .909 save percentage. Cantali has put forth a 3-4-1 record with a 3.20 GAA and .892 save percentage and DeAugustine has a 0-1-1- record, 5.68 GAA and .864 save percentage.
The Lakers are ranked 44th on the power play with 16.0 percent and 53rd on the penalty kill going 76.1 percent.
National Rankings
Duszak is ranked second in the nation with 1.32 points per game as a defenseman, fifth in the nation with 1.32 points per game and seventh in the nation with 0.88 assists per game.
Ipri is ranked 26th in the nation with 0.65 points per game.
Streaking
Duszak is riding a nine-game point streaking while recording eight goals and 10 assists. Barach is on a seven-game point streak with three goals and seven assists. Ipri has recorded two goals and four assists in the past five contests and Whittaker is on a four-game point streak with three goals and four assists.
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 play in a home-and-home series with Canisius on Feb. 1-2. The Lakers will travel host the Golden Griffins on Friday at 7:05 p.m. before going to Buffalo, N.Y. the next night at 7:35 p.m.
Stay Connected
Keep up with the team by following our social media:
Twitter: @HurstMensHockey
Facebook: facebook.com/mercyhurstmenshockey
Instagram: @mercyhursthockey
Snapchat: @hurstmhockey
