The Mercyhurst women's ice hockey team begins its season on the road at Colgate for a non-conference weekend series on Oct. 4-5. The two teams play at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Last Time Out
Mercyhurst welcomed Guelph to the Mercyhurst Ice Center for an exhibition and won 4-0.
Emma Nuutinen had a hand in every goal, including scoring a hat trick.
Rachel Marmen picked up the other Laker goal and had an assist.
Sam Isbell and
Michele Robillard also had one assist each.
In net,
Kennedy Blair made 14 saves in the shutout.
Previous Matchup
Last season Mercyhurst welcomed Colgate to the MIC and came out with a 1-0-1 record.
During the weekend series, Nuutinen recorded four goals and two assists. Her four goals came during the Lakers 8-5 win, which tied the program record for goals in a game.
Isbell scored two goals and had three assists and Marmen scored one goal.
Maggie Knott had three assists,
K.K. Thiessen and
Mary Katherine Gialames each had one assist.
In net, Blair made 35 saves in the 1-1 tie on Friday and 19 saves on Saturday.
Malia Schneider scored two goals while Tanner Gates had three assists and single assists were picked up by Nemo Neubauerova, Coralie Larose and Rosalie Demers
All-Time Series
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 19-7-3. Colgate holds a 5-4-1 series advantage in the past ten contests.
Scouting the Raiders
Colgate is coming into the weekend with a 1-2 overall record. The Raiders received one vote on the USCHO.com Poll this week.
The Raiders are coming off of two losses to second-ranked Minnesota last weekend. They fell 2-0 on Friday and 8-1 on Saturday.
Danielle Serdachny, Neubauerova, Larose and Gates are on top of the roster with two points each. Malia Schneider and Allyson Simpson have one point apiece.
In net, Liz Auby has a 1-1-0 record with a 1.79 goals against average and .926 save percentage. Alexa Dobchuk has a 0-1-0 record with a 9.24 GAA and a .794 save percentage.
Laker Outlook
Mercyhurst returns 18 players: 11 forwards, five defensemen and two goaltenders. They have added three defensemen, two forwards and two goaltenders.
The Lakers have five seniors, eight juniors, five sophomores and seven freshman this year.
Mercyhurst has brought back seven of its top ten scorers, including its top four from last season. Among the returners is top goal and point scorer Nuutinen (16g, 12a) and top assist grabber Knott (5g, 17a).
Additional top scorers returning for the Lakers are,
Summer-Rae Dobson (8g, 15a),
Alexa Vasko (12g, 6a), sbell (9g, 9a), Marmen (4g, 10a) and
Michele Robillard (4g, 8a).
In net, Mercyhurst returns Blair and
Leah Klassen. Last season Blair played 18 games while starting 16 of them. She put forth a 4-10-4 record with a 3.00 goals against average and .892 save percentage. She earned one shutout. Klassen played in two games while starting one of them. She went 0-1-0 with a 5.03 GAA and .875 save percentage. Newcomers between the pipes include
Jenna Silvonen and
Julia Maguire.
Other newcomers include
Abigail Schauer,
Gabrielle Cox,
Jordan Mortlock,
Alexandria Weissand
Aubrey Cole.
College Hockey America Preseason Poll
1. Mercyhurst (22 points - 3 first place votes)
2. Robert Morris (20 points - 1 first place vote)
3. Syracuse (19 points - 2 first place votes)
4. Penn State (15 points)
5. RIT (8 points)
6. Lindenwood (6 points)
Captains Corner
The Lakers will be led by tri-captains this season including Knott, Vasko and Robillard.
Behind the Bench
Michael Sisti enters his 21st season behind the Lakers' bench. With a 477-175-53 record, Sisti has installed a winning tradition in the program.
Also returning are assistant coaches
Kelley Steadman and
Beth Hanrahan. Steadman begins her third season while Hanrahan starts her second.
Next Up
The Lakers welcome non-conference opponent Sacred Heart for the home opener on Oct. 11-12. Puck drops at 3:05 p.m. on Friday and 2:05 p.m. on Saturday.
Stay Connected
Keep up with the team by following their social media:
Twitter: @HurstWHockey
Facebook: facebook.com/hurstwhky
Instagram: @HurstWHockey
