Erie, PA—The Mercyhurst Women's Hockey team announced its first four games of the 2020-21 schedule, which includes a return to the ice on December 5 at 3 pm against RIT at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
Mercyhurst will face the Tigers four times in the month of December. The Lakers will head to Rochester to play the Tigers on December 6th at 3 PM and again on December 10th at 3 PM. The Tigers will return to Erie on December 11th at 3 PM. The rest of the 2020-21 schedule will be released shortly.
"First, we hope everyone is staying healthy and safe in these unique times. We would like to thank CHA Commissioner, Bob DeGregorio, our Director of Athletics, Brad Davis, and the rest of the Athletic Directors of the CHA for their hard work to establish a 2020-21 schedule" Sisti said. "We feel fortunate to have a chance to defend our CHA Championship and watch our talented student-athletes represent Mercyhurst University on the ice."
The Lakers are coming off a 2019-20 season which saw them capture their 15th CHA Championship. Mercyhurst returns 16 student-athletes including senior captain Alexa Vasko who posted 10 goals and 17 assists while also earning the award for CHA Best Defensive Forward as a junior. CHA Championship overtime hero Summer-Rae Dobson will also return for her senior season. Dobson scored 16 goals and added 17 assists as a junior. Along with Vasko and Dobson the Lakers return Gabrielle Cox, Sarah Nelles, Megan Korzack, Emily Pinto, and Liliane Perreault at forward.
Jordan Mortlock is one of seven defensemen coming back for the Lakers, where she was named to the All-CHA Tournament Team last season. K.K. Thiessen will also be returning for her senior season, as a junior she recorded a team high +18 +/- rating while adding 17 points and 77 blocked shots as junior in 2019-20. Rachel Marmen will enter her senior season after playing in 36 games and blocking 60 shots as a junior. Mary Katherine Gialames, Alexane Rheaume, Alexandria Weiss and Aubrey Cole will also return for the Lakers on the blueline.
Sophomore Jenna Silvonen returns in net for the Lakers after her freshman year in which she played in 10 games posting a .913 save percentage. Silvonen will be joined by Senior Leah Klassen and Sophomore Ena Nystrøm. Nystrøm joins the Lakers after playing her freshman season at RPI and starting in 22 games as a freshman.
Along with Nystrøm, the Lakers have added Grace Nelles, Sara Boucher, Jersey Phillips, Mary Kromer, Paige Whaley, and Chantal Ste-Croix at forward and Calista Rowbottom is the lone defensemen joining the Lakers this season.
Spectator Policy for 2020-21 Season
Due to the current public health guidelines in the State of Pennsylvania, Mercyhurst University unfortunately will not be able to accommodate any spectators for the start of this season. While we are disappointed to share this news with our loyal supporters, this decision is an important step in continuing to provide a healthy environment for our student athletes, Mercyhurst, and Erie communities. Mercyhurst will continue to remain in communication with local, state, and federal agencies over the course of the season to explore possible fan attendance for this season.
While the Ice Center will be empty to start, we will be providing in depth coverage for you to stay connected with the team via social media and many other initiatives. Fans are encouraged to follow @Hurstwhockey on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and our website for the latest updates. Fans can also watch games online by clicking here. We look forward to having our proud supporters in attendance in the future.
