The Mercyhurst women's ice hockey team is ready for its last regular season weekend series with a trip to Penn State on Feb. 28-29. Puck drops at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.
 
Last Time Out
Mercyhurst finished its home schedule with a sweep of Syracuse. The Lakers won 6-2 on Friday and 1-0 on Saturday.
 
On Friday, Summer-Rae Dobson scored two goals and add an assist while Maggie Knott and Emma Nuutinen had one goal and one assist. Michele Robillard and Rachel Marmen had one goal each. Sam Isbell tallied two assists while single assists were credited to Jordan Mortlock, Megan Korzack, Emily Pinto and Aubrey Cole.
 
In net, Jenna Silvonen made 22 saves in her fourth win of the season.
 
During Saturday's game, Nuutinen tallied the lone goal while Alexa Vasko and K.K. Thiessen had assists.
 
In net, Kennedy Blair made 25 saves in her fourth shutout of the season.
 
Previous Matchup
The Lakers and Nittany Lions met at the MIC in January where the two teams tied 1-1 both nights.
 
Robillard, Nuutinen, Pinto, Dobson and Knott had points for Mercyhurst. In net, Blair made 30 saves on Friday and Silvonen made 24 saves on Saturday.
 
Rene Gangarosa, Amy Dobson, Izzy Heminger, Katie Rankin, Rachel Weiss and Anna Promersberger had points for Penn State. In net, Chantal Burke made 29 saves on Friday and 32 saves on Saturday.
 
All-Time Series
Mercyhurst leads the all-time series 18-3-9 including a 3-0-7 edge in the past 10 contests.
 
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Brooke Madsen is leading the roster with 18 points. Natalie Heising and Gangarosa each have 17 points and Shea Nelson has 16 points.
 
In net, Burke has a 11-9-7 record with a 1.65 goals against average and .937 save percentage. Jenna Brenneman has a 0-0-1 record with a 2.32 GAA and .889 save percentage. Cam Leonard 0-4-0 record with a 4.79 GAA and .826 save percentage.
 
Burke is ranked eighth on the nation with a 1.65 goals against average and ranked seventh with a .937 save percentage. She is 23rd with a .538 save percentage.
 
Laker Outlook
Mercyhurst is coming into the weekend with a 18-9-5, 12-3-3 record.
 
Nuutinen leads the roster with 20 goals and 37 points. Dobson is next with 32 points and Isbell is on top of the roster with 25 assists and has 31 points. Knott has 26 points and Robillard and Vasko have 24 points each.
 
In net, Blair has a 14-7-3 record with a 2.15 GAA and .917 save percentage. Silvonen has a 4-2-2 record with a 2.13 GAA and .913 save percentage. Leah Klassen has played in one game making eight saves.
 
National Rankings
Nuutinen is ranked 11th in the nation with 0.67 goals per game and 21st in the nation with 1.23 points per game. She is tied for fourth with eight power play goals.
 
Isbell is tied for fourth in the nation with 1.00 points per game as a defenseman and ranked 14th in the nation with 0.81 assists per game.
 
Blair is ranked 11th in the nation with a .646 winning percentage.
 
Special Teams
Mercyhurst is ranked sixth in the nation and second in the CHA on the power play with 20.0 percent. The Lakers are ranked 10th in the nation and first in the CHA on the penalty kill going 88.5 percent.
 
CHA Weekly Awards
Nuutinen was named the CHA Player of the Week while Blair was named the CHA Goalie of the Week.
 
Undefeated Lakers
Mercyhurst finished the home schedule undefeated on home ice with a 12-0-4 record. This marks the first time since the 2008-09 season and the second time in program history that this achieve has been accomplished. 
 
CHA Standings
1 – Mercyhurst (27)
2 – Robert Morris (26)
3 – Syracuse (22)
4 – Penn State (17)
5 – RIT (9)
6 – Lindenwood (7)
 
Next Up
Mercyhurst will play in the CHA Tournament on March 5-7 in Buffalo, N.Y. at the Harbor Center. The Lakers have locked in a first-round bye.
 
Stay Connected
Keep up with the team by following their social media:
Twitter: @HurstWHockey
Facebook: facebook.com/hurstwhky
Instagram: @HurstWHockey
 

Alexa Vasko previews the last regular season weekend series, as we head to Penn State! #HurstHockey pic.twitter.com/SKOsx8DwFa

— Mercyhurst W. Hockey (@HurstWHockey) February 27, 2020