Erie, PA—After a weekend split with the RIT Tigers the Lakers will be back on the ice this weekend to face the Robert Morris Colonials. Mercyhurst and Robert Morris will be squaring off for the first time since they met in the CHA Final in which Mercyhurst won 2-1 in overtime to capture their 15th conference championship.
 
Laker Overview
The Lakers were able to finish their season series RIT on January 7th and 8th. The Lakers were able to win three of the four games with the Tigers, outscoring RIT 11-3 over the first four games of the 2020-21 season.
 
Mercyhurst outshot the Tigers on January 6th 42-22, however they were not able to beat RIT goalie Taylor Liotta. Sophomore transfer Ena Nystrøm made her Laker debut and was close to perfect stopping 21 of 22 shots.
 
Mercyhurst and RIT then traveled to Rochester to play their fourth and final game of the season. The Lakers were able to come out on top 4-0 over the Tigers. Alexa Vasko, Sara Boucher, Megan Korzack all scored for the Lakers while Chantal Ste-Croix notched her first career goal for the Lakers. Jenna Silvonen started in net for the Lakers and recorded her first shutout of the season.
 
The Lakers have received all of their goals from the forward group this season. Leading the way in goals has been freshmen Sara Boucher. In her first collegiate season Boucher has tallied three goals while adding an assist. Right behind her in goals is senior Megan Korzack who has two goals and two assists for Mercyhurst. Liliane Perreault has two goals on the season while Sarah Nelles, Emily Pinto, Chantal Ste-Croix and Alexa Vasko each have a goal on the season.
 
Both Jenna Silvonen and Ena Nystrøm played a game against RIT in their last series. Nystrøm started her first Mercyhurst game and stopped 21 of 22 shots that were thrown her way.
 
Jenna Silvonen has appeared in three of the first four game and has only allowed two goals for the Lakers. She currently sits at a .967 save percentage which is tops in the conference. She also sits atop the conference in Goals Against Average with .67 and 1.000 winning percentage.
 
Scouting the Colonials
The Colonials have a 4-2 record coming into the first series with Mercyhurst. Robert Morris opened their season in early December with a series with Lindenwood, the Colonials were able to sweep the Lions outscoring Lindenwood 8-2 in the two games
 
Robert Morris then traveled out to Lindenwood to take on the Lions once again and were able to once again sweep Lindenwood to open their season 4-0, through four games Robert Morris had outscored their opponents 14-3 before they went on their holiday break.
 
Like the Lakers Robert Morris came back from break and played Adrian beating the Bulldogs 7-0. The Colonials then faced Penn State on January 8th and 9th. Robert Morris fell by scores of 3-2 and 4-1 as they were swept by the Nittany Lions.
 
Junior Michaela Boyle currently leads the Colonials in goals and is tied for the top spot in points, she has recorded three goals while add-ing two assists. Senior Lexi Templeman and freshman Ellie Macrovsky both have recorded two goals and three assists through the first six games of the season.
 
Emilie Harley leads scoring from the blueline as she has posted four assists while Emily Curlett has one goal and two assists, Wasyn Rice has two goals from the backend.
In net for the Colonials both Arielle DeSmet and Raygan Kirk have split time for the Colonials with DeSmet having a .949 Save Percentage while Kirk has a .948 Save Percentage
 
Battle on Special Teams
The Lakers have been very successful on the penalty kill this season. Mercyhurst has killed all 19 penalties they have taken this season. Opposing teams only have 12 shots on net during their powerplays. The Lakers are the only team in the CHA to have killed off all their penalties. Mercyhurst and Ohio State are the only two schools to be perfect on the penalty kill.
 
While the Lakers have been perfect on the penalty kill, they have also scored twice on their 13 chances on the powerplay. Robert Morris has converted on six of their 31 attempts while only allowing three goals on 18 penalty kills.
 
 
Up Next
Robert Morris will head to Syracuse to face the Orange for the first time this season on January 22nd and 23rd.
 
Due to COVID-19 protocols at Lindenwood, the Lakers next matchup is scheduled for January 29th and 30th at the Mercyhurst Ice Center versus Syracuse.
 
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.