Erie, PA—The Mercyhurst Women's Hockey Team opened the 2021 calendar year with a 3-2 win over Adrian College in an exhibition game at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
How it Happened
The Lakers opened the scoring just 3:17 into the game when senior Summer-Rae Dobson picked up the loose puck in front of the net and roofed it beating Adrian goalie Sophie Goldberg. Two freshmen connected for the assists; Calista Rowbottom picked up an assist along with Chantal Ste-Croix.
Mercyhurst wasn't done in the first period. With 5:38 remaining in the opening frame, Liliane Perreault found the loose puck pop out from behind the net and slid it past Goldberg to extend the Laker lead as they headed to the locker room. Grace Nelles and Alexandria Weiss picked up assists on the play.
When the Lakers came out for the second period sophomore goalie Ena Nystrøm relieved sophomore goalie Jenna Silvonen in the crease.
Freshman Sara Boucher continued her scoring as she netted the third goal for the Lakers. Boucher was in the right place at the right time as the puck found its way to her stick as she was getting to her feet. Dobson picked up the lone assist on the mad scramble in front.
In the second period the Lakers racked up 25 shots compared to just 4 from the Bulldogs.
Senior Leah Klassen took over in the crease for the third period in which the Lakers were held off the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs started to claw back in the third, scoring their only goals five minutes apart from each other in the third period. Their comeback came up short as the Lakers outshot the Bulldogs 41-14.
Fresh Blood
Against the Lakers freshman skated accounted for four points in the win. Along with freshman production both Nystrøm and Klassen saw their first action of the season with Klassen making five saves on seven shots and Nystrøm stopping all four shots she saw to pick up the win.
Special Teams
The Lakers continued their success on special teams killing off both Bulldog powerplays while connecting on one of their three powerplays, along with having 11 shots with the advantage.
What's Next
The Lakers will start their second home and home series with the RIT Tigers on Wednesday starting at 3:05 PM at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. The Lakers will then travel to Rochester to take on the Tigers on Thursday at 3:00 PM.
