Erie, PA—The Mercyhurst Women's Hockey Team will be back on the ice once again to face the RIT Tigers.
The Lakers and Tigers squared off on December 10th and 11th in which Mercyhurst won by scores of 2-1 and 5-1. The win on December 11th was Head Coach Michael Sisti's 500th career win.
Laker Overview
The Lakers opened their 2021 calendar year with an exhibition game against Division III Adrian College. Mercyhurst was able to come out on top by a score of 3-2. Summer-Rae Dobson, Sara Boucher and Liliane Perreault scored for the Lakers while all three goalies saw time between the pipes.
The Lakers went into their game with Adrian after sweeping RIT to open their season. In the season opener in Rochester, Sara Boucher provided the offense for the Lakers in her first collegiate game, as she scored both goals for the Lakers. Megan Korzack, Emily Pinto, Rachel Marmen all picked their first points of the season in the opener while Jenna Silvonen picked up the win stopping 23 of 24 shots.
The next day the teams travelled back to Erie as the Lakers looked to complete the sweep heading into the holiday break and give Sisti is 500th career win. The Lakers did just that by scoring five goals on the Tigers and allowing just 19 shots to get through to Silvonen who stopped 18 of the 19. The Lakers received goals from Korzack, Pinto, Sarah Nelles, while Liliane Perreault added her first two of the season.
The Laker special teams have been on the strength of the Lakers as they scored on two of their seven powerplays against the Tigers in the opening series. The Lakers were able to continue their success against Adrian as they went one of three while registering 11 of their 41 shots with the advantage.
Scouting the Tigers
RIT opened their 2020-21 season on November 27 against Syracuse. The Tigers fell 7-1 with Carrissa Hlywa scoring the lone goal. In net for RIT Jessi O'Leary made 27 saves in her season debut.
The Tigers then played Mercyhurst on December 10th and 11th in their first home and home series with the Lakers. RIT fell by scores of 2-1 and 5-1. Tori Haywood and Lindsay Maloney scored the two lone goals for the Tigers. Jessi O'Leary was the goaltender for both games.
RIT has yet to convert on any of their 13 powerplays while allowing five powerplay goals on 13 opposing powerplays.
The Tigers return 13 players from a season ago in which they went 12-19-4 overall and 5-13-2 in CHA play. RIT returns their leading point getter Abby Davies who posted 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points as a sophomore. In net for the Tigers both Jessi O'Leary and Taylor Liotta return. Liotta played in just two games for the Tigers, while O'Leary played in 12 games posting a 3.48 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. Emma Stephen will join the Tigers as a freshman in net. The Tigers added 9 freshmen to the 2020-21 roster.
UP NEXT
The Lakers will play Sacred Heart in a non-conference game on Sunday, January 10th with faceoff scheduled for 1:05 PM at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. Starting on January 15th Mercyhurst will start a home and home series with Robert Morris.
RIT will a start a series with Lindenwood on January 10th in Rochester.
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.
