The Mercyhurst Women's Ice Hockey team is set to play Cornell University this weekend, it will be the first time that the two teams will play one another since they were scheduled to meet in the 2019-20 NCAA Quarterfinals at Cornell. That game, and season, ultimately got canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Matchup
The games this weekend will be the 33rd and 34th that the two programs have played one another. Mercyhurst holds a 16-11-5 advantage over The Big Red; they have scored 65 goals compared to Cornell's 49 in the series. The last time the two teams matched up it resulted in a 2-1 Cornell victory in early 2020.
Laker Overview
The Lakers are coming off a weekend series against Union College that saw Mercyhurst win the first game 5-0 and tie in the second 2-2. In the opener on Friday,
Vanessa Upson continued her hot start to the season as she scored two goals for the Lakers. Third year captain
Alexa Vasko added two goals of her own; she was named the CHA Forward of the Week for her performance during the series.
Sara Boucher knocked in the other Lakers tally for her second goal of the season, Boucher along with
Liliane Perreault each had were credited with two assists in the contest.
In the second game against Union, the Dutchmen scored first to take their first lead of the series. Vasko responded with her third goal over the two game span and
Chantal Ste-Croix scored next for the Lakers to put them up 2-1 however, Union scored with 10 minutes remaining that tied the game at two all.
Where They Rank
Upson currently leads all of College Hockey America in points and goals. The freshman has seven goals and six assists to lead the way for Mercyhurst. Her seven goals are tied for third best in all of Division 1 Women's College Hockey.
Alexa Vasko and
Kristy Pidgeon are right behind Upson in goals, both have recorded five so far this season. Lilane Perreault is still a top of the CHA assists leader board, her eight assists are two more than the next highest players in the rankings which are Upson and Boucher. Mercyhurst skaters hold the six top point totals in the conference.
Jenna Silvonen leads in GAA at 1.58, her counterpart Ena Nystrom leads in save percentage with a .933 mark.
Up Front
The Lakers have seven forwards that all have at least five points so far this season. Upson leads the way with 13 (7g,6a), she is followed by Pidgeon and Perreault who both have nine points a piece.
Alexa Vasko and
Sara Boucher have the next highest total with eight,
Emily Pinto has 6 (2g,4a) and freshman
Marielle Parks has 5 (4g,1a). All together, Mercyhurst's offensive attack has been paced by a good combination of upperclassmen and underclassmen. The Senior and Junior forwards have combined for 35 points this year while the Freshman and Sophomores have 31.
On the Blueline
The Mercyhurst defensive core has been strong all season only allowing 1.8 goals against per game.
Sydney Pedersen and
Jordan Mortlock lead the group in points as they both have been credited with four assists so far.
Jersey Phillips, who converted from forward to defense this season, has the lone goal this season from the blueliners. Co-captain
K.K. Thiessen leads the group in +/- rating with +8.
Alexane Rheaume leads the teams with 15 blocked shots in the first nine games.
The Last Line of Defense
Head Coach Mike Sisti continues to rotate his two junior goalies as each got starts in goal in the series against Union. Ena Nystrom recorded her first career shutout in the Lakers win over Union on Friday. Nystrom recorded 30 saves en route to the 5-0 victory over the Dutchmen, she now has a 3-1 record in starts this year as well as a .933 save percentage.
Jenna Silvonen started in the 2-2 tie. She made 21 saves on Saturday to help the Lakers secure the point. For the season, Silvonen has a 3-1-1 record while posting a .925 save percentage.
Scouting Cornell
Cornell will begin its 2021-22 season when the puck drops on Friday night. The Big Red did not participate in any games last season due to the pandemic however during the 2019-20 season, they went 28-2-3 and won the ECAC Championship. As mentioned before, they were scheduled to square off with Mercyhurst in the NCAA Quarterfinals before the season was suspended.
Gillis Frechette is the leading returning scorer for the Big Red. In the 2019-20 season, Frechette put in 17 goals while having 13 helpers to give her 30 points during that season, her 30 points were good enough for sixth best on the team.
Up Next
Mercyhurst will return home to the Mercyhurst Ice Center following this week's games against Cornell to host Penn State. The two games against the Nittany Lions will be the teams first official College Hockey America matchups of the season.
