Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Men's Hockey team will play their first Atlantic Hockey road series this weekend as they take on the RIT Tigers on Friday and Saturday.
The Matchup
The Lakers and Tigers have played 47 times dating back to the 1988-89 season. The Lakers are 16-27-4 in Division I play against the Tigers. Mercyhurst and RIT met three times last season with RIT winning the first two games by scores of 2-1 and 6-4. Mercyhurst won the final game by a score of 6-2.
Sunday Funday
This past Sunday the Lakers took on the US National Team Development Program in an exhibition games at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. The Lakers scored seven times and defeated the USNTDP 7-3.
Jonathan Bendorf netted a hat-trick in the game while three other players scored. Rylee St. Onge scored twice while Josh McDougall and Steven Ipri also scored for the Lakers.
Hank Johnson and Kyle McClellan split time in the net while Johnson made eight saves and McClellan 10.
Jake Beaune and Pierce Crawford added two assists each while Dante Sheriff and Devon Daniels added assists in the win.
Last Time In Atlantic Hockey
The Lakers opened AHA play on Oct. 15 and 16 against Holy Cross. Mercyhurst and the Crusaders tied 4-4 in the opener with the Lakers taking the extra point in the shootout. Carson Briere scored four times in the game and became the first Laker to do so since Matt Pierce did it in 2009 against AIC. Sheriff and Owen Norton each picked up three assists in the game. McClellan made 20 saves including 11 in the third period to earn the tie.
Mercyhurst picked up their win of the season in a 5-2 win over Holy Cross the next day. Five different Lakers scored in the game including Briere who scored five goals in two games. Noah Kane, Marko Reifenberger, St. Onge and Austin Heidemann scored for the Lakers. Hank Johnson made 20 saves in the win which included 11 in the first period.
Battle of Special Teams
Mercyhurst is 5-16 on the powerplay this season with Briere having three of the five goals. Sheriff and Bendorf have scored the other two for the Lakers. The Laker penalty kill have killed 7-15 power plays while also generating two shots.
RIT is 0-23 with the man advantage this season while generating just 28 shots. Their penalty kill has been almost perfect allowing just two goals on 23 attempts while they have also scored a short-handed goal.
Player of the Week
Briere was named Atlantic Player of the Week after his five goal weekend against Holy Cross. He was the first Laker to be named player of the week this season while also being the first Laker to do it since Heidemann did so on Jan. 26, 2021.
Where they Rank
Briere comes into the weekend leading the country in points per game (2.00) and goals per game (1.75) while also being tied for the most goals in Division I (7). He is also fifth in the country with three power-play goals.
Sheriff is tied for 11th in points per game (1.75) and is tied for the lead in assists per game (1.50). He is also tied for 5th in the nation with six assists.
Scouting RIT
Similarly to the Lakers, the Tigers' early taste of AHA action saw them beat Army 4-3 on Oct. 8 and tie West Point the next night but also earned the extra point in the shootout. This past weekend they split a series with an overtime win at Notre Dame before a 6-0 loss the next night.. Will Calverley leads the way offensively with four goals and an assist through the early part of the season. Kolby Matthews has spent the most time in net for the Tigers. He has started and played in four games so far, with a 1.96 goals against average and a 94.2% save percentage. He has a 3-0-1 record in net.
Up Next
The Lakers come back home on Nov. 5 to take on Sacred Heart at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
