University Park, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Men's Hockey team traveled to No. 20 Penn State on Thursday night for the first half of a home and home series. The Lakers dropped the first half of series by a score of 6-3.
How it Happened
The Nittany Lions wasted no time to open the scoring as they won the opening faceoff and made a couple quick passes and scored seven seconds into the game to make it 1-0.
Mercyhurst knew the needed to respond fast against the nationally ranked Nittany Lions and they did just that. Captain Rylee St. Onge opened the scoring for the Lakers at the 3:48 mark of the period as a puck found his stick in the slot, he made no mistake ripping it home. He was the first Lakers to score multiple goals this season.
At the end of the first period the Lakers and Nittany Lions were tied at one, Tyler Harmon made 17 saves in the opening 20 minutes.
The teams couldn't solve each other again until the 11:32 mark of the second period as Penn State took the lead back and made it 2-1.
Jonathan Bendorf joined St. Onge as the second Laker to have two goals this season. At the 13:12 mark of the second period Bendorf went on a two on one with Marko Reifenberger, Reifenberger passed it across the ice and Bendorf finished it off to make it 2-2. Brendon Michaelian picked up his second assist of the season on the play.
Penn State responded with a pair of goals within a minute and half to make it 4-2.
Mercyhurst responded before the end of the period. Down a man, Eric Esposito forced a turnover in the neutral zone and went in and scored his first goal as a Laker to make it a one goal game after 40 minutes of play.
Just under seven minutes into the third period Penn State scored to make it a two goal game once again.
The Nittany Lions added another goal at the 4:39 mark of the period on rebound from a two-on-one rush.
By the Numbers
The Lakers limited the Nittany Lions on their three power plays as they scored a shorthanded goal and allowed just four shots. Mercyhurst blocked 19 shots in the game which is tied for the second most this season. Harmon made a season high 45 saves, it is also the second most in a game in his career. Five different Lakers tallied points while Michaelian was a +2 on the night.
Hear From The Team
Up Next
The Lakers and Nittany Lions travel to Erie for the back half the home and home series. Puck drop is slated for 7:05 tomorrow at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
