Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Women's Hockey team opens the 2022-23 schedule this weekend as they host St. Anselm of the NEWHA.
1. First Time For Everything
This is the first time that the Lakers and Hawks will be facing off in program history. Last season the Hawks went 16-13-3 with a 11-6-3 record in conference play. They had non-conference wins over Maine, Dartmouth, Brown, while also winning two games in the NEWHA playoffs over Saint Michaels and LIU.
2. New Year, New Team
The Lakers return the ice with nine new players including seven freshmen and two graduate transfers. Mercyhurst lost seven players to graduation from last season including Alexa Vasko and K.K. Thiessen who were captains a season ago. Graduate Student Liliane Perreault takes the reigns as captain this season while Sara Boucher and Vanessa Upson will be assistant captains. Upson was named the CHA Preseason Player of the Year while the Lakers as a team were ranked third in the CHA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
3. Experienced in Net
Ena Nystrøm is the only returning goalie for the Lakers, she is joined by graduate transfers Frankie Sanchez and Jada Brenon. Nystrøm played in 22 games last season and had a 1.87 goals against average while making 551 saves which was good for a .939 save percentage. Sanchez joins the Lakers after a four year career at Sacred Heart. In her career she has played in 77 games and has a 2.72 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. Brenon also played four seasons in college but with Holy Cross. She appeared in 98 games and had a .905 save percentage in over 5500 career minutes.
4. Coaching History
Head Coach Michael Sisti enters his 24th season as the bench boss for the Lakers, he has a 529-204-61 record. He is also second all-time in wins among DI Women's College Hockey coaches. Friday's game will be Sisti's 700th game as a coach in the CHA, he is the first coach to accomplish this feat in the CHA. In conference play he has a 356-54-27 record while the Lakers have won 15 CHA Championships.
5. Where to Watch
This season the CHA has signed an agreement with Flosports to broadcasts their games. The opening weekend against Saint Anselm will not be on Flosports but will be broadcasted on the PSAC Digital Network for no cost. Following the opening weekend, all Mercyhurst home games and road games against RIT and Lindenwood will be found on Flosports. This service is available in all of North America and Europe.
