Erie, Pa — The Lakers will finally return to home ice for the first time in over a month with Air Force set to come into town for a weekend series. Mercyhurst's travel spanned from New York to Indiana on their month-long play away from Erie, going 2-4-1 over that stretch.

Matchup History
It's the first and only matchup for the two teams this upcoming weekend for the season. Over their previous 49 meetings, the Lakers have gone 18-27-4. Their last outings took place in Colorado, dropping both games, but, when the Falcons traveled to Erie last season, it was the opposite.  Mercyhurst swept both games at home last season by an aggregate score of 9-5.

Recap
Mercyhurst had a momentous weekend against RIT last time out, splitting the series with the #20 ranked Tigers. Simon Bucheler was the MVP on the ice for the Lakers, with 66 saves and a .985 save percentage. He put on a masterclass tallying 51 saves in a shutout on Sunday to earn Head Coach Rick Gotkin his 600th career win. Gotkin's milestone puts him in elite territory that only 15 other NCAA hockey coaches have achieved. Boris Skalos also played a big part, scoring two goals over Both games, tying for the team lead in goals. 

Stats Leaders
Philip Waugh and Garrett Dahm lead the team in points on the season so far with 7 (4G, 3A for Waugh and 1G, 6A for Dahm).
Waugh's 4 goals lead the team along with freshman Boris Skalos.
Garrett Dahm has the lead in assists with his 6.
Jake Beaune is the team leader in blocks with 23.
Owen Say leads the team in saves with 234 and Simon Bucheler leads save percentage with a .951.

A Look at the Air Force
Longtime coach Frank Serratore heads the Falcons for his 27th season in charge, with over 400 wins under his belt. Air Force adds 11 total new faces to their roster this season, all of whom are freshmen. One of their joint top scorers on the team last season, with 11, Will Gavin returns for his senior year as well as their top goalie duo from last season. Guy Blessing and Maiszon Balboa combined for 610 saves and a .891 save percentage last year.

Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm on Saturday, November 18th at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.