Box Score Erie, Pa. — The Lakers and RedHawks kicked off game two of the series in then Mercyhurst Ice Center. After Mercyhurst captured game one in OT at Miami's house, the roles reversed today with Miami able to shutout the Lakers 2-0 in Erie to split the series.
How It Happened
Miami came out of the gate aggressive with hopes to bounce back after the overtime heartbreak on Friday. The RedHawks attack looked promising when they picked up a power play 5 minutes in, but the Lakers were able to lock down defensively and get penalty kill on their first endeavor. The lone goal in the period came from Miami, only 4 minutes after failing to capitalize on the penalty, with John Waldron sliding it in the net at the 11 minute mark. Mercyhurst got close to throwing one past the goalie on their own power play with Mickey Burns flying in, but after the review the Lakers still trailed. Miami's defense was able to limit the offense as a whole to a few shots in the period, seeing them take their 1-0 lead into the break.
The second period saw the Lakers offensive approach improve with them firing more shots to test Miami goalie Logan Neaton, but weren't able to come up with the game tying goal. More power plays were in the cards for the RedHawks, only resulting in more penalty kills for the Lakers with Owen Say displaying how solid he can be on the other end of the ice. The mounting penalties in the period resulted in a chippy, physical end to the period and Miami's 1-0 lead stood with one period left to play.
It was more of the same to start the final period, Say made a couple of huge saves with his pads and left hand on Miami breakaways in early pressure. The RedHawks were tested when Mercyhurst went on the power play and had to deal with a period of sustained attack from the persistent Lakers. But, right at the close of the power play, Miami's star man Matthew Barbolini struck again after stripping the puck, putting Mercyhurst at a 2-0 disadvantage. The Lakers put an all out effort in the close of the game, going the last 1:55 without a goalie. They were able to keep the puck mostly in the attacking zone and fire shots, but ended up coming up short, solidifying a series split with their competitors.
Highlights
Owen Say had 29 saves off of 31 shots faced.
Jake Beaune, Steven Agriogianis, and Adrien Bisson all blocked 3 shots on the night.
Next Up
Mercyhurst begins December with another home and home series, this time against Canisius. They'll travel to Buffalo, N.Y. on the 1st and play back at Erie on the 2nd.
