Erie, Pa. - The first taste of action in the month of December provided the Lakers with a plethora of strong performances. From the ice and to the courts, Mercyhurst showed out with two doing so more than anyone else. Women's ice hockey's Sofia Nuutinen and Jeff Planutis of men's basketball were those two, helping earn them PPG Athlete of the Week honors.
Nuutinen and the Lakers made their way west to see Lindenwood in CHA action with Mercyhurst coming out on top in the pair of games by a combined 12-6. The native of Vantaa, Fn. was a major reason for the team's success as she came away with six points on the weekend. Nuutinen began with a pair of goals and one assist in the first game of the series with her first goal being the opening salvo of the game just seconds in to give the Lakers a 1-0 lead. She followed that up with another one in the first period off of a power play to make it a 2-1 before rounding out her effort with an assist to Sara Boucher's empty netter in the waning seconds.
Nuutinen continued her strong play on Saturday in a a game in which she scored once while having two assists. Both of her helpers ended up being to Boucher on the first and fourth goals of the game for the Lakers. She then found the back of the cage for the third time on the weekend to make it a 3-0 game towards the midway point of the first, starting to put the game out of reach against their conference foes.
The Lakers take some time off before their next game as there are not more contests slated for 2023. The team returns to the ice on Friday, January 5th, when they host Yale at 3:00 p.m.
Planutis and the rest of the Lakers got their first taste of PSAC action this past weekend, coming out with a split. The graduate guard was a big reason for the team grabbing the win in game two, scoring a career-high 39 points in the 82-73 win. Planutis began his week against East Stroudsburg in a game in which he had 19 points to lead the game while knocking down six shots from the field with half of those coming from deep.
The native of Hazleton, Pa. continued his week on Saturday with the Golden Bears in a game in which he scored 39 points with 22 of those coming in the first half. His 39 were the most by a Laker since the 2017-18 season with his 13 made free throws also being the most in five season, showing this effort be a historic one. Planutis was more than just a scorer in that game as well as he finished with six rebounds to go along with four assists and one block. His efforts on offense helped him reach a major milestone in his career as it helped him eclipse the 1,000 point mark for his career as a Laker.
Mercyhurst returns to the court this weekend for one game as they are set to host Fredonia in an exhibition game this Saturday, December 9th, with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m.
