ERIE, Pa. - An essential conference series is on the horizon for Women's Hockey as they face the Syracuse Orange. The series will be held in Syracuse, N.Y., on Feb. 10 and 11, 2023. Game times are 6:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
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Previously on the Ice
The Lakers traveled to RIT to face the Tigers. The series ended with a tie and a win. On Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, Ena Nystrøm had an outstanding performance earning a 3-0 shutout.
Analyzing Syracuse
The two teams recently played each other at the end of January. The series ended up with a 6-1 win and a 1-1 tie.
The Orange are currently sitting in third place in the CHA, right behind the Lakers. They boast a 7-3-2 conference record (9-20-2 overall).
Sarah Thompson is leading the team in goals, posting 12. Lauren Bellefontaine is at the helm of both assists (18) and points (26).
Playoff Picture
The Lakers now sit second in the CHA with 16 points and have secured a playoff spot. Now it is the battle for home ice. The Lakers need to sweep the Orange this weekend to claim four more points, which would allow them to host the 2023 CHA Semifinals.
Penn State earned the title of CHA Regular Season Champions with 25 points in the season.
The top four teams in the CHA will head into the playoffs. The semi-finals will be best-of-three with the top seeds hosting.
The 2023 CHA Championship will be held on either March 3 or 4, 2023, with it being a single game.
Preseason Poll
The Lakers were picked to finish third in the College Hockey America (CHA) Coaches' Preseason Poll.
The team received 15 points while Penn State was at the helm with 20.
Preseason Recognition
Sophomore, Vanessa Upson, was named the CHA Preseason Player of the Year. The Stoney Creek, Ont., native had a spectacular rookie season as she not only led the CHA in points in conference play with 22 on 12 goals and 10 assists, but also finished the 2021-22 season as the nation's freshman leader in points and goals scored with 39 and 19, respectively, and was also tied for first in assists with 20 throughout her rookie campaign.
Vanessa Upson, Sydney Pedersen, and Ena Nystrom all earned spots on the Preseason All-CHA Team.
2022-23 Captains
Liliane Perreault will wear the "C" on her sweater this season. Alternate Captains, Vanessa Upson, and Sara Boucher will represent the Lakers as well.
A Look at the Roster
27 players represent the Lakers in the 2022-23 season. They are broken down into three graduate students, four seniors, six juniors, seven sophomores, and seven freshmen.
The team has athletes from the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Norway.
24 Years with Coach Sisti
Head Coach Michael Sisti is on his 24th campaign with the Lakers. He is the only head coach the program has ever known.
Sisti has turned a small-college women's hockey program into one of Division I's premier powers. The Lakers have won 508 games, have captured 17 regular season conference titles and 15 conference championship titles, and made 10 consecutive trips to the national tournament - an NCAA record - before the streak was halted in the 2014 season. Sisti has 336 wins compared to just 42 losses in conference play during his tenure as the Lakers' head coach.
2021-22 Season
The Lakers wrapped up the season with a record of 21-12-2. The team made it to the CHA finals where they faced Syracuse. They lost the game with a one-goal deficit.
