Erie, Pa. – The Mercyhurst Lakers Women's Ice Hockey team earned a 2-1 win over #6 Cornell on Saturday afternoon at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. Goals from Thea Johansson and Sofia Nuutinen propelled the Lakers to their second win of the season and second win over a top 10 team. 

How It Happened: 

Mercyhurst took the lead late in the first period when Thea Johansson scored a power-play goal at 13:07, assisted by Regina Metzler and Vanessa Upson. Johansson's goal gave the Lakers a 1-0 advantage, which they carried into the first intermission. 

After a scoreless second period, the Lakers extended their lead early in the third. Sofia Nuutinen scored her first goal of the season at 4:07, with assists from Kylee Mahoney and Mary Kromer, putting Mercyhurst up 2-0. 

Cornell responded at 12:17 with a goal from Karel Prefontaine, assisted by Abby Thibodeau and Delaney Fleming, cutting the Lakers' lead to 2-1. Despite Cornell's late pressure, Mercyhurst goaltender Magdalena Luggin made key saves down the stretch, finishing with 43 saves on the day to preserve the victory. 

Notable Performances: 

• Thea Johansson scored her fourth goal of the season on the power play. 

• Sofia Nuutinen netted her first goal of the season and 12th of her career. 

• Magdalena Luggin made 43 saves to backstop the Lakers to victory.  Those 43 saves were a career-high and the win was Luggin's first of her career. 

• Second straight game that a Lakers backstop has posted 40+ saves. 

• Vanessa Upson added an assist and won 19 of 27 faceoffs. 

Up Next: 

The Lakers will look to build on this victory as they travel to Columbus on Tuesday for a date with the second ranked Buckeyes.  Puck drop is set for 6 PM.