Erie, Pa. – The Mercyhurst Lakers Men's Ice Hockey team fell 4-3 to Sacred Heart in an Atlantic Hockey contest on Friday night at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. Despite tying the game in the second period, a third-period goal from Sacred Heart sealed the victory as the Lakers dropped to 2-9-0 overall and 2-5-0 in conference play. 

How It Happened: 

Sacred Heart opened the scoring at 7:51 in the first period when Max Dorrington found the back of the net, assisted by Matthew Guerra and Tyler Ghirardosi. Mercyhurst responded swiftly, with Mickey Burns scoring at 9:29, assisted by Connor Pelc and Brendan Lamb, to tie the game at 1-1. The Pioneers regained the lead just nine seconds later when Felix Trudeau scored and added another at 10:54 from Tyler Ghirardosi to take a 3-1 advantage. 

Late in the first period, Dustin Geregach brought the Lakers back within one, scoring at 19:05 off an assist from Will Margel. The Lakers carried that momentum into the second period as Mickey Burns netted his second goal of the night at 3:50, with assists from Jake Beaune and Tyler DesRochers, tying the game at 3-3. 

The final period was tightly contested until Jake Hewitt scored the game-winning goal for Sacred Heart at 6:46, assisted by Charles Tardif and Jeremi Tremblay. Despite several attempts to equalize, the Lakers were unable to break through, and Sacred Heart secured the 4-3 victory. 

Notable Performances: 

• Mickey Burns led the Lakers with two goals, extending his point streak to six games. 

• Dustin Geregach added his third goal of the week and his fourth of the season. 

• Brendan Lamb recorded an assist, marking this third in the last four games. 

• Goaltender Simon Bucheler made 28 saves. 

Up Next: 

Mercyhurst will aim to bounce back as they face Sacred Heart again in the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is set for 4:00 PM.