Erie, Pa. — Mercyhurst bounced back to defeat RIT in game two of the series, solidifying a split and an overall season series split. They kept up with the conference leading Tigers all weekend and finally broke through today at a 3-2 final.

How It Happened
Last night the Tigers were the ones to get off the hot start, but tonight the game side were cooking early to get the scoring underway. Mercyhurst came out of the gate aggressive and were sharp in their passing, setting them up for a power play goal halfway through the period. Mickey Burns played it at the edge of the zone to Trent Sambrook, who ripped a slap shot towards goal. Keanan Stewart was there in front of the net to tip in past RIT goalie Luke Lush. The Lakers looked strong, leading in most categories in the period to help take their 1-0 lead into the second.

It didn't take long into the second period for RIT to bring it back level. They went on their first power play of the game 18 seconds in and scored only 15 seconds later. Carter Wilkie fed the puck up to Cody Laskosky as his pass deflected off a defender to eventually hit Matthew Wilde in front of net to sink it. Roles remained reversed for the remainder of the second period with the Tigers seeming lie the ones knocking on the door offensively, but a solid defensive effort and a 19 save period from Owen Say kept them at bay. It went to the final period of play knotted at one a piece.

The deadlock remained for most of the final period, with overtime looking like a likely outcome. All the action came within the final five minutes of play as the Lakers were able to stun the Tigers with back-to-back goals. Mercyhurst captain Marko Reifenberger was able to get the tie breaker after Boris Skalos and Sean James broke away allowing him to fly in and bury one past the keeper. Less than two minutes later Will Margel stripped the RIT offense to feed it up to Burns for quick 3-1 lead. The Tigers grabbed one more before  the clock ran out through Elijah Gonsalves. The Lakers locked down in the final two minutes to secure a 3-2 win. 

Highlights
Keanan Stewart scored his 8th goal of the season.
Mickey Burns got his 5th goal and notched his 11th assist of the campaign.
Marko Reifenberger scored his 5th goal of the year.
Trent Sambrook got his 7th assist.
Sean James grabbed an assist for his 1st ever point.
Boris Skalos and Will Margel both got their 9th assist.
Owen Say had 44 saves on 46 shots faced.

Scoring Summary

P1: 9:28 - Keanan Stewart from Trent Sambrook and Mickey Burns

P3: 14:41 - Marko Reifenberger from Sean James and Boris Skalos

P3: 16:11 - Mickey Burns from Will Margel

Next Up
Mercyhurst hit the road for Springfield, Massachusetts next weekend for a visit to AIC. The two game series will get underway on Friday, February 16th.