Rochester, N.Y. – The Mercyhurst Lakers Women's Ice Hockey team extended their conference winning streak to seven games with a 3-2 victory over RIT on Friday evening at Gene Polisseni Center. The Lakers built a three-goal lead through two periods and held off a late surge from the Tigers to secure the conference win. 

How It Happened: 

Mercyhurst got on the board first at 12:16 of the opening period when Vanessa Upson scored an unassisted goal, marking her 10th tally of the season. Upson struck again at 17:54, finishing a play set up by Julia Schalin and Chantal Ste-Croix to give the Lakers a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. 

The Lakers added to their lead in the second period when Jade Maisonneuve found the back of the net at 9:02. Assisted by Marielle Parks and Regina Metzler, Maisonneuve's goal gave Mercyhurst a 3-0 advantage. 

RIT attempted a comeback in the third period, cutting the deficit to 3-1 at 6:38 with an even-strength goal from Kyla Bear, assisted by Linda Rulle. Bear struck again at 16:40 to bring the Tigers within one, but Mercyhurst held strong defensively in the final minutes to secure the win. 

Notable Performances: 

• Vanessa Upson recorded her third multi-goal game of the season, bringing her season total to 11 goals. 

• Jade Maisonneuve scored the game-winning goal, her sixth of the season. 

• Magdalena Luggin made 20 saves in net, improving to 6-6-0 in net. 

• Julia Schalin extended her point streak to four games with an assist. 

Up Next: 

Mercyhurst (16-12-1, 11-4-0 AHA) will wrap up the weekend series against RIT (13-13-3, 6-8-1 AHA) on Saturday afternoon. Puck drop is scheduled for 3 PM.