ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst women's hockey team hosted Delaware in the first-ever matchup between the two sides. The Lakers held a lead for most of the game until the Blue Hens equalized in the final three seconds of the game. In overtime, Sophie McKinley found the game winner as the Lakers earned their first conference win of the season. 
 
Mercyhurst (4-6-1, 1-2-0 AHA) began the first period with a strong offensive push, controlling the pace early with multiple shots on goal from players such as Abby Poitras and Payten Evans. Delaware (1-10-0, 0-7-0 AHA) found themselves defending in the early stages. The period's momentum shifted decisively during a power play opportunity for Mercyhurst. Julia Perjus capitalized on the advantage, netting the first goal with assists from Julia Schalin and Poitras at 17:30. This was Perjus' sixth goal of the season. Mercyhurst closed the period leading 1-0, maintaining defensive strength as Delaware failed to convert their chances.
 
The Lakers continued to fire shots in goal but had yet to find a second. At 8:57 in the second frame, Delaware equalized and found themselves back in the game. This was the Blue Hen's first goal in three games. The Lakers had multiple attempts during power plays, but the Blue Hen's defense had a five-minute penalty kill to keep things level. Jessica Ciarrocchi finally broke through for Mercyhurst with a goal at 5:24, assisted by Kate Donegan and Henley Mahoney, reclaiming the lead at 2-1. This marked Ciarrocchi's third goal of the season. The Lakers maintained their composure, concluding the period with the lead.
 
Mercyhurst began the third period with significant offensive pressure, registering multiple shots on goal. Despite these efforts, Delaware's goaltender, Mattie Robitzer, made crucial saves to keep the score at 2-1. Mercyhurst faced a penalty for tripping at 13:27 but successfully killed the power play without allowing a goal. As the period progressed, Delaware continued to challenge Mercyhurst's defense. A late penalty for too many players on the ice put the Lakers on the penalty kill again, but they managed to hold off the Blue Hen's offensive attempts. With only three seconds left on the clock, Delaware scored with an extra attacker. The period concluded tied 2-2 after this last-second goal.
 
Mercyhurst began the overtime period by winning the faceoff through McKinley, establishing early control. The team applied offensive pressure with multiple shots from Poitras and Schalin, although Delaware's defense managed to block and save these attempts. As the clock wound down, Mercyhurst maintained momentum. With 1:11 on the clock, McKinley scored the game-winning goal in sudden death overtime. This was assisted by Holly VanNetten and Schalin. It also marked McKinley's second goal of the season and secured the 3-2 victory for the Lakers. This was the Laker's first overtime victory since they beat No. 4 Colgate 4-3 last season. 
 
Game two will take place tomorrow, Nov. 1 with a 1:00 p.m. puck drop.