Buffalo, NY. – The Mercyhurst Lakers Men's Hockey team is set to take on the Canisius Golden Griffins in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey postseason on Saturday. The Lakers enter the postseason as the #11 seed and Canisius enters as the #6 seed.
Series History
Mercyhurst and Canisius will clash for the second straight season in the first round of the postseason. In three regular season matchups, the Lakers went 0-2-1 against Canisius. Canisius has the edge in the all-time series 25-17-4 over the Lakers and has won four out of the last five games in the series.
Laker Outlook
Mercyhurst (4-26-4, 4-19-3 AHA) enters the postseason after a tough series against RIT, where they suffered 3-2 and 6-3 losses. Despite the record, the Lakers have had standout performances from Mickey Burns (10G, 11A) and Steven Agriogianis (8G, 13A), who continue to lead the team in scoring. Dustin Geregach (7G, 14A) has also been a key contributor on both ends of the ice.
Goaltender Carter McPhail (3.51 GAA, .909 SV%) has been the primary option between the pipes, while Simon Bucheler (4.41 GAA, .877 SV%) has also seen significant time in net. Special teams have been a struggle, with the Lakers converting at 19.6% (18-for-92) on the power play, while their penalty kill sits at 71.9% (27 goals allowed on 96 opportunities).
Scouting Canisius
Canisius (11-21-2, 11-13-2 AHA) has had an up-and-down season but is coming off a 6-2 win over Niagara in their last outing. The Golden Griffins are led offensively by Matteo Giampa (8G, 22A) and Kyle Haskins (10G, 12A), both of whom have been playmakers throughout the season.
Goaltender Ethan Robertson (2.47 GAA, .913 SV%) has been solid in net, giving Canisius a reliable last line of defense. The Golden Griffins have a strong power play, converting at 23.8% (24-for-101), while their penalty kill sits at 77.9% (25 goals allowed on 113 chances).
Keys to the Game
Up Next
The winner of this one game playoff will advance to the AHA Quarterfinals. The opponent is TBD for either team.
