MERCYHURST (1-18-1, 1-10-1 AHA) vs. NIAGARA (7-12-5, 4-7-0 AHA)
Friday, Jan. 16 – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 17 – 6 p.m.
Erie, Pa. / Niagara Falls, N.Y.  
TV: Flo Hockey
 
The Mercyhurst men's hockey team is set to host Niagara Friday, Jan. 16 with a 7 p.m. puck drop. They then travel up to the Dwyer Arena for game two at 6 p.m. the following day.   
 
Previous Results
The Lakers are searching for their first win after a tough stretch of matchups to begin their campaign. They began the year at No. 12 Michigan and followed with a home series vs. Union. This series started a seven-game stretch on home ice. They began AHA play by hosting Holy Cross and then hosted UMass Lowell and Bentley. In November, they dropped a pair of tight conference matchups at RIT and Canisius. At the end of the month, they had a home-and-home against RMU. The Lakers picked up their first point of the year at RMU where they tied 1-1 before falling 3-2 in the shootout. Their lone matchup in December was a road contest at Holy Cross where they fell 4-1. The team began 2026 by traveling to No. 4 North Dakota. The Lakers fell 2-0 in game one and 6-1 in game two. Most recently, Mercyhurst split a series with Army. They shut out the Black Knights 3-0 in game one and then got shut out 5-0 in game two. 
 
Matchup History
Mercyhurst has an overall record of 22-27-7 against Niagara. The first matchup between the two sides took place in October of 1996 when the Lakers won 3-1. Niagara then won 6 of the next seven matchups and drew one in that span as well. Both teams have had a stretch or two of dominant runs against the other. From November of 2013 to January of 2018, the Lakers went 11-1-3. From January of 2019 to March of 2021 the Purple Eagles went 8-2-1 with a six-game win streak in there. Since, the two sides have shared results. The last series between these two was a home-and-home that Mercyhurst won 5-1 at home and Niagara won 6-3 at home. The Lakers are 14-11-3 at home against Niagara. Niagara is 15-8-4 at home against Mercyhurst. All signs say that this series could really go either way. 
 
Lakers to Look Out for
Will Schumacher currently leads the Laker's scoring column with six goals in 13 appearances. Schumacher has scored four goals in each of his last seven games. He recently scored in the team's 3-0 win over Army.

Dominik Bartecko has three goals and three assists and leads the team with six points. Bartecko had a two-point weekend in the team's home-and-home with Robert Morris at the end of November. The Nashville native scored at home and assisted a powerplay goal on the road. To start 2026, Bartecko fired a rocket into the top left corner of the net to briefly give the Lakers a 1-0 lead at No. 4 North Dakota.

Jacob LeBlanc leads the team assists with six. LeBlanc recorded six assists in nine games throughout October and November. His most recent assist was on the powerplay with Bartecko in the team's 1-1 draw at Robert Morris. 

Defensively, Trent Sambrook, John Larkin, and Christian Kocsis have led the way in terms of shot stopping. Sambrook leads the team with 29 blocks and has three assists to his tally. Larkin has a goal, two assists, and 27 blocks. Kocsis (2G, 2A, 4 PTS) is third on the team with 26 blocks. 

Between the pipes, Charles-Edward Gravel has played the most games. The Quebec native has a .898 save percentage, the highest on the team. Gravel also had a career-high 46 saves in the Laker's narrow 2-0 loss to No. 4 North Dakota in game one. He picked up his first shutout and made 39 saves in the team's 3-0 win against Army last weekend. 
 
Scouting Niagara  

• The Purple Eagles started the season with a three-game win streak.  
• They beat St. Lawrence 5-2 and swept Bowling Green 2-0 and 5-2. 
• They then were swept in series by Union, Robert Morris, and Holy Cross. 
• In mid-November, Niagara swept Army 6-4 and 4-1 at home. 
• Just a few days later they beat RIT 2-1 in OT off a game-winning goal from Ethan Lund. 
• RPI swept them 4-1 and 3-2 before they split their series with Bentley. 
• They defeated Guelph 4-2 at home on New Year's Eve before starting 2026 with a 6-2 loss to Clarkson. 
• Most recently, the Purple Eagles lost a home series to Sacred Heart after falling 5-4 in OT and 4-2 in game two. 
• Maxim Muranov (8G, 7A, 15 PTS), Declan McDonnell (6G, 9A, 15 PTS), and Lane Brockhoff (3G, 7A, 10 PTS, 35 BLKS) lead Niagara in goals, assists, points, and blocks.