GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The Mercyhurst men's hockey team played game two of their first-ever series against No. 4 North Dakota. Last night, Charles-Edward Gravel made 46 saves in a 2-0 loss. Today, the Lakers got off to a hot start, with Dominik Bartecko scoring the opening goal. However, the Fighting Hawks scored six unanswered to secure a 6-1 victory.  
 
The game began with Mercyhurst (0-17-1, 0-9-1 AHA) establishing early control as Ryan Coughlin won the opening faceoff. The Lakers led in shots for the first half of the first period. Bartecko broke the deadlock at 13:11 with an unassisted goal, marking his third goal of the season. The puck had come his way, and he fired it into the top left corner of the net. North Dakota (16-4-0, 8-2-0 NCHC) evened the score at 5:46. The Lakers found themselves on the powerplay late in the first, but the Fighting Hawks held them off. The period ended at 1-1. 
 
Mercyhurst faced a challenging second period as they worked to contain North Dakota's offensive pressure. Despite multiple blocked shots by Laker defenders, including efforts from Will Schumacher and Francesco Iasenza, the Fighting Hawks capitalized on a power play at 12:41. Later, an even-strength goal increased North Dakota's lead to 3-1. The Lakers struggled to break through the Fighting Hawks' defense and ended the period without adding to their score. The period ended with Mercyhurst trailing 3-1.
 
The Lakers faced significant defensive challenges in the third period, as the Fighting continued to apply offensive pressure. Trent Sambrook and a few other defenders held off their opponents for as long as they could. Salvatore Evola also contributed with several key saves throughout the game and he finished with 35. However, North Dakota managed to break through with goals at 8:09 and 5:59, both during even strength and a power play, extending their lead. A final power-play goal with 55 seconds remaining sealed the game for North Dakota. The final score was 6-1.
 
The Lakers return home for their next series against Army. Puck drop for game one is set for Friday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m.