Mercyhurst Continues Lengthy Road Trip at St. Lawrence

December 10, 2003

Courtesy of Mercyhurst Sports Information Department

Mercyhurst (6-5-1; AH 4-3-0) at St. Lawrence (5-10-3; ECAC 2-5-0)

Date: Saturday, December 13

Time: 7:00pm

Site: Appleton Arena (3,000)

The Coaches: Rick Gotkin (Brockport State ‘82) is in his 16th season at Mercyhurst with an overall record of 284-160-27. Joe Marsh (Univ. of New Hampshire ‘77) is in his 19th year at St. Lawrence with an overall mark of 332-268-42.

The Series: First Meeting.

Scouting Mercyhurst: The Lakers split two conference games last Friday and Saturday, losing 5-2 at Quinnipiac and defeating American International College (AIC) 9-0. Senior forward Adam Tackaberry scored both goals against the Bobcats. Sophomore goalie Andy Franck made 42 saves. The Lakers scored twice in the first period Saturday at AIC, added three in the second, and four in the third. Sophomore forward Erik Johnson had a four-point game (one goal and three assists), while sophomore forward Dave Borrelli had three points. Junior forward Rich Hansen, senior forward Mike Carter, sophomore forward Mike Pochatek, and sophomore defender Preston Briggs had two points each. Freshman Jordan Wakefield got the start in goal and made 29 saves for his first collegiate shutout. He was named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week.

Mercyhurst is led in scoring by Hansen with 15 points. Both Tackaberry and sophomore forward Scott Reynolds lead the team with seven goals apiece, while Hansen is tops in assists with 12. Tackaberry has six power-play goals on the season, while both Reynolds and Johnson have notched two short-handed goals. Franck has seen the majority of the time in goal and has a 5-4-1 record, 3.58 goals against average, and a .897 save percentage. Wakefield has a 1-1-0 record, 2.64 goals against average, and a .925 save percentage. Mercyhurst has cashed 20 of 64 power play chances (.312) and has killed 50 of 61 opponent opportunities (.820). The Lakers are 4-3-1 on the road. At this time last year, Mercyhurst was 4-7-1 and went on to win 22 games.

Scouting St. Lawrence: After losing four straight, the Saints got two big wins at home against UMass-Lowell and New Hampshire. New Hampshire previously was 10-4-1 on the season and was ranked #5. It was the second straight year that St. Lawrence upset the Wildcats. Sophomore forward TJ Trevelyan had a six-point performance in the two games and for his efforts was named both the ECAC and National Player-of-the-Week.

Trevelyan leads the team in both goals (10) and points (18) and is tied for second with senior forward Rich Peverley with eight assists. Sophomore forward John Zeiler, who was drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes, leads the team with nine assists.

Junior goaltender Kevin Ackley has a 2-7-3 record, 3.23 goals against average, and .891 save percentage. Junior Mike McKenna, a prospect of the Nashville Predators, has a 3-3-0 record, 2.89 goals against average, and .890 save percentage. The Saints have converted 12 of 100 power play chances (.120) and have killed 81 of 101 shorthanded situations (.802). St. Lawrence is 4-4-2 at home.

Up Ahead: Mercyhurst will get a break from its eleven-game road trip before traveling to the Rensselaer/HSBC Holiday Tournament in Troy, New York, for games both Sunday, December 28, and Monday, December 29. The Lakers will begin the tournament against host Rensselaer at 7:00pm Sunday and will play either Northeastern or Colgate at either 4:00pm or 7:00pm on Monday.