Atlantic Hockey Online Spotlight: Mercyhurst's Rise to Division I

February 4, 2004

Courtesy of John Leisering, Mercyhurst Sports Information Department

The Mercyhurst men’s hockey program has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception as a varsity sport in 1987. With head coach, Rick Gotkin, at the helm, the team has not only moved from Division III to Division II to Division I, but has been quite successful along the way, bringing national recognition to a private, liberal arts institution in Erie, Pennsylvania.

The Lakers wasted little time achieving both regional and national attention. In only its third season as a varsity sport, the men’s team climbed to #9 among Division III programs. Later that same year, they made it to the NCAA Division III tournament and won their first NCAA playoff game over Elmira College 5-4.

The following season Mercyhurst moved to Division II (non-scholarship). Once again it was not long before good things came its way. In 1993, they Lakers’ second season in Division II, they played Bemidji State for the Division II National Championship. The following year they were ranked #1 for a time in Division II, and in 1995, they finished the regular season ranked #1 in Division II and went on from there to win the ECAC West Championship and to host the Division II National Championship.

The Mercyhurst men’s hockey team took the final step and advanced to Division I in 1999 by joining the Division I Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). In just their second season at Division I, the Lakers won their first MAAC Playoff title and were matched against the University of Michigan at the West Regional. That feat made Gotkin the first coach in NCAA history to take the same program to the NCAA Playoffs at all three levels. Mercyhurst had a very good showing against the Wolverines in what Gotkin feels is the program’s greatest accomplishment, losing only 4-3. One year later, they won their second straight MAAC regular season title and in 2003, made it three straight regular season crowns and made the NCAA playoffs for the second time in three years by winning the MAAC Championship.

“I never realized the program would evolve to where it is now. If someone would have told me we would build a rink and become a Division I hockey program when I started here, I never would have believed him,” says Gotkin. He attributes the success of the hockey program to “a great commitment from good players, assistant coaches, and administration, as well as timing.” Timing was a key component of Mercyhurst’s success at all levels. “The Mercyhurst program began and elevated levels at just the right time.”

All of the program’s success is not just on the ice, but in the classroom as well. The team carries a 3.0 GPA and is ranked third academically among 25 varsity teams at Mercyhurst College. The men’s team has been able to keep up as the college continues to move to even more stringent academic standards. Currently incoming freshmen carry an average SAT of 1080 and an average GPA of 3.4. Keeping up with the higher standards is no problem says Gotkin. “There are plenty of good student-athletes playing hockey. We may just have to try a little hard to find them.”

There is no doubt the program has come a long way since 1987. Where will it go from here?

The team is still relatively new in Division I and is, of course, playing in a new league, Atlantic Hockey, this season. Gotkin would like to see his team continue to evolve. “We need to establish ourselves as a really good Division I hockey program.”

“The next step is to get back to the NCAA tournament and find a way to win a tournament game.” Thus far, the Lakers have made it to two Division I Regional games and have twice been unsuccessful, losing to Michigan in 2001 and to eventual national champion, Minnesota, last season.

Currently 14-9-2 and 11-3-1 in the conference, the Lakers are moving in the right direction. Earlier in the season Mercyhurst upset Ohio State 3-2 and had a good showing against Michigan losing 5-3. They beat Western Michigan at Western Michigan 7-4 and pulled out a 2-2 tie against Cornell. The Lakers also had a big win over RPI 2-1 to help them reach the finals of the RPI tournament. In addition, Gotkin got his 286th career win, making him the winningest coach ever at Mercyhurst College.

“In the end, it all comes down to winning four games in April.” That is what it takes to be a national champion. Only time will tell if the timing is right for this year’s Mercyhurst Lakers.