12 minute read
Sports
Laker fans pack the MIC for men’s hockey home opener
By Christina Judy
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Staff writer
The men’s ice hockey team took on Number 16 Ohio State University on Saturday, Oct. 1, on their home ice in their first game of the season.
The Lakers welcomed the busy crowd of 1,500 people with free T-shirts to the first 500 fans and an exciting back-and-forth style of play.
The game started with intensity as both teams fought to find the back of the net.
It was the Buckeyes who converted a Laker turnover to a goal at the 3:52 mark to make the score 1-0 early in the first period. Ohio State University carried on this momentum by outshooting the Lakers 15-7 in the opening frame.
Mercyhurst responded strongly in the second period by notching a shot at the 3:15 mark. Junior Marko Reifenberger received a pass from Geuorgui Fedulov and went on a break-away.
Reifenberger was denied at the goal, but senior Jonathan Bendorf was there to put it away to tie the Lakers up and give them their first goal of the season.
The game remained 1-1 to finish out the second period.
Ohio State scored in the third period at the 9:29 mark and then again two minutes later to pull them ahead of the Lakers with a score of 3-1.
Mercyhurst moved quickly as they felt the pressure to score. Junior Mickey Burns caused a turnover near the half wall in the OSU zone. He then shot the puck which rebounded but was picked up by sophomore Garrett Dahm who took it and scored for his first career goal.
Ohio State did not let up as they recognized the open net and shot the puck to claim their fourth and final goal of the game with ten seconds left.
Despite their best efforts, the Lakers came up short with a 4-2 loss against the Buckeyes.
Even though the outcome did not fall in the Lakers’ favor, there were many celebratory moments for them.
Graduate student and Laker goaltender Tyler Harmon recorded 40 saves in his Laker debut.
Graduate student Brendon Michaelian, graduate student Eric Esposito, junior Steven Agriogianis and senior Adrien Bisson all got time on the ice to showcase their Laker debut.
The Buckeyes also took the second game against the Lakers in a 4-1 victory on Sunday, Oct. 2. They started the game strong by scoring a goal in the opening 59 seconds.
They then followed up with a second goal at the 16:33 mark to wrap up the first period.
They continued with this energy and scored while Mercyhurst was on a power play.
Around two minutes later, the Buckeyes scored again to make the score 4-0 with plenty of gametime remaining.
The Lakers responded by pressuring the Buckeyes and eventually got an opportunity to score.
Senior captain, Rylee St. Onge took a shot on goal and it was deflected, but junior Carson Briere was there to clean up the rebound and put the puck in the back of the net to give the Lakers their first goal of the game and his first goal of the year.
The third period carried through with Ohio State outshooting the Lakers 12-6, but were ultimately unsuccessful in capitalizing. The final score was 4-1 in favor of the Buckeyes.
Mercyhurst will head on the road for their next set of games to take on Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this weekend on Friday, Oct. 7, and Saturday, Oct 8.
Hurst Athletics photo
Goaltender Tyler Harmon prevents a goal by stopping the puck in a game against Ohio State.
Erie Otters return for the OHL season
By Megan McKay
Staff writer
The Erie Otters are back in action on Friday, Oct. 7. The Otters are hoping to turn things around this season after a difficult past couple of years in the win column.
The team is looking to become a contender in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) standings as they’ve dominated in the past. In 2016, the team swept the championships winning the Midwest division Holody trophy, the regular season Hamilton trophy, the conference Gretzky trophy and the Robertson cup becoming OHL Champions.
The Otters have notably produced National Hockey League stars like Anthony Cirelli of the Tampa Bay Lighting, Alex DeBrincat of the Ottawa Senators, Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blue and first overall pick Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers. Last season, the Otters finished second to last in the Western Conference standings finishing 24-37-2.
Despite struggling to progress in the standings, the team was led by Daniel D’Amato who recorded 63 points, Elias Cohen 61 points and Christian Kyrou 60 points.
With star forwards the Otters’ have the manpower to create a lot of offense.
On the back end, Kyrou is a star defenseman also making a return to Erie this season.
The team is looking to turn things around as they are led by a solid group of returners who are crucial producers on the offense with the addition of four rookies. The addition of the rookies this season came from General Manager Dave Brown’s 16 selections from the OHL draft this past April.
Erie had the second overall pick in the draft and selected Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) Player of the Year and Forward Malcolm Spence from the Mississauga Senators U16 AAA. Spence had two-pointsper game on average last season with 56 points in 18 games and was named to the OHL Cup All-Star Team.
Spence told the organization after being selected, “I’m excited to play for the amazing fans in Erie, and how historic the organization is—to play and wear that jersey is truly an honor. It’s a dream come true.”
Spence will be wearing number 17 and became the fourth GTHL Player of the Year to be selected by Erie alongside Jamie Drysdale (Ducks), Dylan Strome (Capitals), and Connor McDavid (Oilers).
GM Dave Brown described Spence saying, “He plays a prostyle game, and we’re just super excited to have him—not only his skill level, but his maturity and leadership that he brings off the ice.”
The Otters are also excited to welcome rookie forwards Dylan Edwards (150th overall 2021), Alex Messier (free agent 2022) and rookie defenseman George Alboim (70th overall 2021).
The team looks to build off a successful series of pre-season games recording three wins and only one loss. The Otters’ hit the road for the first game of the 2022-23 season against the Peterborough Petes where they fell 4-5 in a shootout.
The following day, they faced off against the Kingston Frontenacs falling 1-3. Sunday they finished their road series against the Mississauga Steelheads.
The Otters’ away series was the first time since 2019 the team traveled to battle the other 19 teams of the OHL as the pandemic era limited travel to mostly in-conference.
The Otters are back home this weekend for their home opener against their top rivals, the London Knights.
Catch the Otters in action Saturday, Oct. 7, for an exciting weekend at Erie Insurance Arena. It will be an all-day party at the Erie Insurance Arena as the Otters’ inaugural Fan Festival kicks off at 3 p.m.
The Fest will be an affair you will not want to miss out on. There will be live music from three rising country music stars, face painting, caricatures, balloon artists, adult beverages and delicious food trucks.
After the fun and games stick around as doors open at 6 p.m. and puck drops at 7 p.m.
For fans not able to attend the game you can broadcast the game from “OHL Live’s” home on CHL tv or from the Otters Radio Network or iHeart Media Erie. Purchase tickets online for this weekend’s home opener vs the London Knights at ottershockey.com or at Erie Insurance Arena at the box office. Tickets are currently around $16 for a night of a competitive and packed experience.
For additional help you can call (814) 452-4857. Cheer on your Erie Otters this weekend as hockey season gets underway.
Enjoyable Homecoming despite loss
By Sydney Dietz
Sports editor
Homecoming events started Friday evening and continued until Saturday evening.
Friday evening there was a Happy Hour at the Roost, in addition to the yearly Homecoming bonfire that was lit behind Old Main at 8:20 p.m. The festivities started Saturday afternoon with an alumni tailgate complete with lots of food and friends returning to the Hurst before the big Homecoming football game.
The pre-game Homecoming festivities made the game fun for everyone in attendance.
Former Merciad Editor-in-Chief Gillian Mazur attended Homecoming as an alumni for the first time.
“Despite the losses during Homecoming weekend, I enjoyed returning to the Hurst for the first time as an alumna. While a big part of Homecoming revolves around our major sports teams, I think the unspoken rule is that the tailgate and getting to see everyone again in one place is truly the best part,” Mazur said.
The Lakers battled against the Edinboro Fighting Scots at 2 p.m. at Saxon Stadium.
Sydney Dietz photo
The Dance Team watches the Lakers exit the field after a play during the Homecoming game on Saturday, Oct. 1, against the Edinboro Fighting Scots.
The Fighting Scots were first to put points on the board after kicking a field goal in the first quarter.
Edinboro continued to score as their defensive tackle JR Tellington intercepted the ball from Mercyhurst and ran down the field for a touchdown. After this defensive touchdown, the score was 10-0 with Edinboro in the lead.
Although the Lakers had a slow start, they were able to fight back and keep the score close throughout the duration of the game.
Redshirt sophomore Joseph Bronco kicked a good 34-yd field goal putting up the first three points for Mercyhurst.
Going into halftime the score was 13-3. While the Lakers were in the locker room getting prepared for the second half, there were many celebrations happening on the field.
The Dance Team, Cheerleaders and Marching Band, entertained the crowd with their performances.
“The band did well and it was great to see our new color guard perform,” said Mazur. Additionally at halftime, the women’s rowing team celebrated their 2022 National Championship. Every rower was announced and applauded for their hard work last season.
The Homecoming court was announced as well.
After the halftime festivities, the Lakers were recharged and ready to face Edinboro once again.
Neither team scored in the third quarter; Mercyhurst gained more points in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers got their first touchdown of the game with a 13-yd gain to the end zone by redshirt junior running back, Dustin Shoaf. The extra point was kicked by Bronco allowing the score to be 13-10.
The Lakers tied the game when Bronco kicked a 22-yd field goal during their next possession with only three minutes left in the game. However, Edinboro had the final drive of the game and scored a 35-yd field goal placing them three points above Mercyhurst.
The final result of the game was 16-13 in the Fighting Scots favor. Although the Fighting Scots won, the Lakers kept the score close throughout the game.
Regardless of the outcome of the game, the Homecoming atmosphere made the afternoon special for every Laker there.
“I loved getting to talk to my old professors and the other staff members who I used to interact with so much over the past four years in my different clubs and activities,” Mazur said. “It was just great to get to see everyone again and even meet some new people.”
The football team will be back in action on the road this Saturday, Oct. 8, when they face Slippery Rock University.
Lakers fight hard against the Colgate Raiders
By Christina Judy
Sports editor
The women’s ice hockey team battled ferociously last weekend as they took on Colgate University on their home ice.
The Lakers played two games but fell short to the Raiders in the end. During a busy weekend full of Homecoming activities, the Lakers turned their efforts to facing the Raiders and showed improvement in their second game. On the evening of Friday, Sept. 30, both teams started off the game with a tough battle, but the Raiders notched a goal at the 3:19 mark in the first period to take the lead. A few minutes later, Colgate got a power play, which they capitalized on by scoring again and making the lead 2-0. However, the score does not tell all because at the end of the first period, the stat sheet was in favor of the Lakers as it recorded 13-5 in shots on goal.
The second period told the story of the goalies as neither team scored during that time. Each team had many scoring opportunities, but both goalies met and won this challenge.
Senior goaltender Ena Nystrom had 11 saves in the first and second period to keep Mercyhurst in a steady place. She had her season high, up to this point, in saves this game as she turned away 32 shots
Christina Judy photo
Freshman defenseman Makayla Javier looks for the puck in a game against Colgate University.
throughout the entire game.
However, this performance did not last much longer. As the third period was set to play, Colgate scored on a power play at the 5:03 mark to make the score 3-0. Within the last nine minutes of the game, Colgate scored two more goals, defeating the Lakers, 5-0.
On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Lakers returned to the ice to prove themselves in a battle against the Raiders.
A back-and-forth fight that lasted deep into the third period kept all the fans and visiting alumni engaged and excited.
Mercyhurst held strong defensively as Colgate could not find the back of the net in the opening 20 minutes. The Raiders out-shot the Lakers 11-6 in the first period.
The second period was much like the first with the Lakers fighting off the many solid scoring opportunities that Colgate had and the three power plays they created.
Nystrom recorded 18 saves in the second period alone. The Raiders started the third period with a goal on a power play. Nystrom got a pad on the puck as it came across the crease, but it had already crossed the line.
The Lakers went full out in the last minute by pulling Nystrom to add another skater onto the ice. They fought hard but nonetheless, Colgate found a way to score the final goal of the game in an empty net in the last five seconds.
Nystrom had 36 saves in that Saturday afternoon game which stood out as her seventh time in her Mercyhurst career in which she has more than 30 saves in back-to-back games.
The Lakers will have another chance to defend their home ice next weekend as they take on Clarkson University on Friday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. and October 8th at 2 p.m.
