2021–22 Mercyhurst Lakers
men's ice hockey season
Conference7th Atlantic Hockey
Home iceMercyhurst Ice Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall16–19–4
Conference10–12–4
Home7–5–3
Road9–11–1
Neutral0–3–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachRick Gotkin
Assistant coachesGreg Gardner
Matt Nicholson
Ryan Zapolski
Captain(s)Pierce Crawford
Geoff Kitt
Alternate captain(s)Michael Bevilacqua
Josh McDougall
Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey seasons
« 2020–21 2022–23 »

The 2021–22 Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey season was the 35th season of play for the program, the 23rd at the Division I level, and the 19th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Lakers represented Mercyhurst University and were coached by Rick Gotkin, in his 34th season.

Season

Mercyhurst was hoping to build on an improvement in 2021 with a strong start to their season. Early returns were mixed as the team tied four of their first eight games. Defense was an issue as the Mercyhurst goal was consistently harassed by their opponents to the tune of nearly 34 shots a game. While the team had Hank Johnson and Kyle McClellan share the starting role, neither was able to shine against the constant barrage. The Lakers nearly pulled themselves back up to .500 at the end of November when they earned a surprising split with Ohio State and there was some hope that the team was ready to turn a corner.

Unfortunately, the defensive performance got even worse afterwards and Mercyhurst went 1–10 in their next eleven matches. In that stretch the Lakers allowed no fewer than 3 goals a game and, even when the offense had a good night, their two netminders couldn't keep the puck out of the net.

By the middle of January, the team was at the bottom of the Atlantic Hockey standings and it looked like the Lakers would have to wait for another year. However, Rick Gotkin decided to put his trust in McClellan as the team's starter and the sophomore began to respond with stellar performances by the end of the month. Seemingly overnight, Mercyhurst went from allowing 5 goals a game to surrendering 1. Mercyhurst arrested their downward descent and started winning games, the most surprising coming against conference-leader, American International in mid-February.

The winning came too late for Mercyhurst to finish any higher than 7th, but it did grant the Lakers home ice advantage in the first round of the conference tournament. McLellan continued to be called upon to save the team's season and he responded with two sterling efforts, winning consecutive 2–1 games while stopping 71 shots. McLellan then backstopped Mercyhurst to an upset over the #2 seed, Canisius; while he got a bit more help from the Laker offense in terms of shots, he still needed to make every save as both games were essentially 2–1 matches (Mercyhurst scored an empty-net goal in the second game).

Mercyhurst managed to lift itself into the conference semifinal and continued to play strong, putting a scare into American International. The Lakers twice took the lead in the game but a hat-trick from AIC's Blake Bennett erased both leads. The Lakers were forced to pull McLellan to try and tie the game but the Yellow Jackets ended up netting a 5th goal as a result. That marker proved critical after Mercyhurst answered with 80 seconds to play but they could not even the score and saw their tremendous postseason run end.

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Khristian AcostaForward United StatesTransferred to Utica
Justin CmuntForward United StatesTransferred to Geneseo State
Jac LymnGoaltender United StatesJoined club team
Devon MussioDefenseman CanadaTransferred to Skidmore
Brendan SchneiderForward CanadaLeft program (retired)
Dante SpagnuoloForward CanadaMid-season transfer to Adrian
Ashton StockieForward CanadaSigned Professional Contract (HCB Ticino Rockets)
Quinn WichersDefenseman CanadaGraduation (signed with Rapid City Rush)

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Jake BeauneDefenseman United States21Livonia, MI
Mickey BurnsForward United States21Wayne, NJ; transfer from Vermont
Pierce CrawfordForward United States24Park Ridge, IL; graduate transfer from Notre Dame
Garrett DahmForward United States21Swansea, IL
Kyler HeadForward United States22Malone, NY; transfer from Robert Morris
Philip WaughForward/Defenseman United States21McLean, VA; already completed one year of classes

Roster

As of August 23, 2021.[1]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Texas Matt Lenz Sophomore G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-06-02 Grapevine, Texas Steinbach (MJHL)
2 Virginia Philip Waugh Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 2000-01-10 McLean, Virginia P. A. L. (NCDC)
3 Michigan Jake Beaune Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-06-13 Livonia, Michigan Lincoln (USHL)
5 Ontario Cade Townend Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-06-17 Carleton Place, Ontario Carleton Place (CCHL)
5 New York (state) Michael Bevilacqua (A) Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1997-05-07 Hamburg, New York Green Bay (USHL)
6 Pennsylvania Carson Brière Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1999-09-23 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Trail (BCHL)
7 Ontario Devon Daniels Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-04-28 Thunder Bay, Ontario Ottawa (CCHL)
8 Ontario Owen Norton Senior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 1998-06-19 Ancaster, Ontario Surrey (BCHL)
10 Ontario Geoff Kitt (C) Senior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-02-09 Dryden, Ontario Carleton Place (CCHL)
11 Ohio Steven Ipri Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1998-03-13 Broadview Heights, Ohio Lone Star (NAHL)
12 Minnesota Austin Heidemann Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-06-27 Maple Grove, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL)
13 Pennsylvania Paul Maust Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-24 Butler, Pennsylvania Green Bay (USHL)
14 Ohio Gueorgui Feduolov Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-12-10 Mentor, Ohio Shreveport (NAHL)
15 Ontario Dante Spagnuolo Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1998-09-04 Newmarket, Ontario North York (OJHL)
16 British Columbia Wyatt Head Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-03-28 Kelowna, British Columbia Coquitlam (BCHL)
18 Pennsylvania Dalton Hunter Senior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1997-09-26 Greensburg, Pennsylvania Dubuque (USHL)
19 Illinois Garrett Dahm Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-06-29 Belleville, Illinois Youngstown (USHL)
20 Ontario Keanan Stewart Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-29 Elmira, Ontario Burlington (OJHL)
21 New Jersey Mickey Burns Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-04-03 Wayne, New Jersey Vermont (HEA)
22 New York (state) Kyler Head Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-07-13 Malone, New York Robert Morris (AHA)
23 New Jersey Jonathan Bendorf Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-02-26 Yardville, New Jersey Aberdeen (NAHL)
24 Minnesota Marko Reifenberger Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-01-19 Hastings, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL)
25 Ontario Joseph Maziarz Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-02-23 Waterloo, Ontario North York (OJHL)
26 Illinois Pierce Crawford (C) Graduate F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-06-23 Park Ridge, Illinois Notre Dame (Big Ten)
27 Wisconsin Carver Watson Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-03-03 Appleton, Wisconsin Vernon (BCHL)
28 Saskatchewan Josh McDougall (A) Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1998-06-19 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Nipawin (SJHL)
29 Minnesota Hank Johnson Graduate G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1996-01-10 Minneapolis, Minnesota Bemidji State (WCHA)
31 Missouri Kyle McClellan Sophomore G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-03-18 Manchester, Missouri Omaha (USHL)
34 New York (state) Noah Kane Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-11-27 Buffalo, New York Maine (NAHL)
37 Ontario Rylee St. Onge Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1998-04-22 St. Catharines, Ontario Alaska Anchorage (WCHA)
38 Ontario Dante Sheriff Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-08-04 Brampton, Ontario Austin (NAHL)

Standings

Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#18 American International †*261772120549761382213313495
Canisius261311221143766735161639997
Army2612113012427568351417498100
RIT2612104133416982381816492115
Sacred Heart2611123013407270371518495100
Air Force2611123322377680361617399127
Mercyhurst26101240113675793916194114129
Niagara2610133221347079361122382122
Bentley2610142121347078361420294117
Holy Cross2610142300295672371223277108
Championship: March 19, 2022
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Exhibition
October 2 7:35 PM at Vermont* Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, Vermont (Exhibition)    L 2–4  0
Regular Season
October 8 8:00 PM at #4 Minnesota* 3M Arena at MariucciMinneapolis, MinnesotaBSN+ Johnson L 4–7  6,372 0–1–0
October 9 6:00 PM at #4 Minnesota* 3M Arena at MariucciMinneapolis, MinnesotaBSN McClellan L 3–5  6,396 0–2–0
October 15 7:05 PM Holy Cross Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan T 4–4 SOW 813 0–2–1 (0–0–1)
October 16 3:05 PM Holy Cross Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  Johnson W 5–2  512 1–2–1 (1–0–1)
October 24 5:05 PM USNTDP* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania (Exhibition)    W 7–3   
October 29 7:05 PM at RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New York  Johnson T 3–3 SOL 2,222 1–2–2 (1–0–2)
October 30 7:05 PM at RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New York  McClellan L 1–3  1,718 1–3–2 (1–1–2)
November 5 7:05 PM Sacred Heart Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  Johnson T 3–3 SOL 889 1–3–3 (1–1–3)
November 6 4:05 PM Sacred Heart Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan T 3–3 SOL 697 1–3–4 (1–1–4)
November 12 7:05 PM at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, Massachusetts  Johnson W 3–2  435 2–3–4 (2–1–4)
November 13 5:05 PM at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, Massachusetts  McClellan L 4–5 OT 302 2–4–4 (2–2–4)
November 19 7:05 PM Canisius Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  Johnson L 1–6  747 2–5–4 (2–3–4)
November 20 7:00 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York  McClellan W 5–2  502 3–5–4 (3–3–4)
November 26 5:00 PM at #17 Ohio State* Value City ArenaColumbus, Ohio  Johnson W 5–4  3,277 4–5–4
November 27 5:00 PM at #17 Ohio State* Value City ArenaColumbus, Ohio  McClellan L 2–3  2,554 4–6–4
December 3 7:05 PM at Bentley Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts  Johnson L 3–4  1,131 4–7–4 (3–4–4)
December 4 5:05 PM at Bentley Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts  McClellan L 1–3  965 4–8–4 (3–5–4)
December 12 3:05 PM at Miami Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan L 4–7  858 4–9–4
Ledyard Bank Classic
December 30 4:00 PM vs. #20 Boston College* Thompson ArenaHanover, New Hampshire (Ledyard Bank Semifinal)  Johnson L 2–4  87 4–10–4
December 31 4:00 PM vs. New Hampshire* Thompson ArenaHanover, New Hampshire (Ledyard Bank Consolation Game)  Johnson L 1–7  48 4–11–4
January 4 7:05 PM at Miami* Steve Cady ArenaOxford, Ohio  Johnson W 5–4 OT 894 5–11–4
January 14 1:05 PM at American International MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  Johnson L 4–5  70 5–12–4 (3–6–4)
January 15 1:05 PM at American International MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts  McClellan L 3–6  79 5–13–4 (3–7–4)
January 21 7:05 PM Air Force Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan L 2–5  120 5–14–4 (3–8–4)
January 22 4:05 PM Air Force Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan L 3–5  120 5–15–4 (3–9–4)
January 28 7:00 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York  McClellan W 4–1  638 6–15–4 (4–9–4)
January 29 5:00 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York  McClellan L 0–1  767 6–16–4 (4–10–4)
February 4 7:05 PM at Army Tate RinkWest Point, New York  McClellan W 4–0  1,238 7–16–4 (5–10–4)
February 5 4:05 PM at Army Tate RinkWest Point, New York  McClellan L 1–5  1,284 7–17–4 (5–11–4)
February 11 7:05 PM RIT Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan W 1–0  758 8–17–4 (6–11–4)
February 12 7:05 PM RIT Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan W 4–2  812 9–17–4 (7–11–4)
February 18 7:05 PM American International Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan L 1–5  1,214 9–18–4 (7–12–4)
February 19 3:05 PM American International Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan W 6–3  779 10–18–4 (8–12–4)
February 25 7:00 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York  McClellan W 3–0  732 11–18–4 (9–12–4)
February 26 7:05 PM Canisius Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania  McClellan W 3–1  858 12–18–4 (10–12–4)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 4 7:05 PM Niagara* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania (First Round game 1)  McClellan W 2–1 OT 687 13–18–4
March 5 7:05 PM Niagara* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania (First Round game 2)  McClellan W 2–1  704 14–18–4
Mercyhurst Won Series 2–0
March 11 7:00 PM at Canisius* LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York (Quarterfinal game 1)  McClellan W 2–1 2OT 513 15–18–4
March 12 7:00 PM at Canisius* LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York (Quarterfinal game 2)  McClellan W 3–1  443 16–18–4
Mercyhurst Won Series 2–0
March 18 4:05 PM vs. American International* Adirondack Bank CenterUtica, New York (Semifinal)  McClellan L 4–5  1,072 16–19–4
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[2]

Scoring statistics

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Carson BrièreC/RW3113142720
Austin HeidemannF3812152718
Dante SheriffRW338192743
Rylee St. OngeLW361582337
Jonathan BendorfLW36614204
Gueorgui FeduolovF3679168
Pierce CrawfordF38791650
Cade TownendD39791637
Josh McDougallD39312152
Noah KaneC2659148
Owen NortonD363101352
Marko ReifenbergerC32661221
Mickey BurnsLW2348122
Geoff KittC3539126
Paul MaustLW37461026
Steven IpriF2136941
Devon DanielsD3826829
Kyler HeadF1833611
Jake BeauneD3514516
Michael BevilacquaD3504444
Dustin GeregachD160334
Keanan StewartF72022
Wyatt HeadD80226
Garrett DahmF220228
Dante SpagnuoloC30110
Dalton HunterRW60116
Philip WaughD/F140112
Kyle McClellanG270110
Matt LenzG10000
Hank JohnsonG130000
Total114192306503

[3]

Goaltending statistics

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Kyle McClellan27161612132699393.9322.56
Hank Johnson13741462543690.8724.37
Matt Lenz19:56000180.8896.04
Empty Net-12---5----
Total3923891619412913163.9113.24

Rankings

Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.[4]

Awards and honors

Player Award Ref
Carson Brière Atlantic Hockey Third Team [5]

References

  1. "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Mercyhurst Athletics. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  2. "Mercyhurst 2021-22 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  3. "Mercyhurst Univ. 2021-2022 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  4. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  5. "Atlantic Hockey Announces 2021-22 All-Conference Teams". Atlantic Hockey. March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.