The Mercyhurst Lakers women's ice hockey team is the hockey team that represents the Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. The program started in 1999 and Michael Sisti has been the only coach in the history of the program. From 2000 to 2002, the Lakers were part of the Great Lakes Women's Hockey Association. While in the Great Lakes Women’s Hockey Association, the Lakers qualified for the GLWHA twice (in 2001, and 2002). The Lakers were regular season champions in 2000-01 and 2001-02, and won the playoff championships in 2002. Starting in the 2002-03 season, the Lakers joined the College Hockey America conference.
Season by season results
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties
Records as of July 31, 2009.
| Season | GP | W | L | T | Finish | NCAA Playoffs |
| 1999-2000 | 29 | 23 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2000-01 | 33 | 14 | 16 | 3 | ||
| 2001-02 | 33 | 24 | 8 | 1 | ||
| 2002-03 | 34 | 25 | 8 | 1 | First | |
| 2003-04 | 36 | 26 | 6 | 4 | First | |
| 2004-05 | 37 | 28 | 7 | 2 | First | NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2005-06 | 37 | 23 | 8 | 6 | First | NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2006-07 | 37 | 32 | 2 | 3 | First | NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2007-08 | 37 | 26 | 8 | 3 | First | NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2008-09 | 37 | 31 | 6 | 0 | First | NCAA Championships, Runner-Up |
History
Following the 2005-06 season, Mercyhurst recruited the college's first Olympic gold medalist in Meghan Agosta (from Hockey Canada). In addition, the Lakers recruited Katariina Soikkanen of the Finnish National team, as well as Angelica Lorsell and Johanna Malmstrom who played for the Swedish National Team. The Lakers also had four players on the roster who played on the Canadian Under-22 Team. Mercyhurst had two CHA First Team selections in 2006-07, one second team choice, the Player and Rookie of the Year, and four members of the All-Rookie Team. In addition, Agosta would be the first ever freshman to be a top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. [2]
Mercyhurst defeated host team Niagara 4-2 in the 2007 CHA semifinals. Afterwards, they defeated Wayne State 2-1 on overtime in the CHA championship match. Meghan Agosta was honoured as the tournament MVP and the club had three All-Tournament Team selections: senior forward Stephanie Jones, senior goaltender Laura Hosier, and junior defender Natalie Payne. Eight players (freshmen or first-year transfers are not eligible) were named to the conference All Academic Team. Senior captain Stephanie Jones was the CHA's student athlete of the year. Agosta was an AHCA First Team All-American and a three-time USCHO.com Offensive Player of the Week.
In 2008-09, the Lakers went 16-0 in conference play last season en route to their seventh-straight CHA Title. From 2002 to 2009, the Lakers were 74-3-5 in the regular season against CHA competition and 14-0 in the postseason.[3]
During the 2009-10 season, the Lakers started the season with a record of 19 wins, 1 loss and 3 ties (Conference Record, 6-0-1). They were the top ranked team in the USA TODAY/USA Hockey Magazine poll for 14 consecutive weeks and were the unanimous choice with all 19 first-place votes eight times. Their only loss came in an October home split with Minnesota-Duluth.[4] On March 13, 2010, Vicki Bendus scored the 50th career goal of her career in the win over the Boston University Terriers. She was the 8th Laker to have at least 50 goals in a career.[5]
For the first time, a Mercyhurst player won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2010. Vicki Bendus was given the honour. It marked the fourth-straight year a Laker has been a top-three finalist. For the season, Bendus helped the Lakers to a 30-3-3 record and their second consecutive appearance at the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four. She led the NCAA with 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points
Playoffs
The Lakers have made the NCAA playoffs from 2005-2009. In 2005, Mercyhurst lost at Harvard 5-4 in a triple-overtime match. In April 2005, Michael Sisti was named Division I Women's Coach of the Year. The Lakers qualified for the second consecutive year in 2006 but suffered a 2-1 defeat to Wisconsin 2-1 in double overtime in Madison. The Lakers hosted its first-ever Division I NCAA playoff game on March 9, 2007. The Lakers lost in the Quarterfinals for the third straight year. The club lost to Minnesota Duluth 3-2 in overtime. In 2008, Mercyhurst traveled to Duluth to face the Bulldogs in the opening round and bowed 5-4. The Lakers had leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 in the third but couldn't hang on. UMD won the national championship a week later with a 4-0 win over Wisconsin.
The Lakers have won or tied (2007-08) eight regular season conference championships, two in the Great Lakes Women's Hockey Association (GLWHA) and the last six as a member of College Hockey America (CHA). He guided Mercyhurst to GLWHA and CHA playoff championships the last seven years and a Division I top ten ranking throughout most of the previous seven seasons.
Players
CJ Ireland was one of the first players of the Lakers women’s hockey program that began in 1999. She was team captain from 1999-2003 and played in every one of the Lakers' 129 games. Her team's four-year win loss record was 86-38-5. In her senior season, the Lakers were 25-8-1. This was the Lakers' first season in College Hockey America (CHA). She scored 43 goals and set a record for most goals scored in one season by a Lakers player (since broken). At season’s end, her accomplishments were featured in Sport's Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd section (week of April 13). [6] Ireland graduated as the career leader in goals, assists, and points. In addition,was recognized as the 2003 Mercyhurst College Female Student Athlete of the Year.[7]
Current roster
| Number | Name | Height | Position | Shoots | Class |
| 1 | Kelci Lanthier | 5-5 | G | Fr. | |
| 2 | Samantha Watt | 5-10 | D | Fr. | |
| 4 | Pamela Zgoda | 5-6 | D | R | So. |
| 6 | Johanna Malmstrom | 5-8 | D | L | Sr. |
| 7 | Jessica Christofferson | 5-8 | F | Fr. | |
| 8 | Melissa Lacroix | 5-9 | D | R | Jr. |
| 9 | Kelley Steadman | 5-11 | F | R | So. |
| 10 | Lauren Jones | 5-7 | F | Fr. | |
| 11 | Vicki Bendus | 5-1 | F | R | Jr. |
| 13 | Bailey Bram | 5-7 | F | L | So. |
| 15 | Anna Johnson | 5-11 | D | L | So. |
| 16 | Kylie Rossler | 5-6 | F | R | Jr. |
| 19 | Stephanie DeSutter | 5-9 | D | L | Fr. |
| 20 | Meghan Corbett | 5-6 | F | R | So. |
| 21 | Ashley Cockell | 5-8 | D | R | Jr. |
| 22 | Jess Jones | 5-4 | F | L | So. |
| 23 | Jesse Scanzano | 6-0 | F | R | Jr. |
| 27 | Julie Hersey | 5-8 | F | R | So. |
| 28 | Cassea Schols | 5-9 | D | R | Jr. |
| 30 | Hillary Pattenden | 5-6 | G | L | So. |
| 35 | Stephanie Ciampa | 5-6 | G | Fr. |
Players with international experience
- Meghan Agosta, Team Canada
- Vicki Bendus, Team Canada, Canadian Under-22 team (2007-08)[9]
- Stephanie Jones, Team Canada, European Air Canada Cup in (2004-2008) [10]
- Laura Mosier, Team Canada, Canadian Under-22 team (2007-08)[11]
- Jesse Scanzano, Team Canada, Canadian Under-22 team (2009)
Award winners
- Meghan Agosta, 2009 RBK Hockey/AHCA First Team All-American
- Meghan Agosta, 2009 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top Three Finalist
- Meghan Agosta, 2009 Frozen Four All-Tournament Team
- Meghan Agosta, 2009 CHA Player of the Year
- Meghan Agosta, 2009 CHA Three Star Player of the Year
- Meghan Agosta, 2009 All-CHA First Team
- Meghan Agosta, 2009 CHA All-Tournament Team [12]
- Vicki Bendus, 2008 CHA Rookie of the Year
- Vicki Bendus, 2008 CHA All-Rookie Team [13]
- Vicki Bendus, 2010 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award[14]
- Vicki Bendus, 2010 Women's RBK Hockey Division I All-America First Team[15]
- Bailey Bram, 2009 CHA Rookie of the Year
- Bailey Bram, 2009 CHA All-Rookie Team [16]
- Bailey Bram, 2010 nominee for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
- Stephanie Jones, CHA All-Tournament Team
- Stephanie Jones, CHA Student Athlete of the Year
- Stephanie Jones, Bill Smith Award (an in-house honor for meritorious service on-and-off-the ice) [17]
- Hillary Pattenden, 2009 All-CHA Second Team
- Hillary Pattenden, 2009 CHA All-Rookie Team
- Hillary Pattenden, 2009 CHA All-Tournament Team [18]
- Ashley Pendleton: CHA Defensive Player of the Week (Week of January 27, 2004)
- Ashley Pendleton: 2004 CHA All-Rookie Team.
- Ashley Pendleton: 2005 CHA All-Conference First Team
- Ashley Pendleton: 2006 First Team All-CHA
- Ashley Pendleton: 2007 First Team All-CHA [19]
- Jesse Scanzano, 2008 CHA All-Rookie Team [20]
- Jesse Scanzano, 2010 nominee for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award
- Jesse Scanzano, 2010 Women's RBK Hockey Division I All-America Second Team[21]
- Michael Sisti, USCHO.com Coach of the Year[22]
Coaches
All-time coaching records
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2009 | Michael Sisti [23] | 10 | 252–75–23 | .882 |
| Totals | 1 coach | 10 seasons | 352–75–23 | .882 |
Lakers players in professional hockey
| Player | Team | League |
| Valerie Chouinard[24] | Montreal Axion | NWHL |
| Ashley Pendelton | Brampton Thunder | CWHL |
| Jesse Scanzano | Montreal Axion | NWHL |
References
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/mtt/sisti_michael00.html
- ↑ http://www.usahockey.com/patty_kazmaier/default.aspx?NAV=AF&id=283060&DetailedNews=yes
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.com/news/2009/9/17/WHOCK_0917094906.aspx
- ↑ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/hockey/2010-01-27-mercyhurst-lakers_N.htm
- ↑ http://www.hurstathletics.com/news/2010/3/18/WHOCK_0318100612.aspx
- ↑ Faces in the Crowd. SportsIllustrated.com (April 13, 2003). Retrieved on 28 April 2010.
- ↑ Hall of Fame. Mercyhurst Athletics. Retrieved on 22 April 2010.
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=whockey&
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2433&path=whockey
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/mtt/jones_stephanie00.html
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/mtt/hosier_laura00.html
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=1867&path=whockey
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2433&path=whockey
- ↑ http://www.usahockey.com/patty_kazmaier/default.aspx?NAV=AF&id=284006&DetailedNews=yes
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%9310_NCAA_Division_I_women%27s_ice_hockey_season#All-America_honors
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2434&path=whockey
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/mtt/jones_stephanie00.html
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2442&path=whockey
- ↑ Mercyhurst Player Profile. Mercyhurst Athletics. Retrieved on 8 April 2010.
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=2443&path=whockey
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%9310_NCAA_Division_I_women%27s_ice_hockey_season#All-America_honors
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/mtt/sisti_michael00.html
- ↑ http://hurstathletics.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/mtt/sisti_michael00.html
- ↑ Montreal Axion hockey. Montreal Axion. Retrieved on 15 April 2010.