2023–24 Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey season

2023–24 Mercyhurst Lakers
men's ice hockey season
Conference9th Atlantic Hockey
Home iceMercyhurst Ice Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA HockeyNR
Record
Overall9–22–4
Conference7–15–4
Home4–10–1
Road5–12–3
Coaches and captains
Head coachRick Gotkin
Assistant coachesGreg Gardner
Tom Peffall
Ryan Zapolski
Captain(s)Marko Reifenberger
Alternate captain(s)
  • Steven Agriogianis
  • Adrien Bisson
  • Mickey Burns
Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey seasons
« 2022–23 2024–25 »

The 2023–24 Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey season was the 37th season of play for the program, the 25th at the Division I level, and the 21st in Atlantic Hockey. The Lakers represented Mercyhurst University and were coached by Rick Gotkin, in his 36th season.

Season

Mercyhurst began the season enough, sandwiching a pair of shootout victories between very narrow losses to two Big Ten teams. The Lakers then spent the remainder of the first half of their season playing around the .500 mark, seeing decent scoring totals buoyed by solid if unspectacular defensive play. The result was that the Lakers were sitting with a winning record in conference play and had an outside chance to earn a bye into the conference quarterfinals.

In the second half, Mercyhurst started with their best offensive performance to date, scoring 7 goals against Sacred Heart. Unfortunately, the offense dried up afterwards. Mercyhurst went over a month without a win, losing nine consecutive games. The streak sent the team plummeting to the bottom of the standings and also saw their defense surrender many glorious scoring opportunities. Mercyhurst managed to pull themselves out of the dive with a surprising win over ranked RIT but by then the damage had been done. The Lakers finished the year in 9th place and were forced to hit the road for their first round match.

The offense again went silent and Canisius scored the first four goals in the game. With nothing left to lose, Rick Gotkin pulled Owen Say for an extra attacked when the team got on a mid-third period power play and the extra attacker enabled the team to finally get on the scoreboard. Several minutes later, The Griffins were assessed a major penalty and gave Mercyhurst the opening the needed. The team was unable to capitalize during the first half of the power play but, after Canisius was given a slashing minor, Mercyhurst managed to add a second goal on the 6-on-3 man-advantage. Still needing two goals to tie, Say was again pulled when play resumed but, after about a minute, Canisius was able to cage an empty-net goal that sealed the game.[1]

On November 11, Rick Gotkin became just the 16th coach in NCAA history to win 600 games. He was also the 7th coach to do so with one team.[2]

Due to a snowstorm, the game against Niagara scheduled on January 13 was postponed to a later date.[3]

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Jon Bendorf Forward  United States Graduation (retired)
Carson Brière Forward  United States Dismissed from program (signed with HC 19 Humenné)
Eric Esposito Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Orlando Solar Bears)
Gueorgui Feduolov Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Norfolk Admirals)
Tyler Harmon Goaltender  United States Graduation (signed with Atlanta Gladiators)
Dalton Hunter Forward  United States Graduation (signed with Fayetteville Marksmen)
Paul Maust Forward  United States Graduate transfer to Robert Morris
Joey Maziarz Defenseman  Canada Graduation (retired)
Brendon Michaelian Defenseman  United States Graduation (retired)
Owen Norton Defenseman  Canada Graduation (signed with Maine Mariners)
Rylee St. Onge Forward  Canada Graduate transfer to Robert Morris
Cade Townend Defenseman  Canada Graduate transfer to Robert Morris
Carver Watson Defenseman  United States Graduation (retired)

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Barrett Brooks Forward  United States 21 Stevens Point, WI; transfer from Western Michigan
Simon Bucheler Goaltender  Canada 21 Saint-Laurent, QC
Tyler DesRochers Defenseman  United States 20 Howell, NJ
Davis Fry Forward  Canada 20 Regina, SK
Sean James Forward  Canada 21 Almonte, ON
Will Margel Forward  United States 22 Potomac, MD; transfer from New Hampshire
Jackson McCarthy Defenseman  United States 21 West Seneca, NY
Connor Pelc Forward  United States 20 Buffalo, NY
Cameron Ricotta Forward  United States 21 Cheektowaga, NY
Trent Sambrook Defenseman  Canada 21 Winnipeg, MB
Boris Skalos Forward  United States 20 Clifton, NJ
Spencer Smith Forward  Canada 21 St. Catharines, ON
Jaryd Sych Defenseman  Canada 20 Airdrie, AB

Roster

As of September 14, 2023[4]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Texas Matt Lenz Junior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-06-02 Grapevine, Texas Steinbach (MJHL) —
2 Virginia Philip Waugh Senior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 2000-01-10 McLean, Virginia P. A. L. (NCDC) —
3 Michigan Jake Beaune Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-06-13 Livonia, Michigan Lincoln (USHL) —
4 Alberta Jaryd Sych Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2003-02-10 Airdrie, Alberta Notre Dame (SJHL) —
5 New York (state) Jackson McCarthy Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2002-09-27 West Seneca, New York Northeast (NAHL) —
6 New York (state) Trent Sambrook Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-01-03 Winnipeg, Manitoba Winkler (MJHL) —
7 New Jersey Tyler DesRochers Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-04-02 Howell, New Jersey Johnstown (NAHL) —
8 New Hampshire Tyler Gaulin Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 2001-11-09 Kingston, New Hampshire Maine (NAHL) —
9 Ontario Sean James Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2002-09-10 Almonte, Ontario Smiths Falls (CCHL) —
10 New Jersey Steven Agriogianis (A) Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1999-01-07 East Hanover, New Jersey Northeastern (HEA) —
11 Wisconsin Barrett Brooks Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-12-19 Stevens Point, Wisconsin Western Michigan (NCHC) —
12 Pennsylvania Dustin Geregach Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2001-11-14 McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania Johnstown (NAHL) —
14 New Jersey Boris Skalos Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2003-01-06 Clifton, New Jersey Fargo (USHL) —
15 New York (state) Tommy Bannister Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-09-05 Clayton, New York New Jersey (NAHL) —
16 North Carolina Ryan Coughlin Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-02-09 Charlotte, North Carolina New Jersey (NAHL) —
18 Saskatchewan Davis Fry Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2003-08-04 Regina, Saskatchewan Steinbach (MJHL) —
19 Illinois Garrett Dahm Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-06-29 Belleville, Illinois Youngstown (USHL) —
20 Ontario Keanan Stewart Senior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-29 Elmira, Ontario Burlington (OJHL) —
21 New Jersey Mickey Burns (A) Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-04-03 Wayne, New Jersey Vermont (HEA) —
22 New York (state) Kyler Head Senior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-07-13 Malone, New York Robert Morris (AHA) —
23 New York (state) Cameron Ricotta Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2002-05-17 Cheektowaga, New York Fairbanks (NAHL) —
24 Minnesota Marko Reifenberger (C) Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-01-19 Hastings, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL) —
26 Ontario Spencer Smith Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2002-05-20 St. Catharines, Ontario Penticton (BCHL) —
27 California Nicholas Kent Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-02-01 Anaheim, California Vernon (BCHL) —
28 New York (state) Tyler Nasca Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2001-01-09 Buffalo, New York Lone Star (NAHL) —
29 Ontario Adrien Bisson (A) Graduate D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-01-18 Cornwall, Ontario Maine (HEA) —
31 Ontario Owen Say Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-06-05 London, Ontario Salmon Arm (BCHL) —
37 New York (state) Connor Pelc Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2003-04-28 Buffalo, New York Sioux Falls (USHL) —
39 Maryland Will Margel Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2001-03-16 Potomac, Maryland New Hampshire (HEA) —
44 Quebec Simon Bucheler Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2002-03-29 Saint-Laurent, Quebec Shreveport (NAHL) —

Standings

2023–24 Atlantic Hockey Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#17 RIT †* 26 18 7 1 3 2 0 54 102 64 40 27 11 2 156 96
Holy Cross 26 13 10 3 0 3 1 46 78 62 39 21 14 4 116 93
Sacred Heart 26 14 10 2 2 2 1 45 75 70 36 14 19 3 91 113
Air Force 26 15 10 1 3 0 1 44 88 75 38 18 19 1 115 119
American International 26 12 10 4 1 1 2 42 79 68 40 20 16 4 119 111
Bentley 26 12 12 2 1 2 2 41 69 58 35 16 17 2 95 82
Niagara 26 13 10 3 3 1 1 41 78 79 39 18 18 3 111 122
Canisius 26 10 12 4 2 1 0 33 73 87 37 12 21 4 103 126
Mercyhurst 26 7 15 4 0 1 4 30 77 91 35 9 22 4 98 126
Army 26 8 16 2 0 1 1 28 66 96 35 10 23 2 93 139
Robert Morris 26 7 17 2 0 1 1 25 60 95 39 11 25 3 94 142
Championship: March 23, 2024
† indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
October 7 7:00 p.m. #13 Ohio State* Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say L 3–4  2,050 0–1–0
October 14 4:00 p.m. Robert Morris Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say T 3–3 SOW 582 0–1–1 (0–0–1)
October 21 7:00 p.m. at Niagara Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York FloHockey Say T 3–3 SOW 988 0–1–2 (0–0–2)
October 26 7:30 p.m. at Notre Dame* Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana Peacock Bucheler L 3–4 OT 3,919 0–2–2
October 27 7:00 p.m. at Notre Dame* Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana Peacock Bucheler L 0–5  5,022 0–3–2
November 3 7:07 p.m. at Bowling Green* Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio FloHockey Say W 4–3 OT 2,814 1–3–2
November 4 7:07 p.m. at Bowling Green* Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio FloHockey Say L 2–4  3,065 1–4–2
November 10 7:05 p.m. at #20 RIT Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York FloHockey Say L 2–5  3,925 1–5–2 (0–1–2)
November 11 5:05 p.m. at #20 RIT Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York FloHockey Bucheler W 2–0  3,388 2–5–2 (1–1–2)
November 18 7:00 p.m. Air Force Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Bucheler L 2–5  734 2–6–2 (1–2–2)
November 19 4:00 p.m. Air Force Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say W 5–1  783 3–6–2 (2–2–2)
November 24 7:05 p.m. at Miami* Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania   Say W 4–3 OT 1,571 4–6–2
November 26 4:00 p.m. Miami* Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say L 0–2  630 4–7–2
December 1 7:00 p.m. at Canisius LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York FloHockey Say T 3–3 SOW 719 4–7–3 (2–2–3)
December 2 7:00 p.m. Canisius Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say W 5–1  635 5–7–3 (3–2–3)
December 8 7:00 p.m. Army Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say L 3–4  1,017 5–8–3 (3–3–3)
December 9 4:00 p.m. Army Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say W 4–3  1,005 6–8–3 (4–3–3)
December 30 5:00 p.m. at Ohio State* Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio   Say L 3–5  5,096 6–9–3
January 5 7:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut FloHockey Say W 7–2  2,497 7–9–3 (5–3–3)
January 6 3:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut FloHockey Say L 1–2  3,063 7–10–3 (5–4–3)
January 11 7:00 p.m. at Canisius LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York FloHockey Say L 1–4  569 7–11–3 (5–5–3)
January 19 7:05 p.m. at Bentley Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts FloHockey Say L 0–4  879 7–12–3 (5–6–3)
January 20 4:05 p.m. at Bentley Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts FloHockey Bucheler L 4–8  945 7–13–3 (5–7–3)
January 26 7:00 p.m. Holy Cross Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say L 2–5  1,034 7–14–3 (5–8–3)
January 27 5:00 p.m. Holy Cross Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say L 3–5  1,074 7–15–3 (5–9–3)
February 2 7:00 p.m. Robert Morris Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say L 2–5  1,042 7–16–3 (5–10–3)
February 3 7:00 p.m. at Robert Morris Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania FloHockey Bucheler L 3–4  759 7–17–3 (5–11–3)
February 9 7:00 p.m. #20 RIT Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Bucheler L 6–7 OT 1,017 7–18–3 (5–12–3)
February 10 4:00 p.m. #20 RIT Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say W 3–2  1,027 8–18–3 (6–12–3)
February 16 4:35 p.m. at American International MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Say L 1–4  228 8–19–3 (6–13–3)
February 17 7:05 p.m. at American International MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Say T 2–2 SOW — 8–19–4 (6–13–4)
February 20 7:00 p.m. Niagara Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say L 1–4  924 8–20–4 (6–14–4)
February 22 7:00 p.m. at Niagara Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York FloHockey Say W 6–1  719 9–20–4 (7–14–4)
February 24 7:00 p.m. Niagara Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania FloHockey Say L 3–4  1,002 9–21–4 (7–15–4)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 2 6:05 p.m. at Canisius* LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York (First Round) FloHockey Say L 2–5  388 9–22–4
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[5]

Scoring statistics

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Garrett Dahm F 35 7 21 28 23
Boris Skalos F 35 15 12 27 10
Steven Agriogianis RW 35 6 17 23 8
Will Margel F 31 6 13 19 10
Dustin Geregach D 34 4 14 18 35
Mickey Burns LW 35 5 13 18 14
Keanan Stewart F 31 10 5 15 10
Kyler Head F 30 6 9 15 36
Philip Waugh D 31 10 4 14 32
Trent Sambrook D 28 3 10 13 14
Ryan Coughlin F 27 5 7 12 8
Marko Reifenberger C 33 5 6 11 37
Barrett Brooks F 27 4 6 10 23
Tommy Bannister F 27 3 7 10 4
Spencer Smith F 34 3 5 8 0
Adrien Bisson F 23 2 6 8 16
Jake Beaune D 35 2 6 8 33
Connor Pelc F 29 1 4 5 14
Cameron Ricotta F 5 1 1 2 0
Tyler DesRochers D 21 0 2 2 10
Sean James F 8 0 1 1 0
Nicholas Kent D 16 0 1 1 4
Tyler Nasca D 24 0 1 1 6
Jaryd Sych D 3 0 0 0 0
Owen Say G 31 0 0 0 2
Tyler Gaulin F 8 0 0 0 8
Simon Bucheler G 8 0 0 0 0
Davis Fry F 5 0 0 0 2
Total 98 171 269 359

Source:[6]

Goaltending statistics

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals against Saves Shut-outs SV % GAA
Owen Say 31 1697:52 8 17 4 91 950 0 .913 3.22
Simon Bucheler 12 397:45 1 5 0 26 237 1 .901 3.92
Empty Net - 40:01 - - - 9 - - - -
Total 35 2135:38 9 22 4 126 1187 1 .904 3.54

Rankings

Main article: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey 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 26 (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 Hockey 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 weeks 11 and 25.[7]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

Awards and honors

Player Award Ref
Owen Say Atlantic Hockey Third Team [8]
Trent Sambrook Atlantic Hockey Rookie Team [8]
Boris Skalos

References

  1. ^ "SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2024". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "All-Time Coaching Records". USCHO. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  3. ^ "Niagara-Mercyhurst, Canisius-RIT men's hockey games scheduled for Jan. 13 postponed due to inclement weather". USCHO. January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  4. ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Mercyhurst Lakers. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  5. ^ "2023-24 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Mercyhurst Lakers. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  6. ^ "Mercyhurst Univ. 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  7. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Atlantic Hockey unveils three all-conference teams, one all-rookie team for 2023-24 season". USCHO.com. March 12, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.