The Official Thread of the Mercyhurst Lakers

[dave1381]

Right. To put it another way, staying as the No. 1 team in the polls will be an easier task for Mercyhurst than staying as the No. 1 team in reality. The Lakers' NCAA opponents will likely be coming off conference tournaments with two games against top 10 teams, while the Lakers won't have played a top 10 opponent in 2007. It will be certainly be a challenge for Mercyhurst to keep up and continue improving throughout the season.

[ARM]

Can't wait to see the polls on Monday. We should get some first place votes if not all of them.I'd be surprised if Mercyhurst got all of the first place votes. I expect some percentage of the voters to continue to give UW the top spot, because the two teams have the same record and the Badgers have the defending champ ratings boost. MC has had the tougher schedule to date, but it is difficult to say just how much tougher it has been. The other option, as I see it, would be Harvard, but they'd have to come from a ways down in the polls.

In any case, congrats to the Lakers on reaching a new highwater mark in the program's history.

[MICZamboni]

Mercyhurst College gets great press from the local paper, the Erie Times News. Here is what was in this mornings paper for all you MC fans.

'Hurst braced for top ranking

From staff reports


DURHAM, N.H. -- The Mercyhurst women's hockey team has been setting records for its highest ranking in team history all season. It could set a record that never will be broken this week.

Laura Hosier saved 30-of-31 shots as Mercyhurst beat New Hampshire 2-1 Saturday in the New Hampshire tournament.

Both teams are ranked second and third in the country, depending on the poll. Mercyhurst is ranked second in the USCHO.com poll, New Hampshire is second in the USA Today poll.

The Lakers (12-1-1) could move up to No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll after top-ranked Wisconsin lost to Minnesota-Duluth 2-1 Friday, then bounced back to beat Minnesota-Duluth 1-0 Saturday.

Julia Colizza and Meghan Agosta scored for Mercyhurst, which is beginning to realize its potential for the top position in the nation.

"Obviously the record at the end of the season counts the most," coach Michael Sisti said. "But now we know that we have a realistic shot at No. 1 with our tough schedule."

Jennifer Hitchcock scored the lone goal for the Wildcats (13-2-1).

Sisti says being No. 1 would be very important to the Lakers.

"To be No. 1 at the D-I level in women's hockey for little Mercyhurst is a huge accomplishment," Sisti said. "For a program to have grown this much in 7½ years is amazing."

The Lakers host Princeton in their next game Friday.

[camman15]

Right. To put it another way, staying as the No. 1 team in the polls will be an easier task for Mercyhurst than staying as the No. 1 team in reality. The Lakers' NCAA opponents will likely be coming off conference tournaments with two games against top 10 teams, while the Lakers won't have played a top 10 opponent in 2007. It will be certainly be a challenge for Mercyhurst to keep up and continue improving throughout the season.

Tough games down the stretch can be helpful or in some cases hurtful, if that be a word,.....it's true the Lakers are going to have to figure out a way to stay sharp and somehow be prepared for teams that will be battled hardened by their conferences and their championships,.....there are 4 or 5 teams that have a legitmate chance to win this year's NCAA crown and Mike Sisti knows polls don't win championships,.....but right now, this is a very good hockey team that has few weaknesses,.....come March, it will most likely come down to "new season" preparation by the 8 teams that make it, and trust me, Mercyhurst will be ready for anybody that's lucky enough to join the big "dance" with them,.....

[MICZamboni]

Congrats to Coach Sisti and his ladies. This is a great day for the program, the College and the City of Erie. You have earned the ranking.

[dave1381]

there are 4 or 5 teams that have a legitmate chance to win this year's NCAA crown and Mike Sisti knows polls don't win championships.
I'd put that number closer to 7 or 8.

[MICZamboni]

Another good article in todays Erie Times News.

Mercyhurst reaches top
By VICTOR FERNANDES
victor.fernandes@timesnews.com
The Mercyhurst College women's hockey team waited for this milestone longer than expected.
But like everything else the Lakers have accomplished in their seven-plus-year history, it was worth the wait.
"It's something we've worked for ... our team and everyone that has been here before me," senior captain Julia Colizza said after learning the Lakers are ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time.
Coach Michael Sisti and his players eagerly anticipated the release of the USCHO.com Division I poll Monday afternoon. Normally, Sisti receives the poll by e-mail between noon and 2 p.m. on Mondays. When it had not arrived by 3:30 p.m., he knew what caused the delay.
"Clearly the debate is us or Wisconsin," he said.
Mercyhurst (12-1-1) earned 10 of 15 first-place votes and 145 points, edging Wisconsin (14-1-1), the previous top team, by five first-place votes and six points. New Hampshire (13-2-1), Minnesota (10-3-1) and Harvard (9-1-0) completed the top five. The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, which had Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Mercyhurst as the top three teams last week, unveils its rankings today.
Deep down, the Lakers believed they deserved the top spot. But compared to Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Harvard, Dartmouth and other schools, they understood Mercyhurst has a less recognizable name. That made predicting what the voters would decide all but impossible.
"Every day, you try to win more people over," senior defenseman Michelle Bonello said, "(get them) to recognize that Mercyhurst is a top hockey school. ... I don't think it's quite up there yet. But it's getting recognized daily. It's good to see that people are acknowledging our work and where we are right now."
Sisti, one of 12 coaches who votes in the USCHO.com poll, ranked Wisconsin first, one spot ahead of Mercyhurst, on his ballot. Like his Lakers, the Badgers have one loss and a tie, and they are the defending NCAA champions. He figured other voters would follow the same logic.
Instead, it appears USCHO.com poll voters considered Mercyhurst's sweep of Boston College, No. 9 in the latest poll, and New Hampshire this past weekend. The Lakers snapped UNH's 32-game home winning streak Saturday. Wisconsin split two home games with No. 7 Minnesota-Duluth.
"I know it's a small school," senior forward Stefanie Bourbeau said. "We have great athletes, a great sports program. ... We should compete with all the big names we hear in the (United) States."
The No. 1 ranking adds legitimacy to the program, Sisti said.
"It clearly shows what we've done to this point in the season," he said. "It makes a statement of how much we've been able to do to get to that point."
John Leisering, director of hockey operations for the men's and women's programs, pointed to the first two games in the history of the women's program to show how much it has grown. The Lakers lost to UNH 12-1, followed by two losses to St. Lawrence by 7-0 scores.
"Each time we accomplish things," Sisti said, "there's just an elite group of teams that we're with."
But like their coach, the players are keeping the ranking in perspective. UNH spent all of last season either at No. 1 or No. 2, then lost to Minnesota in the NCAA semifinals.
"It's just a ranking," freshman forward Meghan Agosta said. "The ranking is one thing. Winning is another."
Like winning a gold medal with Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics, Agosta knows the national championship is the only goal.
"Our goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the season," Bourbeau said. "I don't think we're going to stop working toward our goal."

[gotice]

Curious, what happened to the freshman goalie, Dana Timm? She appears on the roster listed by USCHO, put not on Mercyhurst's roster.

[MICZamboni]

Curious, what happened to the freshman goalie, Dana Timm? She appears on the roster listed by USCHO, put not on Mercyhurst's roster.

There is no Dana Timm on the Mercyhurst team. Never heard of her.

[gotice]

oops sorry I meant Robert Morris in PA

[MICZamboni]

Another article in today's Erie Times News. I hope this doesnt bother people that I put this up but I think its easier than actually going to goerie.com and signing in just to read the article. Anyways, here it is:

USA Today latest to put 'Hurst women's hockey team in top spot
By Ron Leonardi
ron.leonardi@timesnews.com
Breaking down film on Princeton and conducting practice weren't the only time-consuming tasks awaiting Mercyhurst College women's hockey coach Michael Sisti on Tuesday.
Being ranked No. 1 in the nation for the second time in as many days kept the Lakers coach busy answering a barrage of congratulatory telephone calls and e-mails.
"Since Monday afternoon, I've received probably 35 phone calls and 50 or more e-mails from faculty, administration, alumni, former players and other coaches around the nation," Sisti said.
The Lakers (12-1-1) on Tuesday were selected No. 1 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Division I poll by just one point over defending national champion Wisconsin (14-1-1). Mercyhurst received 10 first-place votes and 181 points, edging the Badgers, who had nine first-place votes and 180 points.
On Monday, Mercyhurst received the program's first-ever No. 1 national ranking as the top team in the USCHO.com poll.
"It's too bad the season doesn't end today," Sisti joked. "We'd be in good shape. We're on top of the world, at least until Monday at 3 p.m. when the next rankings come out. But no matter what happens this weekend with Princeton, no one can take that achievement away from us."
The Lakers vaulted into the top spot in both polls on the strength of victories over nationally ranked opponents Boston College and New Hampshire last week at the New Hampshire tournament.
Mercyhurst shut out Boston College 4-0 and defeated New Hampshire 2-1, ending the Wildcats' 32-game home unbeaten streak.
"The support has been overwhelming," Sisti said. "We know what we've done is big, but it is extra special when a lot of people not associated with the community or college have taken notice and taken time out to congratulate us on what we've achieved."
Mercyhurst hosts Princeton Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
Princeton (8-2-2) is ranked No. 9 in the USA Today poll and No. 10 in the USCHO.com poll.
"Hopefully, we don't fall on hard times this season," Sisti said. "Even if we do, this is something that we earned. There have only been a handful of teams to be named No. 1 in the country in the USCHO poll (only 10 since the poll began in the 1998-99 season), so that puts us within an elite group of programs. We're just trying to build one of the best programs in the country that people respect, and I think we've been able to do that."

[quixote]

MIC Thanks for posting the local news articles. You are right iit is hard to get into the Times site to read them and sometimes I forget to check.

Congratulations to all the lakers, the staff and the community.:) :)

[LakersFan]

Congrats to the team and the coaching staff. Many years of hard work by many players and coaches has really paid off. They have three out of four number one spots (USCHO, USAToday, and RPI). As soon as I get done fudging some numbers, they will be number one in my computer poll too :) (http://math.bd.psu.edu/faculty/rutter/WomensRankings.html)

Nice to see the team get some nice publicity in the Erie Times News. They even published a letter to the editor from some guy named Brennan.

[hab]

[QUOTE=LakersFan;2829098]As soon as I get done fudging some numbers, they will be number one in my computer poll too :) (http://math.bd.psu.edu/faculty/rutter/WomensRankings.html)
QUOTE]

Oh-oh! Sounds like there may be another job here for Hab's Pawn Shop and Auditing Service.

[MICZamboni]

Congrats to the team and the coaching staff. Many years of hard work by many players and coaches has really paid off. They have three out of four number one spots (USCHO, USAToday, and RPI). As soon as I get done fudging some numbers, they will be number one in my computer poll too :) (http://math.bd.psu.edu/faculty/rutter/WomensRankings.html)

Nice to see the team get some nice publicity in the Erie Times News. They even published a letter to the editor from some guy named Brennan.

Read the letter to the editor myself. This Brennan guy is a genius.

[camman15]

Read the letter to the editor myself. This Brennan guy is a genius.

Genius???,.....MIC, isn't this knucklehead Grennan, Brennan, whoever, a Cleveland Brown's fan???,.....he obviously isn't the sharpest knife in the draw rooting for that sorry franchise,.....sounds like this guy is your neighbor's landscaper,.....

[MICZamboni]

Here is the article in todays paper for tonights game. Enjoy

'Hurst's No. 1 goal: Avoid letdown
Lakers' women's team faces first foe since earning top ranking
By Ron Leonardi
ron.leonardi@timesnews.com
You're never more popular then when you're No. 1.
Mercyhurst College women's hockey senior defender Michelle Bonello, a fourth-year starter, has found plenty of unexpected attention directed her way this week.
"I'll be walking around campus and people are coming up to me and saying congratulations," she said. "In the Millcreek Mall the other day, I was walking around wearing a Mercyhurst hockey T-shirt and people I don't know are coming up to me and saying, 'Oh, congrats, I hear you're No. 1.' I was like, 'Wow!' This is pretty nice to see people supporting us more and more."
Bonello insists she and her teammates haven't gotten swollen heads over the Lakers' No. 1 rankings this week in the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Division I polls.
However, the native of Mississauga, Ontario, admits when the Lakers were informed of their USCHO.com status Monday, she and many of her ecstatic teammates spent the rest of the day "bouncing off the walls."
Today, it's back to work and time to get refocused. The Lakers (12-1-1) can't afford to slip up this weekend when they host nationally ranked Princeton (8-2-2) tonight at 7 and Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
"Being on top right now is a big achievement, but we can't underestimate anyone," senior defender Ashley Pendleton said. "We have to play almost harder now because we're at the top and we're the team that everyone is after now."
Wins over nationally ranked Boston College and New Hampshire last week at the New Hampshire tournament vaulted the Lakers past defending national champion Wisconsin to the top of both major polls. Wisconsin (14-1-1) split a weekend series against Minnesota-Duluth.
"We have pride in this program," Pendleton said. "The keys have been hard work and determination and knowing what our goal is - trying to win the national championship. I think over the years, the senior class has grown stronger and stuck together, and we're slowly seeing the results we envisioned when we came here."
Coach Michael Sisti doesn't fear a letdown by his team, which has compiled a 5-1 record against Top 10 competition this season.
"A letdown would be disappointing because I think we do have great leadership and I think our players finally understand and are all on the same page with what we're trying to achieve," Sisti said.
The Lakers have ascended to the top of college hockey by winning in many different ways with a team that blends experience and leadership with a handful of impact freshmen.
"Sometimes we've won with great defense, sometimes it's with just enough offense and sometimes the special teams have been huge for us" Sisti said. "Other times, it's been five-on-five hockey. Also, there have been games where our so-called go-to players have played great and also games where role players have stepped up."
Princeton will be trying to rebound from its first two losses of the season - 6-3 to Dartmouth and 5-0 to Harvard - last weekend.
"Princeton is so good, we could play great this weekend and not win a game," Sisti said. "There are no slouches in the Top 10 this year. Princeton is too good a team and we respect them too much not to realize that if we don't play well, we'll get embarrassed in our own rink."
Bonello realizes the Lakers have a lot of work left before they can even think about realizing their ultimate goal.
"Keeping the No. 1 spot is probably harder then getting there," she said. "We can handle it. Our work ethic is amazing and we're just clicking. We all know it doesn't matter if you're No. 1 now, it matters in March where you end up."

[quixote]

has anyone been able to activate live stats for tonights game? I am gettting a broadcast through the campus station. Thanks

[quixote]

No stats yet but MC up 4-1 at the end of two periods. Agosta has had what sound like two amazing goals. Chouinard has one and I can't remember who has the fourth.

[quixote]

Final score MC 6-1 over Princeton. Annoucers said it was the largest crowd they had seen at a women's or men's game at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.