The Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey team is a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

hockey team that represents

Mercyhurst University (Seize the day) , former_names = Mercyhurst College (1926–2012) , established = , type = Private university , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy) , endowment = $31.8 million , faculty = 136 full-time , administrat ...

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

under Head Coach

Rick Gotkin Rick Gotkin (born November 7, 1959) is an American ice hockey head coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey team, a position he has held since 1988. Career Gotkin began attending SUNY-Broc ...

. The team is currently a Division I hockey team playing out of the

Mercyhurst Ice Center Mercyhurst Ice Center is a 35,280 square foot, 1,500-seat hockey rink in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to the Mercyhurst University Lakers Men's and Women's ice hockey teams. The center was the first privately funded ice rink in ...

located on the school campus. The Mercyhurst Lakers started out as a club sport at the school, moving up to Division III, followed by Division II, and now plays Division I in the

Atlantic Hockey Association The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other ...

conference. After joining their step up into Division I in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1998, the Lakers have won their conference tournament making NCAA tournament appearances in 2001, 2003, and 2005.

History

Club Sport

Chris Cuzzola, who was a student at Mercyhurst playing club hockey at

Gannon University Gannon University is a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania. Gannon University has approximately 4,500 students and 46,000 alumni. Its intercollegiate athletics include 18 athletic programs for men and women competing at the NCAA D ...

, happened to talk to former president of Mercyhurst University, William Garvey, about hockey. As a result of this, hockey would be instated as a club sport competing in the Erie Senior Hockey League for the 1986–1987 season. The coach for the first club season was Bob Cisek who was a Mercyhurst professor at the time. At the club level in the Erie Senior Hockey League, the Lakers went 15-0-3, finishing first in the league.

Division II & Division III

After just 1 year at the club level, the Mercyhurst Lakers began an independent trial run at the varsity level, Division III in the

Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 15 sports (13 men's and 13 women's). It has 220 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location fro ...

(ECAC) South hockey league. Mercyhurst Athletic Director John Leisering stated, “The administration was immediately enthusiastic about a possible move to varsity status and with the support of the hockey people, the move was approved after just a few months.” Named head coach for the Lakers in their first season at the Division III level was Fred Lane. Lane was one of the founding members for the Gannon University Golden Knights club hockey and was affiliated with the Gannon hockey program since 1967. As a player, he was Most Valuable Player his sophomore, junior, and senior years and coached the team in 1973 returning in 1978. In 10 seasons as the head coach for the Golden Knights, Lane had a record of 153–14–14, winning 2 Western Pennsylvania College Hockey Association league championships, 6 division championships, and was named WPCHA coach of the year 3 times. In addition to coaching, he was a member of the

Amateur Hockey Association of the United States USA Hockey is the national ice hockey organization in the United States. It is recognized by the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee as the governing body for organized ice hockey in the United S ...

(AHAUS) and the Ontario Coaches Association. Along with Head Coach Fred Lane, was Associate Coach Bob Cisek who ran the program a year ago at the club level. For the 1987–1988 season, the Lakers had a very competitive schedule in their first season as a Division III team playing a combination of both club and varsity teams. The Lakers opened up their first NCAA Division III season on Saturday, October 31 at

West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...

playing their home games at both the

Erie Civic Center Erie Insurance Arena (originally known as Erie Civic Center and later, Louis J. Tullio Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the downtown area of Erie, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and was the forme ...

and Glenwood Ice Rink. The highlight of the season being the game against Division I

Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team of the University of Notre Dame, competing at the NCAA Division I level as an associate member of the Big Ten Conference. The Irish play their home games at Com ...

on November 25 which they lost 7–3. With 18 of the 28 players being freshmen on the team, Mercyhurst Lakers ended their first varsity season going 16–7–0. Following the 1987–1988 season, on April 29 of 1988, Mercyhurst College Athletic Director John Leisering named Rick Gotkin as head coach of the team saying, “Rick’s playing, coaching, and recruiting credentials were just the mix Mercyhurst was looking for.” At 28 years of age, Rick Gotkin comes from the

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

, which played at the Division I level in the

where Gotkin served as Assistant Varsity Hockey Coach for the past 2 years (1986–1988). Before Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Gotkin was a coach at SUNY-Brockport (Division III), coached the Enschede Lions in the Netherlands, was head coach at SUNY-Canton (NCAA-Junior College), and was head coach of the

Fife Flyers Fife Flyers is the oldest professional ice hockey club in the UK, established in 1938. The Flyers play their home games at Fife Ice Arena in Kirkcaldy which has a capacity of just over 3000 (seated and standing). They joined the EIHL in 2011. ...

of the

British Hockey League The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1980 until 1996 (with a short break between 1981 and 1982), when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League. The league r ...

. After coaching Rensselaer, was hired as head coach for the Mercyhurst Lakers. For the 1988–1989 season, the Mercyhurst Lakers played in the ECAC-West Division alongside SUNY-Brockport,

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...

, SUNY-Fredonia, SUNY-Potsdam and St. Bonaventure University. In the Lakers first full season as an NCAA Division III program, the Lakers took a record of 11–1–1 under new Head Coach Rick Gotkin. The first time the Lakers would be ranked was in the 1990–1991 season where they ranked 9th in the short history of the team. During the 1991–1992, the Mercyhurst Lakers opened up their new rink on campus, the Mercyhurst Ice Center. According to the first Division II poll released, the Mercyhurst Lakers ranked 2nd in the 1992–1993 season only behind

Bemidji State University Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public university in Bemidji, Minnesota. Founded as a preparatory institution for teachers in 1919, it provides higher education to north-central Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Univ ...

. In that season, the Lakers finished with 2 wins and 3 losses against Division I teams. The wins coming against

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in As ...

and the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the losses coming from Kent State and two from the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The first time the team would be ranked 1st in their history was in December 1994. In the 1994–1995 season, the Lakers went 23-3-2 coming out with their first ever ECAC-West division championship and placing second in the NCAA Division II play-offs. In September 1997, while the Meryhurst Lakers were playing in the ECAC-West division, the

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Of its current 11 full members, 10 are located in three states of the northeastern United States: Connecticut, New Jersey, and N ...

(MAAC) rounded up 8 teams to form a Division I hockey conference. Joining the conferences of

Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...

Central Collegiate Hockey Association The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) is a college athletic conference that participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The current CCHA began play in the 2021–22 season; a previous incarnation, which the curre ...

, and

Western Collegiate Hockey Association The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...

in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey with 48 schools playing in 5 Division I conferences. The MAAC included Canisius College,

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2017, the university had about 4,100 full-time undergraduate students and 1,100 graduate students, including full-time ...

, and

Iona College (New York) Iona University is a private Roman Catholic university with a main campus in New Rochelle, New York. It was founded in 1940 by the Congregation of Christian Brothers and occupies a campus of in New Rochelle and a campus of in Bronxville, N ...

as full members with

American International College American International College (AIC) is a private college in Springfield, Massachusetts. History American International College was originally established on July 18, 1885, as the French Protestant College by Rev. Calvin E. Amaron, who sough ...

(AIC),

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

, Holy Cross College, Quinnipiac College, and

Sacred Heart University Sacred Heart University (SHU) is a private, Catholic university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Sacred Heart was the first Catholic un ...

as associate members with visions of

Bentley University Bentley University is a private university focused on business, accountancy, and finance and located in Waltham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1917 as a school of accounting and finance in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Bentley moved to Waltham ...

and Mercyhurst joining for the 1999–2000 season making the conference 10 teams.

Division I

In May 1998, the Mercyhurst board of trustees approved the transition from Division II non-scholarship to play Division I ice hockey in the NCAA. The Lakers ended their long association with the Eastern College Athletic Conference West division to play Division I hockey in the

. In the Lakers first full season at the Division I level in the 1999–2000 season, Mercyhurst went 20-14-2 with Rick Gotkin still as head coach of the team. In 2003, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference reorganized to create the

with Quinnipiac, Connecticut, AIC, Canisius, Holy Cross, Sacred Heart, Bentley, Army Black Knights, and Mercyhurst as the 9 members of the league. Currently the Atlantic Hockey Association contains 10 teams; Mercyhurst, AIC,

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...

Air Force Falcons The Air Force Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the United States Air Force Academy, located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The athletics department has 17 men's and 10 women's NCAA-sanctioned teams. The current athl ...

, Army, Canisius, Sacred Heart, Bentley, Holy Cross, and

Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in the town of Henrietta, New York, Henrietta in the Rochester, New York, metropolitan area. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degree ...

Season-by-season results

Source:

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2021–22 season

Statistical leaders

Source:

Career points leaders

Statistics current through the start of the 2022–23 season.

Awards and honors

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

All-Americans

NCAA Division III / II *1990-91: Scott Burfoot F *1992-93: Andrew Moir D *1994-95: Justin Proud D *1995-96: Kevin McKinnon F *1996-97: John Evangelista F *1997-98: John Evangelista F AHCA Second Team All-Americans *2018–19: Joseph Duszak, D

ECAC West ECAC West was a college athletic conference which operated in the northeastern United States until 2017. It participated in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference. The conference ceased to exist after the end of the 2016–17 season wh ...

Individual Awards

Player of the Year * Scott Burfoot: 1991, 1992 * Scott Barber: 1993 *

Kevin McKinnon Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

: 1996 Rookie of the Year * Craig MacDonald: 1992 *

: 1993

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-ECAC *1990–91: Scott Burfoot, F *1992–93: Andrew Moir, D *1995–96:

, F Second Team All-ECAC *1992–93:

Rob Madia Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ...

, F *1994–95: Justin Proud, D *1996–97: John Evangelista, F *1997–98: John Evangelista, F

MAAC

Individual Awards

Defensive Player of the Year *

Paul Colontino Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

, D: 2000 Goaltender of the Year *

Peter Aubry Peter Aubry (born May 19, 1977) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional goaltender. He is currently an associate coach at Omaha. Career Born in Windsor, Ontario, Aubry spent four years in Mercyhurst College before turning pro in 200 ...

: 2001, 2002 Offensive Rookie of the Year * Adam Tackaberry, C: 2001 * Scott Reynolds, F: 2003

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

: 2001 Tournament Most Valuable Player * Jeff Gould: 2001 *David Wrigley: 2003

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-MAAC *1999–00: Paul Colotino, D *2000–01:

, G; Eric Ellis, F *2001–02:

, G;

Louis Goulet Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

, F Second Team All-MAAC *1999–00: Eric Ellis, F;

, F *2000–01: Jody Robinson, D;

, F; Tom McMonagle, F *2001–02: Adam Tackaberry, F *2002–03: T. J. Kemp, D;

Rich Hansen Richard John Hansen (born October 30, 1955 in Northport, New York) is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 14 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the New York Islanders and St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues a ...

, F MAAC All-Rookie Team *2000–01: Adam Tackaberry, F *2001–02: T. J. Kemp, D;

, F *2002–03: Conrad Martin, D; Scott Reynolds, F

Atlantic Hockey The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other c ...

Individual Awards

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...

* Jimmy Sarjeant, G: 2014 * Joseph Duszak, D: 2019 Rookie of the Year * Ben Cottreau: 2005 * Taylor Holstrom: 2011 * Lester Lancaster: 2016 Best Defensive Forward * Scott Reynolds, F: 2005 *Dan O'Donoghue, F: 2014 * Jack Riley, F: 2018 * Joshua Lammon, F: 2019 Best Defenseman * T. J. Kemp: 2004 * Conrad Martin: 2005 * Nick Jones: 2014 * Lester Lancaster: 2017 * Joseph Duszak: 2019 Individual Sportsmanship Award * Chris Risi, F: 2010 * Nick Jones: 2014 * Bryan Sienerth: 2018 Regular Season Goaltending Award * Jimmy Sarjeant: 2014 Regular Season Scoring Trophy * Ben Cottreau: 2006 * Matthew Zay: 2013

: 2014, 2018 Most Valuable Player in Tournament *Scott Champagne: 2005

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2003–04: T. J. Kemp, D *2004–05: T. J. Kemp, D *2005–06: Jamie Hunt, D; Dave Borrelli, F *2012–13: Nick Jones, F *2013–14: Jimmy Sarjeant, G; Nick Jones, D; Matthew Zay, F *2015–16: Lester Lancaster, D *2016–17: Lester Lancaster, D *2018–19: Joseph Duszak, D; Derek Barach, F Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2003–04: Mike Carter, F; David Wrigley, F *2004–05: Conrad Martin, D; David Wrigley, F *2005–06: Ben Cottreau, F *2007–08: Ben Cottreau, F *2008–09: Ryan Zapolski, G; Steve Cameron, F; Matt Pierce, F *2009–10: Brandon Coccimigilo, F *2010–11: Ryan Zapolski, G *2012–13: Ryan Misiak, F *2013–14: Dan O'Donoghue, F *2014–15: Ryan Misiak, F *2016–17: Derek Barach, F *2017–18: Brandon Wildung, G; Joseph Duszak, D; Jack Riley, F; Derek Barach, F *2020–21: Joseph Maziarz, D; Jon Bendorf, F; Carson Brière, F Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2008–09: Scott Pitt, F *2009–10: Ryan Zapolski, G *2010–11: Jeff Terminesi, D; Scott Pitt, F *2011–12: Nick Jones, D *2012–13: Matthew Zay, F *2014–15: Daniel Bahntge, F *2015–16: Derek Barach, F *2021–22: Carson Brière, F Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team *2003–04: Jamie Hunt, D *2004–05: Ben Cottreau, F *2005–06: Chris Trafford, F *2006–07:

Cullen Eddy Cullen Eddy (born November 18, 1988) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). Playing career On August 3, 2011, it was announced that E ...

, D *2007–08: Jeff Terminesi, D *2008–09: Phil Ginand, F *2010–11: Taylor Holstrom, F *2011–12: Tyler Shiplo, D; Dan Bahntge, F *2014–15: Jack Riley, F *2015–16: Lester Lancaster, D; Derek Barach, F *2018–19: Josh McDougall, D *2020–21: Austin Heidemann, F; Carson Brière, F

Mercyhurst Ice Center

Before the opening of the

, the Mercyhurst Lakers played their games at the Erie Civic Center and Glenwood Ice Rink. Due to constantly being on the road, the Lakers team referred to themselves as “The Boys On The Bus”. Needing a rink on campus, Mercyhurst President, William Garvey, found a deal to fund the building for a rink on campus. On December 8, 1991, the Lakers began to play in the Mercyhurst Ice Center located on the Mercyhurst University campus. They opened the new rink against the Rochester Institute of Technology that they lost 5–4.

Notable alumni

Jamie Hunt, Mercyhurst 2003–2006. Nick Jones, Mercyhurst 2010–2014. T.J. Kemp, Mercyhurst 2001–2005. Ryan Zapolski, Mercyhurst 2007–2011.

Current roster

As of August 16, 2022.

Olympians

This is a list of Mercyhurst alumni were a part of an Olympic team.

Lakers in the NHL

As of July 1, 2022. Source:

References

External links

Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey
{{Atlantic Hockey Ice hockey teams in Pennsylvania