@ Mercyhurst (10/6)

[mbenecke]

It's October 1st, which means BG hockey season is almost here! The season opens on the road at Mercyhurst this Saturday, October 6th, and 7pm. Make sure to tune in and watch/listen live, as this year's squad could be the one tat finally makes it back to the big dance.

I don't know a whole lot about Mercyhurst, and there aren't too many stats for me to post about them, but this is a game we absolutely must win. Gotta start the season strong with a road win, as these non-conference games will go a long way in determining what this team is doing after the WCHA tournament.

Their starting goalie from last year has graduated, so the guy who returns with experience is a junior, #33 Colin DeAugustine. Last year, in 5 appearances, he was 1-2-0 with a GAA of 3.04 and a .886 save percentage. If we get after him early, I like our chances.

Leave your predictions and thoughts below. The discussion surrounding this game will be very exciting for me - I'm ready for BG's finest to be back out on the ice!

Mercyhurst Roster: https://hurstathletics.com/roster.aspx?roster=1344" target="_blank

Mercyhurst 2017-2018 Stats: https://www.collegehockeynews.com/stats ... l,20172018" target="_blank

Coach Bergeron's 10/1 Presser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR-8_VHc_d4" target="_blank

[BGDrew]

I was told by the Mercyhurst SID that parking is going to be at a premium this weekend. It’s a busy day on their campus, so give yourself some extra time to find parking.

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

Writeup in USCHO on the AHC. Quote on Mercyhurst:

Mercyhurst lost goaltending, a ton of offense and saw all-star defenseman Lancaster transfer to Denver. Can the Lakers still finish near the top?

The [AHC’s] biggest star remains Dylan McLaughlin, who earned Canisius a second straight Hobey Baker Award finalist designation with last year’s 48-point season. He leads a star-studded parade of players from a variety of teams, including Alex Tonge (Robert Morris), Erik Brown (RIT), Derek Barach (Mercyhurst), and Brennan Kapcheck (AIC).

HEAD COACH: Rick Gotkin (31st season)
LAST SEASON: 21-12-4, 16-8-4 (first) in the AHC. Lost to Robert Morris in the AHC semifinals.
KEY RETURNING PLAYERS: Senior forward Derek Barach (15-23-38), junior defenseman Joseph Duszak (9-22-31), senior forward Taylor Best (11-14-25).
KEY LOSSES: Forward Jack Riley (16-15-31), goalie Brandon Wildung (2.81 GAA, .918 save percentage), defenseman Lester Lancaster (6-20-26).
KEY ADDITIONS: Forward Dalton Hunter (17 points in 56 games for Debuque (USHL); defenseman Josh McDougall (94 points in 71 games for Nipawin (SJHL), goalie Garrett Metcalf (2.59 GAA and .913 save percentage for UMass Lowell in 2016-17)
2018-19 PREDICTION: Mercyhurst proved that in this league, you can throw expectations out the window. The Lakers were picked to finish eighth/seventh in the coaches/media pre-season poll, but ended up regular-season champions.
“We’re picked to finish fourth in a very competitive league,” said Gotkin. “You never know. Our goal is to win every night and improve and get better.”
Chris picks Mercyhurst to finish fourth; Dan picks Mercyhurst to finish fourth.

[pdt1081]

I was told by the Mercyhurst SID that parking is going to be at a premium this weekend. It’s a busy day on their campus, so give yourself some extra time to find parking.

Any internet feed for the game?

[mbenecke]

I was told by the Mercyhurst SID that parking is going to be at a premium this weekend. It’s a busy day on their campus, so give yourself some extra time to find parking.

Any internet feed for the game?

It should be here: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/atlantichockey/" target="_blank

[mbenecke]

It has just been released (through photos online) that Stephen Baylis will be the captain of our Falcon hockey team this year. In addition to that, and quite interestingly enough, there will NOT be any alternate captains this year. Each member of the leadership group knows his role, and they don't need a title/patch to confirm what they already know.

Looking forward to seeing this team get to work.

[Critical Thinker]

There's a residential Street (Parade Blvd.) near the campus gate to the ice arena. No cost to park, easy access to the arena. Campus lot is crazy, football and soccer happening now, women's hockey game soon.

[Falconfreak90]

3-0 BG!!! Now there is positive news. Keep it rolling...

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

A couple of turnovers in our defensive end and we aren’t seeming to win a lot of face offs. But we are playing very well. Forecheck and backcheck is causing Hurst problems. Theocharidis’ goal from the point was a nice one.

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

Mercyhurst recorded 4 shots in the second. We are all over them.

[gmartin]

5-0 after 2

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

Baylis with the hat trick. 6-0.

[gmartin]

Baylis with the hat trick. 6-0.

And Johnson w/ 2 goals and 3 assists.

Nice start to the season.

[TalonsUpPuckDown]

All around good effort though it would have been icing on the cake for Bednard to get the shutout. We sent two forecheckers at them all night and they couldn't handle it. Lost too many faceoffs but it didn't hurt us. Power play was 3-5 and we weren't trying all that hard on the last one.

Now the big question...will what we did tonight stand up in K'zoo Tuesday? I half expected a big win tonight but Tuesday is the first real test to see how this team stacks up.


EDIT: Faceoffs were 39-34 them. Seemed like it was more lopsided.

[mbenecke]

8-2 win is about as good as it gets for a season opener with no exhibition to help ease the young guys in.

Looking forward to seeing this team play this year. They have this kind of potential, and they should be able to do this kind of thing to a few teams in conference play. Just gotta remain focused and motivated.