The Mercyhurst Lakers remained unbeaten in the MAAC with a 5-3 win over visiting Army Friday night.
The win improved the Lakers’ overall mark to 4-4-1 and its conference record to 4-0-1. Army dropped to 2-6-0 overall and to 2-5-0 in the MAAC.
Army junior defenseman Mike McLean scored the lone goal of the first period, beating freshman netminder Andy Franck at 15:00. It was McLean’s first goal of the season. Mercyhurst outshot the Black Knights 9-3 in the first 20 minutes.
The Lakers tied the game at 6:32 of the second when junior forward Shane Relihan scored his second of the season. Sophomore forward David Wrigley lit the lamp back-to-back at 10:16 and 11:49 to put Mercyhurst ahead 3-1 after two periods. The goals were Wrigley’s third and fourth of the year. Mercyhurst outshot Army 17-10 in the middle period.
The Black Knights refused to go away and tied the game at 3-3 on third period goals by sophomore defenseman Justin Fagan, his fourth, at 1:31 and sophomore forward Chris Garceau, his third, at 10:24. Garceau’s score came shorthanded, Army’s first shorthanded strike of the season.
But the Lakers regrouped and scored on the same power play as senior forward P.J. Hiscock beat Army freshman goalie Brad Roberts on a rebound at 10:52. Junior forward Adam Tackaberry scored a second Mercyhurst power-play goal at 11:23 to conclude the scoring.
The Black Knights had an 18-11 advantage in third-period shots, but the Lakers owned a 37-31 margin for the game.
The Lakers were 2 of 7 with the man advantage while the Black Knights were 0 for 8. Army had a two-man advantage for 1:11 late in the second, but couldn’t score.
Mercyhurst is now 7-1 lifetime against Army and 5-0 in Erie. Mercyhurst will host Iona Saturday night while the Black Knights will travel to Buffalo, New York, to play Canisius.
