Trevor Edwards recorded his first career hat trick and Jay Latulippe posted a career-best four-point game with two goals and two assists to lead Clarkson to its most productive offensive outing of the season in a 8-2 victory over Mercyhurst before 2,046 fans at Cheel Arena Saturday night.
Rob McFeeters also tallied twice as Clarkson doubled its previous highest goal total of the season. The Golden Knights, who defeated the Lakers 4-3 in overtime on Friday, own a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1) and stand at 8-7-4 overall. Mercyhurst, which has lost all five games its has played against Clarkson, falls to 7-9-1.
Mercyhurst got on the scoreboard first at 5:03 when Dave Borrelli converted off a faceoff won by Mike Carter deep in the Clarkson zone. After that it was all Clarkson as the Knights rattled off seven unanswered goals. Clarkson tallied three straight in the first for its first multiple-goal outing in the opening period this season.
McFeeters knocked in a loose puck in front at 10:48 to start Clarkson’s surge. Latulippe followed 78 seconds later with a power-play marker. Latulippe set up the Knights’ third goal, for his second assist of the game, when he dug the puck out along the right boards and set a pass back to McFeeters, who faked a shot in close and then lifted in his fourth goal of the season at 18:36 for the eventual game-winner.
The Knights continued to roll in the middle frame, adding four more goals. Edwards tallied twice in a 28-second span to give Clarkson a 5-1 lead at 9:18. Jamie McKinven netted his first collegiate goal, a 5-on-3 power-play marker, at 12:32, followed by Latulippe’s second goal of the night and seventh over the past seven games at 16:55.
Mercyhurst put a temporary halt to the Clarkson onslaught with Conrad Martin’s goal at 9:03 of the final stanza, but Edwards closed out the scoring with a breakaway goal at 15:10 for his fourth goal of the season to complete his three-goal outing.
Clarkson outshot Mercyhurst 33-25. Kyle McNulty, making his second collegiate start in the Knights’ goal, posted 23 saves to record his first win at Clarkson.
