2020–21 Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey season

The 2020–21 Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey season was the 34th season of play for the program, the 22nd at the Division I level, and the 18th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Lakers represented Mercyhurst University and were coached by Rick Gotkin, in his 33rd season.

2020–21 Mercyhurst Lakers
men's ice hockey season
Conference7th Atlantic Hockey
Home iceMercyhurst Ice Center
Rankings
USCHO.comNR
USA Today/
US Hockey Magazine
NR
Record
Overall8–12–1
Conference7–8–1–1–1–1
Home6–6–1
Road2–6–0
Neutral0–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachRick Gotkin
Assistant coachesGreg Gardner
Derek Whitmore
Captain(s)Quinn Wichers
Alternate captain(s)Michael Bevilacqua
Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

The start of the college hockey season was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As a result, Mercyhurst's first scheduled game was in mid-November as opposed to early-October, which was the norm.[citation needed]

Season

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As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Mercyhurst's players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]

Mercyhurst managed to recover after the program's worst season, posting a middling record amidst an ever-changing schedule. Despite playing 14 fewer games, the Lakers won three more games than they had the year before. including three over ranked opponents.

Ashton Stockie and Carver Watson sat out the season.

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
James Anderson Forward   United States Graduation
Stefano Cantali Goaltender   Canada Signed Professional Contract (Chiefs Leuven)
Cory Caruso Forward   Canada Left Program
Colin DeAugustine Goaltender   United States Graduation
Ethan Johnson Forward   United States Left Program
Jonathan Lazarus Forward   United States Graduation
Garrett Metcalf Goaltender   United States Transferred to Long Island
Brendan Riley Forward   United States Graduation

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Carson Brière Forward   United States 21 Haddonfield, NJ
Wyatt Head Defenseman   Canada 21 Kelowna, BC
Austin Heidemann Forward   United States 21 Maple Grove, MN
Hank Johnson Goaltender   United States 24 Minneapolis, MN; transfer from Bemidji State
Noah Kane Forward   United States 20 Buffalo, NY
Matt Lenz Goaltender   Canada 21 Calgary, AB
Jac Lymn Goaltender   United States 19 Charlotte, NC
Kyle McClellan Goaltender   United States 21 Manchester, MO
Devon Mussio Defenseman   Canada 21 Vancouver, BC
Marko Reifenberger Forward   United States 21 Hastings, MN
Dante Sheriff Forward   Canada 21 Woodbridge, ON
Rylee St. Onge Forward   Canada 22 St. Catharines, ON; transfer from Alaska Anchorage
Keanan Stewart Defenseman   Canada 20 Guelph, ON

Roster

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As of December 31, 2020.[3]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Matt Lenz Freshman G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1999-06-02 Grapevine, Texas Steinbach (MJHL)
2   Cade Townend Sophomore D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-06-17 Carleton Place, Ontario Carleton Place (CCHL)
4   Quinn Wichers (C) Senior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 217 lb (98 kg) 1997-08-19 Metcalfe, Ontario Kemptville (CCHL)
5   Michael Bevilacqua (A) Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1997-05-07 Hamburg, New York Green Bay (USHL)
6   Carson Brière Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1999-09-23 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Trail (BCHL)
7   Devon Daniels Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-04-28 Thunder Bay, Ontario Ottawa (CCHL)
8   Owen Norton Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 1998-06-19 Ancaster, Ontario Surrey (BCHL)
9   Justin Cmunt Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-01-28 East Amherst, New York Shreveport (NAHL)
10   Geoff Kitt Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1997-02-09 Dryden, Ontario Carleton Place (CCHL)
11   Steven Ipri Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 155 lb (70 kg) 1998-03-13 Broadview Heights, Ohio Lone Star (NAHL)
12   Austin Heidemann Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-06-27 Maple Grove, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL)
13   Paul Maust Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-06-24 Butler, Pennsylvania Green Bay (USHL)
14   Gueorgui Feduolov Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-12-10 Mentor, Ohio Shreveport (NAHL)
15   Dante Spagnuolo Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1998-09-04 Newmarket, Ontario North York (OJHL)
16   Wyatt Head Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-03-28 Kelowna, British Columbia Coquitlam (BCHL)
16   Ashton Stockie Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-07-15 Stratford, Ontario North York (OJHL)
18   Dalton Hunter Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1997-09-26 Greensburg, Pennsylvania Dubuque (USHL)
19   Garrett Dahm Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-06-29 Belleville, Illinois Youngstown (USHL)
20   Keanan Stewart Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-29 Elmira, Ontario Burlington (OJHL)
21   Khristian Acosta Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-05-05 Port Monmouth, New Jersey Tri-City (USHL)
22   Brendan Schneider Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-08-26 Wellesley, Ontario Merritt (BCHL)
23   Jonathan Bendorf Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-02-26 Yardville, New Jersey Aberdeen (NAHL)
24   Marko Reifenberger Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-01-19 Hastings, Minnesota Minnesota Magicians (NAHL)
25   Joseph Maziarz Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-02-23 Waterloo, Ontario North York (OJHL)
27   Carver Watson Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-03-03 Appleton, Wisconsin Vernon (BCHL)
28   Josh McDougall Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1998-06-19 Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Nipawin (SJHL)
29   Hank Johnson Senior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1996-01-10 Minneapolis, Minnesota Bemidji State (WCHA)
31   Kyle McClellan Freshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-03-18 Manchester, Missouri Omaha (USHL)
34   Noah Kane Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-11-27 Buffalo, New York Maine (NAHL)
37   Rylee St. Onge Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-04-22 St. Catharines, Ontario Alaska Anchorage (WCHA)
38   Dante Sheriff Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-08-04 Brampton, Ontario Austin (NAHL)

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS PT% GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#15 American International †* 12 11 1 0 1 0 0 32 .889 47 18 19 15 4 0 67 40
Army 15 10 4 1 3 1 1 30 .667 42 33 22 15 6 1 71 48
Robert Morris 15 10 5 0 2 1 0 29 .644 58 48 24 15 9 0 85 69
Canisius 13 8 5 0 1 1 0 24 .615 42 34 17 11 6 0 59 46
RIT 13 7 5 1 0 0 1 23 .590 43 40 20 9 9 2 68 70
Sacred Heart 13 6 6 1 1 2 0 20 .513 35 38 18 6 10 2 43 59
Mercyhurst 16 7 8 1 1 1 1 23 .479 54 50 21 8 12 1 64 67
Bentley 15 4 11 0 1 5 0 16 .356 35 48 16 5 11 0 42 51
Niagara 15 3 9 3 0 2 1 15 .333 39 53 22 7 12 3 57 70
Air Force 13 3 9 1 2 1 0 9 .231 32 49 14 3 10 1 35 56
Holy Cross 12 3 9 0 2 0 0 7 .194 22 38 16 4 12 0 30 52
Championship: March 20, 2021
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
December 5 1:30 PM at #18 Bowling Green* Slater Family Ice ArenaBowling Green, Ohio   Johnson W 2–1  300 1–0–0
December 6 3:00 PM vs. #18 Bowling Green* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson L 1–3  149 1–1–0
December 12 5:00 PM vs. #7 Clarkson* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson L 3–4 OT 89 1–2–0
December 13 4:00 PM vs. #7 Clarkson* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson L 2–6  89 1–3–0
December 16 5:05 PM vs. Niagara Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson T 3–3 SOW 97 1–3–1 (0–0–1)
December 18 7:00 PM at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York   Johnson W 7–4  0 2–3–1 (1–0–1)
January 2 4:35 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York   Johnson L 2–3  0 2–4–1 (1–1–1)
January 3 3:00 PM vs. Canisius Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson L 0–3  127 2–5–1 (1–2–1)
January 8 5:00 PM vs. Air Force Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson W 5–2  127 3–5–1 (2–2–1)
January 9 3:00 PM vs. Air Force Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   McClellan W 6–3  137 4–5–1 (3–2–1)
January 19 4:30 PM vs. #17 Robert Morris Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson W 3–2 OT 127 5–5–1 (4–2–1)
January 23 4:35 PM vs. #17 Robert Morris Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson W 7–5  75 6–5–1 (5–2–1)
January 28 5:00 PM at RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New York   Johnson L 4–6  0 6–6–1 (5–3–1)
January 30 7:30 PM vs. Robert Morris Colonials ArenaNeville Township, Pennsylvania   Johnson L 3–5  0 6–7–1 (5–4–1)
February 5 5:00 PM at RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New York   McClellan L 1–2  0 6–8–1 (5–5–1)
February 6 5:05 PM vs. RIT Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   Johnson W 6–2  0 7–8–1 (6–5–1)
February 9 7:05 PM vs. Canisius Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   McClellan L 1–3  0 7–9–1 (6–6–1)
February 16 7:05 PM at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York   McClellan L 4–5 OT 0 7–10–1 (6–7–1)
February 19 7:05 PM vs. Niagara Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania   McClellan W 1–0  0 8–10–1 (7–7–1)
February 20 7:00 PM vs. Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New York   McClellan L 1–2  0 8–11–1 (7–8–1)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 8 5:00 PM vs. Niagara* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, Pennsylvania (First Round)   McClellan L 2–3  163 8–12–1
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

[4]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Carson Brière C/RW 21 5 14 19 10
Jonathan Bendorf LW 21 11 4 15 2
Dante Sheriff F 19 5 10 15 31
Gueorgui Feduolov F 21 4 9 13 16
Joseph Maziarz D 20 1 12 13 8
Austin Heidemann F 16 7 5 12 9
Geoff Kitt C 19 3 6 9 4
Owen Norton D 19 0 9 9 8
Michael Bevilacqua D 21 5 3 8 8
Paul Maust LW 21 3 5 8 28
Josh McDougall D/F 17 1 7 8 0
Steven Ipri F 11 4 2 6 12
Noah Kane C 19 4 2 6 6
Marko Reifenberger C 21 1 5 6 4
Cade Townend D 21 2 3 5 14
Brendan Schneider C 9 2 2 4 5
Rylee St. Onge LW 9 1 3 4 0
Devon Daniels D 18 1 3 4 0
Justin Cmunt LW 11 2 1 3 8
Dante Spagnuolo C 13 1 2 3 10
Keanan Stewart F 13 1 2 3 17
Dalton Hunter RW 8 0 3 3 2
Quinn Wichers D 17 0 3 3 4
Khristian Acosta F 7 0 1 1 4
Hank Johnson G 15 0 1 1 0
Wyatt Head D 2 0 0 0 0
Devon Mussio D 3 0 0 0 0
Kyle McClellan G 6 0 0 0 0
Total 64 117 181 214

[5]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Kyle McClellan 6 355 2 4 0 12 164 1 .932 2.03
Hank Johnson 15 904 6 8 1 52 469 0 .900 3.45
Empty Net - 13 - - - 3 - - - -
Total 21 1273 8 12 1 67 633 1 .904 3.16

Rankings

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Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[6]

Awards and honors

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Player Award Ref
Joseph Maziarz Atlantic Hockey Second Team [7]
Jon Bendorf
Carson Brière
Carson Brière Atlantic Hockey Rookie Team [7]
Austin Heidemann

References

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  1. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "2020–21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Mercyhurst Athletics. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  4. ^ "Mercyhurst Lakers (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  5. ^ "Mercyhurst Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  6. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Atlantic Hockey Announces All-Conference and All-Rookie Winners". Atlantic Hockey. March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.