Mercyhurst women’s ice hockey coach Michael Sisti will celebrate the team’s 10th season in 2008-2009 with an ambitious 35-game schedule, including 32 regular season games and three exhibition contests. The Lakers will play 15 times at the Ice Center.
The schedule includes 16 independent contests, 16 conference games, a September 27 home exhibition game against Guelph and a pair of exhibition games in Minnesota October 3 and 4 against Team USA.
“We are excited to be entering our 10th season”, noted Sisti. “We’ve enjoyed a great deal of success the last nine years thanks to a great group of assistant coaches and players. This schedule will be challenging, but that’s the way we like it.”
After the trio of exhibition games at the outset, Mercyhurst begins the regular season with a pair of games at Boston University. The Lakers open the home campaign October 17 and 18 with first-ever meetings with RPI. After that, eight successive away contests loom, including a pair of games at College Hockey America’s newest member, Syracuse, November 14 and 15.
The Lakers close the 2008 portion of the schedule with four straight home games: Syracuse visits for the first time the weekend of December 5 and 6 while perennial NCAA playoff participant, St. Lawrence, comes to the Ice Center December 12 and 13.
The Lakers ring in the New Year with home games against Vermont January 10 and 11 before embarking on a 4-game road swing that will take them to Connecticut and CHA-rival Robert Morris. Mercyhurst plays six of its final ten games, all CHA events, at the Ice Center against Wayne State (January 30 and 31), Robert Morris (February 13 and 14), and Niagara (February 20 and 21). The Lakers conclude regular season play at Wayne State February 27 and 28.
Mercyhurst will then host the College Hockey America Playoffs the weekend of March 5 through March 7.
On Thursday, the #5 seed and #4 seed will play at 3:00p.m. The two semifinals will take place Friday, March 6, at 3 and 7:00p.m. while the championship game is scheduled for Saturday, the 7th. The Lakers have won the CHA Championship six straight years.
Mercyhurst finished 26-8-3 overall last season and 9-2-1 in the conference. The Lakers made the NCAA playoffs for the fourth straight year.
Complete 2008-09 Schedule