The Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey team was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) hockey team that represented Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. The team was a Division I hockey team playing out of the Mercyhurst Ice Center located on the school campus. The Mercyhurst Lakers started out as a club sport at the school, moving up to Division III, followed by Division II. They joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 1999, stepping up into Division I and won their conference tournament three times, making NCAA tournament appearances in 2001, 2003, and 2005. They competed in Atlantic Hockey America, formed shortly after the 2023–24 season by the merger of the Lakers' former home, the Atlantic Hockey Association, with College Hockey America.
History
Club Sport Chris Cuzzola, who was a student at Mercyhurst playing club hockey at Gannon University, happened to talk to former president of Mercyhurst University, William Garvey, about hockey. As a result of this, hockey would be instated as a club sport competing in the Erie Senior Hockey League for the 1986–1987 season. The coach for the first club season was Bob Cisek who was a Mercyhurst professor at the time. At the club level in the Erie Senior Hockey League, the Lakers went 15-0-3, finishing first in the league.
Division II & Division III After just 1 year at the club level, the Mercyhurst Lakers began an independent trial run at the varsity level, Division III in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) South hockey league. Mercyhurst Athletic Director John Leisering stated, “The administration was immediately enthusiastic about a possible move to varsity status and with the support of the hockey people, the move was approved after just a few months.”
Named head coach for the Lakers in their first season at the Division III level was Fred Lane. Lane was one of the founding members for the Gannon University Golden Knights club hockey and was affiliated with the Gannon hockey program since 1967. As a player, he was Most Valuable Player his sophomore, junior, and senior years and coached the team in 1973 returning in 1978. In 10 seasons as the head coach for the Golden Knights, Lane had a record of 153–14–14, winning 2 Western Pennsylvania College Hockey Association league championships, 6 division championships, and was named WPCHA coach of the year 3 times. In addition to coaching, he was a member of the Amateur Hockey Association of the United States (AHAUS) and the Ontario Coaches Association.
Along with Head Coach Fred Lane, was Associate Coach Bob Cisek who ran the program a year ago at the club level. For the 1987–1988 season, the Lakers had a very competitive schedule in their first season as a Division III team playing a combination of both club and varsity teams. The Lakers opened up their first NCAA Division III season on Saturday, October 31 at West Chester University of Pennsylvania playing their home games at both the Erie Civic Center and Glenwood Ice Rink. The highlight of the season being the game against Division I Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's ice hockey on November 25 which they lost 7–3. With 18 of the 28 players being freshmen on the team, Mercyhurst Lakers ended their first varsity season going 16–7–0.
Following the 1987–1988 season, on April 29 of 1988, Mercyhurst College Athletic Director John Leisering named Rick Gotkin as head coach of the team saying, “Rick’s playing, coaching, and recruiting credentials were just the mix Mercyhurst was looking for.” At 28 years of age, Rick Gotkin comes from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which played at the Division I level in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference where Gotkin served as Assistant Varsity Hockey Coach for the past 2 years (1986–1988). Before Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Gotkin was a coach at SUNY-Brockport (Division III), coached the Enschede Lions in the Netherlands, was head coach at SUNY-Canton (NCAA-Junior College), and was head coach of the Fife Flyers of the British Hockey League. After coaching Rensselaer, was hired as head coach for the Mercyhurst Lakers.
For the 1988–1989 season, the Mercyhurst Lakers played in the ECAC-West Division alongside SUNY-Brockport, Canisius College, SUNY-Fredonia, SUNY-Potsdam and St. Bonaventure University. In the Lakers first full season as an NCAA Division III program, the Lakers took a record of 11–1–1 under new Head Coach Rick Gotkin. The first time the Lakers would be ranked was in the 1990–1991 season where they ranked 9th in the short history of the team. During the 1991–1992, the Mercyhurst Lakers opened up their new rink on campus, the Mercyhurst Ice Center. According to the first Division II poll released, the Mercyhurst Lakers ranked 2nd in the 1992–1993 season only behind Bemidji State University. In that season, the Lakers finished with 2 wins and 3 losses against Division I teams. The wins coming against Kent State University and the University of Alabama-Huntsville and the losses coming from Kent State and two from the University of Alaska-Anchorage. The first time the team would be ranked 1st in their history was in December 1994. In the 1994–1995 season, the Lakers went 23-3-2 coming out with their first ever ECAC-West division championship and placing second in the NCAA Division II play-offs.
In September 1997, while the Meryhurst Lakers were playing in the ECAC-West division, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) rounded up 8 teams to form a Division I hockey conference. Joining the conferences of Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Hockey East, Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and Western Collegiate Hockey Association in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey with 48 schools playing in 5 Division I conferences. The MAAC included Canisius College, Fairfield University, and Iona College (New York) (now a "University") as full members with American International College (AIC), University of Connecticut (UConn), the College of the Holy Cross, Quinnipiac College (also now a "University"), and Sacred Heart University as associate members with visions of Bentley University and Mercyhurst joining for the 1999–2000 season making the conference 10 teams.
Division I
In May 1998, the Mercyhurst board of trustees approved the transition from Division II non-scholarship to play Division I ice hockey in the NCAA. The Lakers ended their long association with the Eastern College Athletic Conference West division to play Division I hockey in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. In the Lakers first full season at the Division I level in the 1999–2000 season, Mercyhurst went 20-14-2 with Rick Gotkin still as head coach of the team. In 2003, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference reorganized to create the Atlantic Hockey Association with Quinnipiac, UConn, AIC, Canisius, Holy Cross, Sacred Heart, Bentley, Army, and Mercyhurst as the 9 members of the league.
Atlantic Hockey America includes all 11 teams that played in the Atlantic Hockey Association's final season: Mercyhurst, AIC, Air Force, Army, Bentley, Canisius, Holy Cross, Niagara, RIT (in full Rochester Institute of Technology), Robert Morris, and Sacred Heart.
On March 27, 2026, Mercyhurst University announced the discontinuation of the men's hockey program at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Season-by-season results
Source:
All-time coaching records As of the completion of 2025–26 season Tenure Coach Years Record Pct. 1987–1988 Fred Lane 1 16–7–0 1988–2026 Rick Gotkin 38 617–578–114 Totals 2 coaches 39 seasons 633–585–114
Statistical leaders Source:
Career points leaders Player Years GP G A Pts PIM 1988–1992 113 141 149 290 197 1992–1996 91 119 79 198 226 1989–1992 93 80 106 186 128 1991–1995 111 70 107 177 122 1988–1992 119 80 82 162 95 1998–2002 137 61 96 157 88 2004–2008 132 61 95 156 230 1994–1998 103 57 97 154 111 1992–1996 98 49 101 150 28 1995–1999 105 66 81 147 52 Statistics current through the start of the 2022–23 season.
Awards and honors
NCAA
All-Americans NCAA Division III / II
1990-91: Scott Burfoot F 1992-93: Andrew Moir D 1994-95: Justin Proud D 1995-96: Kevin McKinnon F 1996-97: John Evangelista F 1997-98: John Evangelista F
AHCA Second Team All-Americans
2018–19: Joseph Duszak, D
ECAC West
Individual awards
Player of the Year Scott Burfoot: 1991, 1992 Scott Barber: 1993 Kevin McKinnon: 1996
Rookie of the Year Craig MacDonald: 1992 Kevin McKinnon: 1993
All-Conference teams First Team All-ECAC
1990–91: Scott Burfoot, F 1992–93: Andrew Moir, D 1995–96: Kevin McKinnon, F
Second Team All-ECAC
1992–93: Rob Madia, F 1994–95: Justin Proud, D 1996–97: John Evangelista, F 1997–98: John Evangelista, F
MAAC
Individual awards
Defensive Player of the Year Paul Colontino, D: 2000
Goaltender of the Year Peter Aubry: 2001, 2002
Offensive Rookie of the Year Adam Tackaberry, C: 2001 Scott Reynolds, F: 2003
Coach of the Year Rick Gotkin: 2001
Tournament Most Valuable Player Jeff Gould: 2001 David Wrigley: 2003
All-Conference teams First Team All-MAAC
1999–00: Paul Colotino, D 2000–01: Peter Aubry, G; Eric Ellis, F 2001–02: Peter Aubry, G; Louis Goulet, F
Second Team All-MAAC
1999–00: Eric Ellis, F; Louis Goulet, F 2000–01: Jody Robinson, D; Louis Goulet, F; Tom McMonagle, F 2001–02: Adam Tackaberry, F 2002–03: T. J. Kemp, D; Rich Hansen, F
MAAC All-Rookie Team
2000–01: Adam Tackaberry, F 2001–02: T. J. Kemp, D; Rich Hansen, F 2002–03: Conrad Martin, D; Scott Reynolds, F
Atlantic Hockey Association
Individual awards
Player of the Year Jimmy Sarjeant, G: 2014 Joseph Duszak, D: 2019
Rookie of the Year Ben Cottreau: 2005 Taylor Holstrom: 2011 Lester Lancaster: 2016
Best Defensive Forward Scott Reynolds, F: 2005 Dan O'Donoghue, F: 2014 Jack Riley, F: 2018 Joshua Lammon, F: 2019
Best Defenseman T. J. Kemp: 2004 Conrad Martin: 2005 Nick Jones: 2014 Lester Lancaster: 2017 Joseph Duszak: 2019
Individual Sportsmanship Award Chris Risi, F: 2010 Nick Jones: 2014 Bryan Sienerth: 2018
Regular Season Goaltending Award Jimmy Sarjeant: 2014
Regular Season Scoring Trophy Ben Cottreau: 2006 Matthew Zay: 2013 Eric Esposito: 2023
Coach of the Year Rick Gotkin: 2014, 2018
Most Valuable Player in Tournament Scott Champagne: 2005
All-Conference teams First Team All-Atlantic Hockey
2003–04: T. J. Kemp, D 2004–05: T. J. Kemp, D 2005–06: Jamie Hunt, D; Dave Borrelli, F 2012–13: Nick Jones, F 2013–14: Jimmy Sarjeant, G; Nick Jones, D; Matthew Zay, F 2015–16: Lester Lancaster, D 2016–17: Lester Lancaster, D 2018–19: Joseph Duszak, D; Derek Barach, F
Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey
2003–04: Mike Carter, F; David Wrigley, F 2004–05: Conrad Martin, D; David Wrigley, F 2005–06: Ben Cottreau, F 2007–08: Ben Cottreau, F 2008–09: Ryan Zapolski, G; Steve Cameron, F; Matt Pierce, F 2009–10: Brandon Coccimigilo, F 2010–11: Ryan Zapolski, G 2012–13: Ryan Misiak, F 2013–14: Dan O'Donoghue, F 2014–15: Ryan Misiak, F 2016–17: Derek Barach, F 2017–18: Brandon Wildung, G; Joseph Duszak, D; Jack Riley, F; Derek Barach, F 2020–21: Joseph Maziarz, D; Jon Bendorf, F; Carson Brière, F 2022–23: Eric Esposito, F
Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey
2008–09: Scott Pitt, F 2009–10: Ryan Zapolski, G 2010–11: Jeff Terminesi, D; Scott Pitt, F 2011–12: Nick Jones, D 2012–13: Matthew Zay, F 2014–15: Daniel Bahntge, F 2015–16: Derek Barach, F 2021–22: Carson Brière, F 2023–24: Owen Say, G
Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team
2003–04: Jamie Hunt, D 2004–05: Ben Cottreau, F 2005–06: Chris Trafford, F 2006–07: Cullen Eddy, D 2007–08: Jeff Terminesi, D 2008–09: Phil Ginand, F 2010–11: Taylor Holstrom, F 2011–12: Tyler Shiplo, D; Dan Bahntge, F 2014–15: Jack Riley, F 2015–16: Lester Lancaster, D; Derek Barach, F 2018–19: Josh McDougall, D 2020–21: Austin Heidemann, F; Carson Brière, F 2022–23: Owen Say, G 2023–24: Trent Sambrook, D; Boris Skalos, F
Mercyhurst Ice Center