TO THE GEM CITY
What better than eight hours on a bus to leave last weekend behind? The Sacred Heart University men's ice hockey team takes to the road this weekend, looking for a bounce-back effort on one of Atlantic Hockey's longest roast trips. The Pioneers head west to Erie, Pa., for a pair of games on the road against Mercyhurst, which is off to a scuffling start of its own. Puck drop is 7 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday at Mercyhurst Ice Center. All the action will air live on FloSports.

LAST WEEKEND
It was not a good start to the month of November for SHU, which was swept away by Bentley in a home-and-home series, falling 4-2 on the road Friday night and 6-4 at home on Saturday. Hunter Sansbury dished out three assists and blocked three shots, but the Pioneers could not stay out of the penalty box and went just 5-for-10 on the penalty kill, which ultimately spelled trouble. Matthew Guerra, John Jaworski and Felix Trudeau all had a goal and an assist each, as SHU scored six goals on the weekend, but came away with no points.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS
For its part, Mercyhurst has won just two of its first 10 games and is 1-3-0 in its last four Atlantic Hockey contests. The Lakers split a home-and-home with Niagara last weekend, with each team winning on its home ice, and then dropped a 5-2 decision at home against Robert Morris in a rare Monday night contest. Dustin Geregach leads the team with 3-6-9, but Mercyhurst goaltending has posted just an .885 save percentage and is surrendering north of four goals per game (4.08). The Lakers' scoring defense is the worst among Atlantic Hockey's 11 teams.

PREVIOUSLY AGAINST MERCYHURST
A year ago, the two met in Fairfield over the first weekend in January and split a pair of games at Martire Family Arena. Mercyhurst struck three times off of turnovers in the first period on Friday night, and scored three more times in the third to win going away in the opener, 7-2, behind two goals and an assist from Trent Sambrook. SHU rebounded on Saturday, when Tyler Spott's timely third-period goal broke a 1-1 tie and lifted the Pioneers to a 2-1 win and the weekend split.

ALL-TIME SERIES
The two longtime Atlantic Hockey and MAAC opponents have met 69 times in an all-time series which dates to 1999, with Mercyhurst holding a slim, 31-30-8 advantage overall, though SHU boasts a 26-21-7 record in 54 all-time Atlantic Hockey meetings. The Pioneers are 13-19-5 in 37 games at Mercyhurst Ice Center, but are 3-0-3 in their last six and have not lost in Erie since 2018. SHU is 6-1-3 against Mercyhurst in the last nine contests, dating to January of 2020.

UP NEXT
SHU will be home each of the next two weekends, beginning with a pair against Robert Morris on Nov. 15-16. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday at Martire Family Arena. Chaz and AJ from 99.1 WPLR will be hosting a holiday toy drive in conjunction with Friday night's contest. Tickets for both nights are available via Ticketmaster.