Orange Play Final Road Series this weekend

SYRACUSE (12-16-2, 10-4-2 CHA) at MERCYHURST (16-9-5, 10-3-3 CHA)
Erie, Pa. | Mercyhurst Ice Center
Watch | Live Stats | Syracuse Notes

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Syracuse ice hockey team heads to Erie, Pa. this weekend for the final road series of the regular season. 'Cuse (12-16-2, 10-4-2 CHA) takes on College Hockey America (CHA) leader Mercyhurst (16-9-5, 10-3-3 CHA) Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. Both games will stream live via Stretch TV.

Finishing Strong
The CHA tournament runs March 5-7 in Buffalo, N.Y. Syracuse is the defending champion, having taken down Lindenwood (4-1), Mercyhurst (4-3) and Robert Morris (6-2) in last year's tournament to win the first CHA title in program history.

Since 2015, the Orange have fared well in their final four games. Syracuse holds a 13-6-1 record in these contests over the past five seasons.

The Orange hold a 12-10 record in the CHA Tournament, scoring 64 goals while allowing 46. Syracuse's most frequent postseason foe is Mercyhurst. The two programs have met eight times in the tournament and the Lakers lead the postseason series 7-1.

Last Time Out
Syracuse dominated their weekend series against Lindenwood, winning 3-2 on Friday and 8-0 on Saturday. Lauren Bellefontaine led the way with three goals and two assists in the series, while Mae Batherson scored two goals and three assists en route to her third CHA Rookie of the Week honor. Abby Moloughney enters this weekend riding a six-game point streak, the longest for any Orange player this season. Moloughney earned an assist in game one last weekend and picked up a goal in the series finale.

Record Watch
Moloughney (18-30-48) is on the cusp of hitting 50 career points. She could be the sixth player this season to hit 50, joining Lindsay Eastwood, Jessica DiGirolamo, Kelli Rowswell, Savannah Rennie, and Emma Polaski .

Jessica DiGirolamo (seven) and Lindsay Eastwood (six) are a few goals away from tying the Syracuse record for most goals in a season for a defender (10). Eastwood's 20 goals currently tie the Syracuse career record for most goals by a defender.

Series History
Syracuse trails the all-time series 10-41-3, but has won four of the last five match ups. The last time 'Cuse and Mercyhurst clashed was in January where the Orange and Lakers split the series.

Scouting the Lakers
Mercyhurst's 16 conference wins put them at the top of the CHA standings. The Lakers are undefeated (10-0-4) on home ice this year.
- Emma Nuutinen (18-16-34) leads the Lakers offensively and ranks 15th nationally in goals per game.
- Sam Isbell (6-23-29) ranks fifth nationally in points per game by a defenseman.
- Goaltender Kennedy Blair has been fantastic this year. She holds a .913 save percentage and her 2.24 goals against average ranks 23rd in the country.

Syracuse Rankings
- Syracuse is on a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1).
- The Orange rank 13th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 3.10 goals per game.
- Lindsay Eastood (6-19-25) ranks 13th in the nation in points per game by a defender.
- Abby Moloughney (8-18-26) and Eastwood are both in the top-10 of the CHA for scoring, standing eighth and ninth, respectively.
- Three of the top five defenders in the league skate for the Orange. Eastwood is third and Jessica DiGirolamo (7-14-21) and Mae Batherson (5-16-21) are tied for fourth.
- Mae Batherson leads the league in defensemen scoring and has a three-point lead on RIT's Jaymee Nolan.
- Syracuse has three of the top five scoring freshman in the CHA in Batherson (first), Madison Beishuizen (fourth), and Anna Leschyshyn (fifth).

Last Go Around
Syracuse returns home Feb. 28-29 for the final series of the regular season. It's senior weekend and signed poster giveaways will be happening both days. The Orange will celebrate their seniors in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 29. Parking and admission to all Orange ice hockey games are free.

For complete coverage of Syracuse ice hockey, follow us on Facebook (Syracuse Women's Ice Hockey), Twitter (@CuseIce) and Instagram (@CuseIce).

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Players Mentioned

Mae Batherson

Madison Beishuizen

Lauren Bellefontaine

Jessica DiGirolamo

Lindsay Eastwood

Anna Leschyshyn

Abby Moloughney

Emma Polaski

Savannah Rennie

Kelli Rowswell

Syracuse University Athletics