Third period outburst leads Ice Hockey past Mercyhurst

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College ice hockey team scored four times in a span of 5:39 of play to defeat Mercyhurst University 4-1 in an Atlantic Hockey Association battle on Friday, February 16.

AIC is now 15-14-2 overall and 11-10-2-2-1-1 in the AHA.

The Yellow Jackets pushed hard in the first period, outshooting the Lakers 17-9, but Owen Say was up to the task, stymieing several good looks from the AIC offense, while Nils Wallstrom also made strong stops to keep the game scoreless.

The second period looked as if it would also end scoreless, as the first 23 combined shots were stopped by the goalkeepers, but the last bid of the period lit the lamp as Hunter Longhi's pass to the left point for Nico Somerville for a one-timer ultimately found paydirt. At the netfront, Grayson Dietrich was waiting to redirect the shot into the cage at 19:10 for his second of the year.

The intermission did nothing to blunt the burst of energy AIC gained from the goal, and what had been a close game quickly became one-sided. Jordan Biro held the puck in at the left point, firing it back into the corner for Julius Janhonen. The senior center spotted Longhi at the right post, and connected with him for a tip-in that became his first collegiate goal at 1:49.

Off of a faceoff win, AIC converted another chance. An initial bid by Somerville went wide, and the Lakers attempted to clear, but a fantastic keep at the right point by Brett Callahan allowed AIC to turn things back quickly, and from below the goal line, Janhonen fed it to a rushing Austen Long for a one-timer blast at 2:13 to make it 3-0 with his seventh of the season. The Lakers challenged the goal for offsides, but video review upheld the call.

AIC's fourth goal was a fortunate bounce. Janhonen won a draw at the right dot and Callahan unloaded a slapshot that hit the back glass and bounced off of Say's back and right to Long, who was standing at the left post. He tapped in his eighth goal of the year at 4:49.

The Lakers did convert a power play with a nifty one-timer finish by Keanan Stewart at 8:19 on a delayed penalty that gave the visiting team hope that the lead could be quickly halved. The AIC penalty kill did not allow it to happen, and Wallstrom shut the door the rest of the way to put away the win. Overall, the rookie stopped 28 of 29 shots to earn his 14th victory of the season.

The two teams will finish the season series on Saturday, February 17 at 7:05 p.m. at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, Massachusetts.