60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less): Mercyhurst

Mercyhurst

2018-19 Record: 13-20-5 (11-13-4, 7th in Atlantic Hockey)
Head Coach: Rick Gotkin, 32nd Year
Top returning scorer: Dalton Hunter (11G-13A)
Top returning goaltenders: Stefano Cantali (Jr.) and Garrett Metcalf (Sr.)

In the "year of the defensemen," Mercyhurst fittingly saw its first Division 1 men's hockey All-American come from the blue line.

Only two defensemen (Massachusetts' Cale Makar and Harvard's Adam Fox) scored more points than Joseph Duszak, who was named a second-team All-American and Hobey Baker Top 10 finalist. Duszak's 47 points (16G-31A) in 38 games was more per game than any other player in Atlantic Hockey, forward or not.

Yet for all the offense the Lakers received from Duszak's puck-moving abilities on defense, it was Mercyhurst's defense other teams took advantage. A young defensive core with four freshmen and two completely new goaltenders ended the year on average giving up more than 3.5 goals per game (55th of 60 teams). Down the stretch, where the team finished 0-6-3, that total was closer to 4.5 goals per game.

What's New: A large freshman class (unless you're Merrimack) comes in this fall for Mercyhurst. 11 players - seven forwards and four defensemen - will suit up in Erie.

The Lakers also will have to deal with being without Duszak. The junior departed early, signing an entry-level contract with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs and forgoing his final year of eligibility. Duszak's departure did not come as a surprise given he was seen as one of the top undrafted free agents in college hockey last season.

Closing Thoughts: It's fitting to preview the top two teams in Atlantic Hockey two seasons ago back-to-back after both slipped down the standings last year.

Both Mercyhurst and Canisius share similarities in what went wrong but also dealing with different expectations. Not thought quite to be returning to the top tier, the Lakers were still placed highly despite needing to overcome several key departures and replacing its starting goalie. That'll be the case again this season. While the team was able to find a way to replace the lost offense, 2018-19's top four scorers all graduated or left early.

Where Mercyhurst stands also shows the difference between an outstanding individual season versus one from the team. Mercyhurst had the former last year with Duszak. He did something never accomplished before on a team coached by Gotkin, currently Division 1 men's hockey's longest-tenured coach (coaching the Lakers at every level of college hockey from D3 to D2 to D1).

Mercyhurst got the latter two seasons ago en route to winning the Atlantic Hockey regular-season championship. Gotkin's team was as dominant down the stretch, losing twice in its final 17 games (both in OT), as it struggled down the stretch this season (although eight of the nine games were either ties or by one goal not including an empty-netter). There are lessons to take away from the season as another young group joins the Lakers, finding a middle ground between getting offense from the blue line and needing more defense.

Mercyhurst has seen both. Now we'll see what happens in 2019-20.

Recent 60 Days. 60 Teams. 600 Words (or Less) Features
Canisius
Merrimack
Holy Cross
Ferris State
Every Team So Far

--
If you enjoyed this blog, you can follow Nate on Twitter and like/subscribe to his Facebook page. Thanks!