2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey season

The 2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey season was the 39th and final season of play for the program, the 27th at the Division I level, and the 2nd in Atlantic Hockey America. The Lakers represented Mercyhurst University in the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at the Mercyhurst Ice Center and were coached by Rick Gotkin in his 38th and final season.

2025–26 Mercyhurst Lakers
men's ice hockey season
Conference10th AHA
Home iceMercyhurst Ice Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA HockeyNR
Record
Overall6–28–3
Conference15–18–3
Home3–13–1
Road3–15–2
Coaches and captains
Head coachRick Gotkin
Assistant coachesTom Peffall
Kārlis Zirnis
CaptainBarrett Brooks
Alternate captain(s)Ryan Coughlin
Caleb Price
Trent Sambrook
Mercyhurst Lakers men's ice hockey seasons
« 2024–25  

Season

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At the end of the previous season, Rick Gotkin announced that this would be his final year as head coach for Mercyhurst.[1] A little over a month later, assistant coach Tom Peffall was selected as his replacement.[2]

Mercyhurst kicked its season off with a visit to Michigan. While the Wolverines were heavily favored, the results turned about worse that the Lakers could have hoped. Mercyhurst was throttled in the series, being outscored 1–18. To make matters worse, the embarrassing losses presaged how the first half of the season would proceed. The Lakers lost their first fourteen games of the season with both the offense and defense playing poorly. Charles-Edward Gravel, who had assumed control of the Mercyhurst net after Michael Chambre returned to the junior level, did not give the Lakers too many chances to win during the first two months of the year. However, even when he did play a decent game, the team was unable to take advantage. When the Lakers paused for the winter break, they were well on their way to posting one of the worst seasons in the history of college hockey, averaging 1.38 goals per game while allowing 4.63 goals against.

After going winless in the first half of the season, Mercyhurst opened the second have against #4 North Dakota. The Hawks skated rings around the Lakers, outshooting them 46–8 in the first game. However, unlike their earlier series with Michigan, the team was kept in the match with a spectacular performance in goal. Gravel, who was playing his first season in college, had grown accustomed to a heavy workload over the trying first half and stopped 44 shots in the game. Gravel's improved play continued over the succeeding weeks with him backstopping the team to a pair of shutout victories. The second half also saw Salvatore Evola make his first starts of the season with the senior transfer taking some of the pressure off his younger counterpart. Evola provided the Lakers with three more wins in the second half, surpassing their total from '25. While the victories were a welcome change, they were too few in number to stop the Lakers from finishing the season last in both the conference standings and the national rankings.

The Lakers began the postseason by heading to Buffalo to take on Canisius. In a familiar circumstance, Mercyhurst was outshot by a wide margin, 49–13. However, Gravel's effort in goal stopped all but two chances and gave the Lakers a chance to win. Mercyhurst made the most of their few opportunities and scored three times in the first 40 minutes to take a 2-goal lead into the third. After the Griffins closed the gap midway through the final frame, Gravel shut the door in the final 9 minutes and forced Canisius to pull their goaltender. Two empty-netters later, Mercyhurst skated away with a victory. Continuing the same plan in the Quarterfinal round, Mercyhurst was able to score three goals on just 19 shots while Gravel turned in another herculean performance. The game went into overtime and Gravel remained besieged by Bentley, who finished the match with a shot advantage of 69–26. Unfortunagely, Gravel could not hold out forever and he surrendered the winning goal seven minutes into the third overtime.[3] Gravel, tired from standing on his head for two games, was given the night off for the rematch. Evola was unable to live up to the high level of play and surrendered 6 goals in the season's final game.

Three weeks after the end of the season, Mercyhurst announced that it would be ending its men's ice hockey program, making this the final year of varsity play.[4]

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Steven AgriogianisForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Tommy BannisterForward United StatesTransferred to Oswego State
Jake BeauneDefenseman United StatesGraduation (retired)
Mickey BurnsForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Atlanta Gladiators)
Michael ChambreGoaltender United StatesReturned to juniors (Waterloo Black Hawks)
Davis FryForward CanadaTransferred to Calgary
Dustin GeregachDefenseman United StatesGraduation (signed with Greenville Swamp Rabbits)
Kyler HeadForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Fayetteville Marksmen)
Will MargelForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Carter McPhailGoaltender United StatesGraduation (signed with Athens Rock Lobsters)
Mateo PicozziDefenseman United StatesTransferred to Arizona
Cameron RicottaForward United StatesTransferred to Geneseo State
Boris SkalosForward United StatesTransferred to RIT

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Alexander DimitriadisForward Canada21Richmond Hill, ON
Salvatore EvolaGoaltender United States24Rochester, MI; transfer from Bowling Green
Cameron GlanceDefenseman United States21Moon Township, PA; transfer from club team mid-season
Charles-Edward GravelGoaltender Canada21Lévis, QC
Tyler HaskinsForward United States22Rochester, MN; transfer from Minnesota State
Franky IasenzaDefenseman Canada21Pointe-Claire, QC
Lukas KlemmDefenseman United States21Ridgefield, CT
John LarkinDefenseman United States24Detroit, MI; transfer from Ohio State
Andrew LeBlancForward Canada21George Town, CYM
Jacob LeBlancDefenseman Canada21George Town, CYM
Will SchumacherForward United States21Prior Lake, MN
Noah SedoreForward Canada23Bobcaygeon, ON; transfer from Prince Edward Island
Joseph SerpaForward Canada23Cambridge, ON; transfer from Dalhousie

Roster

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As of September 3, 2025.[5]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 United States Michael Chambre Sophomore G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2005-01-07 Fort Myers, Florida Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
2 United States Lukas Klemm Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2004-04-20 Ridgefield, Connecticut Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL)
3 United States John Larkin Senior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-01-26 Northville, Michigan Ohio State (Big Ten)
4 Canada Jaryd Sych Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2003-02-10 Airdrie, Alberta Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)
5 United States Caleb Price (A) Graduate D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-03-31 Hooksett, New Hampshire Lindenwood (NCAA)
6 United States Trent Sambrook (A) Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-01-03 Winnipeg, Manitoba Winkler Flyers (MJHL)
7 United States Tyler DesRochers Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-04-02 Howell, New Jersey Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL)
8 United States Brendan Lamb Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2004-05-14 Battle Creek, Michigan Madison Capitols (USHL)
9 Canada Sean James Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2002-09-10 Almonte, Ontario Smiths Falls Bears (CCHL)
10 United States Franky Iasenza Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 2004-07-11 Pointe-Claire, Quebec Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
11 United States Barrett Brooks (C) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-12-19 Stevens Point, Wisconsin Western Michigan (NCHC)
13 United States Cameron Glance Senior D 2004-07-08 Moon Township, Pennsylvania Mercyhurst (ACHA)
14 Canada Andrew LeBlanc Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2004-06-03 George Town, Cayman Islands North Bay Battalion (OHL)
15 Czech Republic Dominik Bartecko Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2003-12-09 Prague, Czech Republic New Jersey Titans (NAHL)
16 United States Ryan Coughlin (A) Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-02-09 Charlotte, North Carolina New Jersey Titans (NAHL)
18 Canada Jacob LeBlanc Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2004-06-03 George Town, Cayman Islands North Bay Battalion (OHL)
19 United States Riley Fitzgerald Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2003-06-02 Wilmington, Massachusetts New Jersey Titans (NAHL)
20 United States Kaden Muir Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2004-05-09 Manchester, New Hampshire Austin Bruins (NAHL)
21 United States Will Schumacher Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2004-05-04 Prior Lake, Minnesota Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
22 Canada Noah Sedore Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 2002-02-24 Bobcaygeon, Ontario Prince Edward Island (AUS)
23 United States Christian Kocsis Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2004-06-09 Middletown, New Jersey Omaha Lancers (USHL)
24 Canada Matteo Disipio Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 161 lb (73 kg) 2003-07-26 Nepean, Ontario Rochester Jr. Americans (NAHL)
26 Canada Spencer Smith Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2002-05-20 St. Catharines, Ontario Penticton Vees (BCHL)
27 Canada Alex Dimitriadis Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2004-08-06 Richmond Hill, Ontario Sherwood Park Crusaders (BCHL)
28 United States Tyler Nasca Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 2001-01-09 Buffalo, New York Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL)
29 Canada Charles-Edward Gravel Freshman G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2004-05-23 Lévis, Quebec Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL)
33 United States Salvatore Evola Senior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-04-24 Rochester, Michigan Bowling Green (CCHA)
34 Canada Joey Serpa Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2002-03-23 Cambridge, Ontario Dalhousie (AUS)
37 United States Connor Pelc Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2003-04-28 Buffalo, New York Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
43 United States Tyler Haskins Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2003-07-07 Rochester, Minnesota Minnesota State (CCHA)
44 Canada Simon Bucheler Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 2002-03-29 Saint-Laurent, Quebec Shreveport Mudbugs (NAHL)

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OW OL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#20 Bentley †*261664102538556402312512294
Sacred Heart261583101488061402314311896
Robert Morris26131120224569694016213103128
Holy Cross26141021114581693818182113116
RIT261311221242696836171729396
Air Force26131032104175733718154108112
Canisius26121221023981743517162107105
Niagara269161130306783371323193118
Army26715423228617535121769196
Mercyhurst26518300119478737628365143
Championship: March 21, 2026
† indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy)
* indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated April 15, 2026
Source: AHA

Schedule and results

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DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
October 3 7:00 pm at #12 Michigan* Yost Ice ArenaAnn Arbor, MichiganB1G+ Chambre L 1–11  5,228 0–1–0
October 4 7:00 pm at #12 Michigan* Yost Ice ArenaAnn Arbor, MichiganB1G+ Gravel L 0–7  5,015 0–2–0
October 10 7:00 pm Union* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 2–5  876 0–3–0
October 11 5:00 pm Union* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Chambre L 3–5  509 0–4–0
October 18 5:00 pm Holy Cross Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 0–4  212 0–5–0 (0–1–0)
October 24 7:00 pm Massachusetts Lowell* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Chambre L 0–4  609 0–6–0
October 25 5:00 pm Massachusetts Lowell* Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 3–4  207 0–7–0
October 31 7:00 pm Bentley Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 1–3  759 0–8–0 (0–2–0)
November 1 5:00 pm Bentley Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 2–7  699 0–9–0 (0–3–0)
November 7 7:00 pm at RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New YorkFloHockey Gravel L 1–4  2,977 0–10–0 (0–4–0)
November 8 5:00 pm at RIT Gene Polisseni CenterHenrietta, New YorkFloHockey Gravel L 2–3  3,407 0–11–0 (0–5–0)
November 21 7:00 pm at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New YorkFloHockey Gravel L 3–4  675 0–12–0 (0–6–0)
November 22 7:00 pm at Canisius LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New YorkFloHockey Gravel L 1–5  967 0–13–0 (0–7–0)
November 28 7:00 pm Robert Morris Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 1–3  326 0–14–0 (0–8–0)
November 29 7:00 pm at Robert Morris Clearview ArenaNeville Township, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel T 1–1 SOL 412 0–14–1 (0–8–1)
December 6 2:00 pm at Holy Cross Hart CenterWorcester, MassachusettsFloHockey Gravel L 1–4  692 0–15–1 (0–9–1)
January 2 8:07 pm at #4 North Dakota* Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North DakotaMidco Gravel L 0–2  11,571 0–16–1
January 3 7:07 pm at #4 North Dakota* Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North DakotaMidco Evola L 1–6  11,586 0–17–1
January 9 7:00 pm Army Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel W 3–0  897 1–17–1 (1–9–1)
January 10 5:00 pm Army Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 0–5  706 1–18–1 (1–10–1)
January 16 7:00 pm Niagara Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel W 3–0  894 2–18–1 (2–10–1)
January 17 6:00 pm at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New YorkFloHockey Evola W 4–2  270 3–18–1 (3–10–1)
January 23 7:00 pm Canisius Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 3–4  908 3–19–1 (3–11–1)
January 24 5:00 pm Canisius Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 0–5  902 3–20–1 (3–12–1)
January 30 7:00 pm RIT Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel T 2–2 SOL 985 3–20–2 (3–12–2)
January 31 5:00 pm RIT Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Gravel L 1–3  943 3–21–2 (3–13–2)
February 6 7:00 pm at Sacred Heart Martire Family ArenaFairfield, ConnecticutFloHockey Gravel L 1–5  2,316 3–22–2 (3–14–2)
February 7 3:00 pm at Sacred Heart Martire Family ArenaFairfield, ConnecticutFloHockey Evola W 2–1  3,427 4–22–2 (4–14–2)
February 13 9:05 pm at Air Force Cadet Ice ArenaAir Force Academy, ColoradoFloHockey Evola T 3–3 SOW 2,468 4–22–3 (4–14–3)
February 14 7:05 pm at Air Force Cadet Ice ArenaAir Force Academy, ColoradoFloHockey Evola L 4–5  2,238 4–23–3 (4–15–3)
February 20 6:00 pm at Niagara Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Evola W 3–2  853 5–23–3 (5–15–3)
February 21 7:00 pm at Niagara Dwyer ArenaLewiston, New YorkFloHockey Gravel L 1–3  846 5–24–3 (5–16–3)
February 27 7:00 pm at Robert Morris Clearview ArenaNeville Township, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Evola L 3–5  814 5–25–3 (5–17–3)
February 28 7:00 pm Robert Morris Mercyhurst Ice CenterErie, PennsylvaniaFloHockey Evola L 3–5  974 5–26–3 (5–18–3)
Atlantic Hockey America Tournament
March 3 6:00 pm at Canisius* LECOM HarborcenterBuffalo, New York (AHA First Round)FloHockey Gravel W 5–2  452 6–26–3
March 6 7:00 pm at Bentley* Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts (AHA Quarterfinal Game 1)FloHockey Gravel L 3–4 3OT 1,184 6–27–3
March 7 6:00 pm at Bentley* Bentley ArenaWaltham, Massachusetts (AHA Quarterfinal Game 2)FloHockey Evola L 0–6  1,110 6–28–3
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[6]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Dominik BarteckoF36891722
Jacob LeBlancD361151634
Sean JamesLW30771412
Will SchumacherF20851317
Ryan CoughlinF3758132
Brendan LambF36751210
Christian KocsisLW3765118
Andrew LeBlancC25471122
Tyler DesRochersD3426820
Lukas KlemmD2917810
Riley FitzgeraldF2042629
Franky IasenzaD2915622
John LarkinD3615632
Alexander DimitriadisF283258
Barrett BrooksRW343148
Matteo DisipioRW341340
Trent SambrookD210442
Caleb PriceD290448
Spencer SmithC141232
Connor PelcRW2112320
Noah SedoreLW1602214
Tyler NascaD251016
Salvatore EvolaG100110
Cameron GlanceD20000
Michael ChambreG30000
Tyler HaskinsF50002
Kaden MuirD2500032
Charles-Edward GravelG260004
Jaryd SychD2700019
Total65107172371

Source:[7]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals against Saves Shut-outs SV % GAA
Charles-Edward Gravel271529:333212828022.9073.22
Salvatore Evola12546:24341333180.9063.62
Michael Chambre4177:41030181090.8586.08
Empty Net-28:05---10----
Total372281:43628314312292.8963.76

Rankings

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Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
USA Hockey NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 12.[8]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

References

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  1. "Mercyhurst Men's Head Coach Rick Gotkin Announces 2025-26 as Final Season". Atlantic Hockey America. March 10, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  2. "Passing the Torch: Peffall to succeed Gotkin as head coach of Men's Hockey". Mercyhurst Lakers. April 14, 2025. Retrieved February 1, 2026.
  3. "Bentley Falcons grab extra point vs. Mercyhurst in overtime". The Rink Live. March 7, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  4. "Mercyhurst to end men's hockey program". USCHO. March 27, 2026. Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  5. "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Mercyhurst Lakers. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  6. "2025-26 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". Mercyhurst Lakers. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  7. "Mercyhurst Univ. 2025-2026 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  8. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.