COLLEGE HOCKEY AMERICA WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS FOR GAMES THROUGH MONDAY, February 6, 2012

College Hockey America Players of the Week

Bailey Bram - Mercyhurst

Senior, Foward, Ste. Anne, Manitoba  

Bram recorded three goals and two assists as the Lakers went 1-0-1 against Niagara over the weekend. Bram had two goals during Friday’s 6-1 win over the Purple Eagles in Niagara. They were Bram’s first goals since scoring a goal against Lindenwood on December 15. Bram then had a hand in all three Mercyhurst goals during Saturday’s 3-3 tie at home. She had a first period goal and then added two assists for her 10th three-point game of the season. Her goal in the first period was her 11th power play goal of the season, giving her sole possession of the country’s lead in that category. She also leads the country in scoring per game, averaging 2.46 points per contest. Bram has 24 goals and 35 assists for 59 points in just 24 games this season.

College Hockey America Goaltender of the Week

Hillary Pattenden - Mercyhurst

Senior, Surrey, British Columbia   

Pattenden went 1-0-1 over the weekend against the Purple Eagles of Niagara, keeping the Lakers in sole possession of first place in the conference standings. She stopped 19-of-20 Niagara shots in Friday’s 6-1 victory in Niagara, then stopped 13-of-16 in Saturday’s 3-3 tie in Erie. For the weekend, she stopped 32-of-36 shots on goal (.889) and finished the two-game series with a 1.92 goals against average. Friday’s win was her 16th of the season and the 96th of her career.

College Hockey America Rookie of the Week

Rebecca Vint - Robert Morris

Freshman, Foward, Caledon, Ontario  

Vint led Robert Morris in points and rewrote the RMU record book this past week as the Colonials pulled off a CHA road sweep over Syracuse. Vint began the week by notching a third-period primary assist at Princeton to tie the Colonials’ single-season points mark, but she was far from finished. She began the weekend series against the Orange by breaking the Colonials’ single-season record for points in dramatic fashion as she tallied the game-winning goal to help RMU to a 4-3 victory. The GWG was her fourth of the season, which also was a new program best. Vint continued her record-setting rookie campaign Saturday by tying the Colonials’ single-season record for goals as Robert Morris earned the sweep by downing Syracuse, 5-2. She also tallied an assist on the game-winning goal in the series finale to register her 10th multi-point effort of the season and move into a tie for third in single-season assists at RMU. Vint leads the league in freshman scoring as well as game-winning goals.

College Hockey America Honor Roll

Molly Byrne, Mercyhurst (Freshman, Defenseman, Plymouth, Minnesota) - Byrne had a goal and an assist in the two-game series with Niagara over the weekend, helping Mercyhurst go 1-0-1. Byrne’s goal on Friday proved to be the game-winning goal, her second game-winner of the season. It was also her third power play goal of her rookie campaign. She assisted on Bailey Bram’s power play goal in the first period on Saturday. She is fifth on the team in scoring this season with five goals and 23 assists for 28 points, and is second to Cornell’s Laura Fortino in points by a defenseman in the country this season. She was also a +3 over the weekend.

College Hockey America Team Notes

MERCYHURST: Mercyhurst went 1-0-1 over the weekend against Niagara, moving its record to 19-5-2 overall and 5-1-2 in conference play. The Lakers got goals from five different players in Friday’s 6-1 win in Niagara. Senior Bailey Bram was the only multiple goal scorer in the win, finishing the night with two. It was her first goals since scoring against Lindenwood at the Mercyhurst Ice Center on December 15. Seniors Kelley Steadman and Jess Jones, along with freshmen Molly Byrne and Kristine Grenier also scored for Mercyhurst in the victory. Steadman’s goal was her 27th goal of the season and she continues to lead the country in goals per game this season, averaging 1.04 per contest. On Saturday, the Lakers had a one-goal lead on three separate occasions, only to see the Purple Eagles comeback all three times and skate to a 3-3 overtime tie. Mercyhurst’s held a 3-2 lead on a goal by junior Stephanie DeSutter, only to see the Purple Eagles score with eight seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. Mercyhurst had eight shots on goal in overtime, but could not crack the scoreboard again. It was DeSutter’s third goal of the season after having scored one goal in 68 games over her first two seasons. Bram registered her third goal of the weekend with a first period goal and then sophomore Christine Bestland scored early in the third period. Bram now has 24 goals this season, three behind team- and nation-leading Kelley Steadman, who has 27. Bestland, meanwhile, has 19 goals, which establishes a personal-best. Bestland had 18 goals as a rookie a year ago. She also has 50 points this season, becoming the second player on this year’s squad with at least 50 points. Bram has 59 to lead the country in points per game (2.46). Both Bestland and Bram are eight points away from reaching milestones. Bestland needs eight to reach 100 career points while Bram needs eight to become the fourth player in school history to record 200 career points. Meghan Agosta (303), Jesse Scanzano (225), and Valerie Chouinard (200) are the others who have reached the milestone for the Lakers. Agosta’s total is the all-time NCAA record. Senior goaltender Hillary Pattenden earned her 16th win of the season, and 96th of her career on Friday night. She has already broken the NCAA record for career wins, and is now just four wins shy of becoming the first goaltender to reach 100 career victories. Freshman Molly Byrne had two points over the weekend, giving her five goals and 23 assists for 28 points this season. She is second among Division I defensmen in points per game, trailing only Cornell’s Laura Fortino in that department. She tallied Friday’s game-winning goal, which was her second game-winner of the year. Mercyhurst will not have much time until their final non-conference game of the regular season, a showdown with third-ranked Cornell on Tuesday night in Ithaca, N.Y. Faceoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The two teams split at the Mercyhurst Ice Center back on December 2 and 3. Big Red took the first game 5-4 before the Lakers responded with a 5-2 win the following afternoon. Then, Mercyhurst will return home on Friday and Saturday afternoons for a weekend series with Syracuse. Friday’s faceoff is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. - the first game of a doubleheader with the men’s team. Saturday’s game will begin at 2:00 p.m. The Lakers went 1-0-1 in Syracuse earlier this year, winning 8-4 in game one, before playing to a 1-1 tie in game two.

NIAGARA: Niagara is now 9-13-7 overall, while 2-4-2 in CHA play…The Purple Eagles are currently in third place in the CHA, three points ahead of Syracuse and five points behind Robert Morris…Niagara dropped a 6-1 decision in its Pink The Rink game on Friday, before battling back for a 3-3 tie against No. 5/5 Mercyhurst this past weekend…Niagara is 2-2-2 in its last six games…Three of Niagara’s last four games are at home…Following Niagara’s road contest against Robert Morris this coming Friday, Niagara’s last three games are at home (Sunday, Feb. 12 vs. RMU; Friday/Saturday Feb. 24 & 25 vs. Syracuse)…Niagara is 1-1-0 so far this season against Robert Morris, having played the Colonials to back-to-back 1-0 games, with Niagara winning its game at Dwyer Arena and Robert Morris winning its game at home…The Purple Eagles are 1-0-1 against Syracuse this year…Sarah Moses was named the CHA Goalie of the Month for January last week.

ROBERT MORRIS: Freshman Rebecca Vint (Caledon, Ontario / Brampton Junior Thunder) continued her record-setting rookie campaign by tying the Colonials’ single-season record for goals as Robert Morris earned its first-ever road sweep in CHA play by downing Syracuse, 5-2, Saturday. The Colonials extended their program record win total to 16 and, in the process, guaranteed their first winning season in school history. Robert Morris’ 10th road win also tied the program record for conference wins in a season. Coupled with Friday’s four-goal output, RMU broke its all-time record for goals scored in a league series as it claimed its first CHA sweep since October 2008 … While Vint was one of the leaders Saturday, she had a bevy of support as 11 skaters in all recorded at least one point for the visitors. It marked the first time that 11 or more Colonials had at least one point against a current CHA opponent and the first time a Robert Morris squad achieved this feat on the road since 2008 … Freshman Maddie Collias (Roseville, Mich. / Belle Tire) continued her recent scoring spree as she notched a third-period tally to record a goal in her third-straight game and a point in her fourth-consecutive affair. All five of Collias’ points have come within the past seven games … Amazingly, Saturday’s affair marked the sixth-consecutive game between Syracuse and Robert Morris in which the Colonials trailed at same point during the contest but produced a comeback to earn at least one point … Vint broke the Colonials’ single-season record for points in dramatic fashion Friday as she tallied the game-winning goal to help RMU to a 4-3 victory over Syracuse. The GWG was her fourth of the season, which also was a new program best … Robert Morris trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes of play, but the Colonials erupted for four second-period scores courtesy of four distinct skaters in a span of fewer than 13 minutes to take control of the affair … Robert Morris was unable to come away with a victory in its inaugural matchup with Princeton as the Tigers squeaked by with a 3-2 win in RMU’s final non-conference action of the season last Monday.

SYRACUSE: The Syracuse ice hockey team (9-18-3, 0-5-3 CHA) went 0-2-0 against Robert Morris last weekend, dropping a 4-3 game on Friday before the Colonials completed the sweep with a 5-2 win on Saturday afternoon … Syracuse received goals from three different scorers on Friday and Kallie Billadeau made 22 saves in goal, but could not overcome a four-goal second period by Robert Morris … Saturday saw the Orange led 1-0 late in the first period before RMU scored twice in the final minute of the frame and again in the opening minute of the second … Holly Carrie-Mattimoe scored her team-leading 12th goal of the season and Nicole Ferrara scored late for the Orange on a five-on-three power play … Ferrara has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) this season, which lead all SU freshman… Of her five goals, two have been game-winners, which is a team-high … The Orange’s seven freshmen (Jordyn Burns, Darkangelo, Nicole Ferrara, Goodnough, Casey Hirsch, Julie Knerr and Allie LaCombe) have 79 of SU’s 184 points (42.9%) … Syracuse has won 52% of its faceoffs taken this season (906-of-1757), led by Darkangelo’s 56% performance (314-of-560) … The Orange will play its four remaining regular season games on the road, beginning this weekend at No. 5 Mercyhurst.

 Follow on Twitter @CHAWomenshockey   Like us on Facebook