ERIE, Pa. — The Holy Cross men's ice hockey team fell to Mercyhurst in the second game of the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Playoffs, losing 2-1 on Saturday, March 5 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center. 

Senior center Ryan Leibold scored the lone goal of the evening for the Crusaders (12-23-2, 10-16-2 AHA). Holy Cross senior goaltender Erik Gordon made 18 saves on the day.

For the second night in a row, Paul Maust scored the game-winning goal for the Lakers (14-18-4, 12-12-4 AHA). Goaltender Kevin McClellan made 42 saves in the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• After a scoreless first period, Mercyhurst's Carson Briere posted the first goal of the game at 16:21 of the second.
• At 2:38 of the third period, Paul Maust fired a shot past Gordon to make the score 2-0 in favor of the Lakers.
• Senior center Ryan Leibold scored for the Crusaders with assists from sophomore left wing Jack Ricketts and junior defenseman Nick Hale at 5:41 of the third period to bring their deficit to one goal.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• For the second night in a row, the Crusaders doubled the Lakers in shots on goal, 43-20.
• Holy Cross also won double the number of faceoffs, 46-23.