LAST TIME OUT: It was an unorthodox two-point weekend for the Yellow Jackets, as they skated to a pair of ties, 4-4 and 2-2, with the Sacred Heart Pioneers. The first half of the Friday night contest was less than stellar as SHU jumped out to a 2-0 lead not five minutes into the game and had a 3-0 edge halfway through; however, freshman center Bryant Christian (Moorhead, Minn.) deflected a puck into the net late in the second to cut the deficit to 3-1, and the pendulum of momentum swung AIC's way after that. Early in the third, senior center Matt Cassidy (London, Ont.) found the net, and then sophomore left wing Austin Orszulak (Springfield, Mass.) tied it at 5:30 with a goal on a blast from the slot. SHU regained the lead two minutes later, only to see Christian tie it back up late in the frame on the power play. From there, sophomore Hunter Leisner (Garland, Texas) held the Pioneers off the board, racking up 38 saves in the draw. On Saturday, the Pioneers took advantage of a 5-on-3 to take a 1-0 lead, but junior left wing David Gandara (Canyon Lake, Calif.) scored one of the prettiest goals of the year, cutting through the slot to beat two defenders and the goalkeeper to even the score after one period. SHU netted a late second period goal, but the Jackets had more heroics in them, as Orszulak slammed home his team-record eighteenth goal of the year with 6:52 left, breaking a standard that was less than a year old; senior center Alexander MacMillan (Calgary, Alb.) earned his 30th point of the season on the tally. Freshman Alex Murray (Burlington, Ont.) had an astounding 40 saves in the tie, including 14 in the third and OT.

Mercyhurst was swept by Bentley, 3-2 and 4-3; they nearly overcame a 3-0 deficit on Friday, getting two third period special teams goals-one on the power play and one shorthanded-in the last six minutes, but even with the goalkeeper pulled could not find the equalizer. On Saturday, the Lakers jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but could not hold the edge, allowing a goal with six seconds left in the frame, two quick ones in the second period, and then a heartbreaking goal with just sixteen seconds left in regulation.

LAST TIME THEY MET: Mercyhurst split a dozen goals evenly between a pair of games at the Olympia as they swept the Yellow Jackets, 6-3 and 6-1, on November 29-30, 2013. Senior forward Daniel Bahntge (Westlake, Ohio) had a hat trick in the Friday game for the Lakers as part of a five point weekend, while Jon Puskar '14 had a goal and two assists on the weekend to lead AIC's offense; senior goalkeeper Jimmy Sarjeant (Aurora, Ont.) had 51 total saves in the back-to-back wins.

GRANDSONS OF GOLD: Mercyhurst freshman Jack Riley and AIC freshman Bryant Christian share a unique connection dating back two generations. Riley's grandfather, also named Jack Riley, was the head coach of the 1960 US Olympic Hockey Team, and Christian's grandfather, Bill, was a player on the squad that won it all in Squaw Valley, giving the United States their first gold medal in hockey. Both families have shared in lots of Olympic and college hockey success: the elder Riley won over 500 games as Army's head coach and his son Brian (the younger Jack's father) is the current head coach of the Black Knights, and Brian's brother Rob also coached Army, while Christian's great uncle Roger also played on the 1960 Olympic Team and his uncle Dave was a member of the 1980 Miracle On Ice squad that won the Olympic Gold at Lake Placid and helped lead North Dakota to the NCAA National Championship Game in 1979 before embarking on an NHL career of over 1000 games. For more on the legacy of the Christian family in American hockey, click here.

PUSH IT TO THE LIMIT: Mercyhurst is the only remaining team in Atlantic Hockey that the Yellow Jackets have not played. Among the other ten teams, AIC has gone to overtime at least once with all of them except for Niagara, which the Jackets swept. AIC has a win over Army, a loss to Air Force, and ties with Robert Morris, Canisius, Bentley, Holy Cross, RIT, and two with Sacred Heart to make the nine OT games they have played, tied for the most in Atlantic Hockey with Air Force.

MORE PRAISE FOR ORSZULAK: Orszulak continues to receive national recognition for his dominance this season; already up for the Hobey Baker Award (vote here), Orszulak was named a Walter Brown Award Semifinalist on Wednesday; the Walter Brown Award, given annually since 1953, is the oldest national college hockey award in the nation and is given to the top American-born Division I hockey player playing in New England.

START OF SOMETHING BIG?: The last time American International had consecutive ties was against Connecticut and Air Force on 1/26/13 and 2/1/13. After those two draws, the team went 7-1-1 in their next nine games, including four and three game winning streaks. Counting the draws in that stretch, AIC had a nation-best at the time seven game unbeaten streak (4-0-3).

NEXT UP: The Yellow Jackets return to the road, making their longest trip of the year as they visit the Air Force Falcons for a weekend set at Cadet Ice Arena at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, with a 9:05 p.m. start on Friday, February 13, and a 6:05 p.m. start on Valentine's Day.