Few teams in college hockey history have assumed the role of David in Goliath-like NCAA games like the Mercyhurst Lakers. And no coach is better at assembling a variety of lines in those March games than 18-year head coach Rick Gotkin.
Take March 2001 as Mercyhurst is preparing for a first-ever NCAA appearance against Michigan, the team with the most-ever NCAA appearances. "I'm standing behind our bench before the game begins," Gotkin said that night. "I look across the ice and say to myself, 'Wow, that's Red Berenson from Michigan.' And I wonder if he's saying, 'Wow, that's Rick Gotkin from Mercyhurst.'" The Lakers took a 3-2 lead late into that game before the Wolverines escaped with a 4-3 win.
Or two years later, in March 2003 against defending national champion Minnesota that went on to win it all again. The Gophers dug an early hole for Gotkin's boys en route to a 9-2 final. "I should have taken my timeout during warm-ups," quipped Gotkin after.
And last March when the Lakers took on East powerhouse Boston College in the first round of the East Regional played in Massachusetts. The Lakers scored first -- and almost last -- before bowing 5-4 as T.J. Kemp broke in alone in the waning seconds. "We clearly had a tiger by the tail," said Gotkin post-game about the size and ferocity of the Eagles. "One of my younger guys said, 'That No. 10 is real big. I'm a little nervous, coach.' "Now is not the time to get nervous. Get his autograph after the game."
"We travel a ton, so maybe they come from so much time on the road," said Gotkin about the time to deliberate his unique and respected style of communicating -- and coaching.
No doubt at all, however, about his annual goals over 18 years on the shore of Lake Erie in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he has amassed 327 wins and a top-10 winning percentage among surnames like Berenson, Umile, Lucia and Parker.
"Our goals are clear cut and it's been this way for a long, long time," said Gotkin, whose team has a five-point lead over Holy Cross in Atlantic Hockey at the break. "Goal 1 is to emerge as the best team in our conference in the regular season; Goal 2 is to win the playoff for the automatic NCAA bid; Goal 3 is to win some of those tournament games."
Add a little more defense the second half, and this year's Lakers may the best team in school history.
"Our strength is clearly our offense," said Gotkin, "but we need to get better defensively; and team defense means the whole group. If we're going to be anything down the road, we also need great goaltending. Mike Ella would be the guy, if we were playing a playoff game tomorrow. He almost pulled off that upset of BC."
The toast of that offense is junior Scott Champagne whose 10-18-28 total is good for No. 3 in the country.
"Scotty is a very gifted offensive player," Gotkin said. "When he has the puck, he brings you out of the seat. We don't want him to be Bob Gainey, but he's the type of forward that needs to continue to improve in our end of the ice. And he wants to do that."
"To win down the stretch, I'm still going to put up numbers, but I'll commit more in the defensive end for those wins," Champagne said.
Gotkin's defense is loaded with skill for the second-half run.
"We've been playing all year without two of our foundation defensemen in Conrad Martin who was Atlantic Hockey League Defenseman of the Year, and Jamie Coghlan," said Gotkin. "We expect both back in the second half."
Who has carried the D en route to an 11-6 (10-2 Atlantic Hockey) record thus far? The hunt for red lights in October and the necessary leadership along the blue line ended up on the shoulders of junior Jamie Hunt who cut his teeth in that NCAA regional last March.
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The Mercyhurst Lakers are led by head coach Rick Gotkin, who has amassed 327 wins and a top-10 winning percentage over 18 seasons at the helm.
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"The (graduation) loss of T. J. and then the injuries left a big gap on the blue line," said Hunt. "Someone had to step in and quarterback the power play. It's hard to do both (offense and defense), and jump in at the right spot. My partner Kirk Medernack is great at getting back for me."
How great? All Hunt has done so far is to put up 27 points the first half, good for No. 6 in the nation, and tops among all defensemen. His 22 assists are second in the nation.
"Jamie is really a diamond in the ruff," said Gotkin. "We knew he was talented, but not how talented. He might be one of the best in the whole nation. He's the real deal and only a junior; I really think he's an (NHL prospect)."
Any other rocks, Rick?
"Without a doubt, captain Scott Reynolds (8-11-19) steps up when we need it done, and our other senior Dave Borrelli (11-12-23) are two guys that are our heart-and-soul. They compete, they kill penalties, and they finish checks. They do a lot of the dirty work.
"The kid we really have a great eye on is sophomore Ben Cottreau (7-14-21). He was rookie-of-the-year in our league. And he's just starting to hit his stride."
So is Mercyhurst.
"A lot of guys coming here maybe missed out on the big program," said Hunt about Gotkin's recruiting and coaching, "but they excel when they come. Then we see those results. We almost upset (BC). We definitely have the team to take the next step to winning that big one."
The rest of the roster includes forwards Chris Taylor, Kyle Gourgon, Ryan Toomey, Mike Floyd, Erik Johnson, Kerry Bowman, Matt Warren, Brett Robinson, Jon Asseltine, Matt Pierce, Mike Pochatek, and Dillon Duncan; defensemen Preston Briggs, Denis Kirstein, Pat Henk and Bobby Phillips; and goaltenders Jordan Wakefield and Tyler Small.
Most echo Hunt's assessment about ending up in Erie.
"I'm not sure that I'd be here if not for coach," said Hunt. "From the moment I came here, I liked the fit. His wife even cooked dinner on my recruiting trip. He didn't let me pick my meal, but maybe next few weeks with break he will."
If Mercyhurst wins that first NCAA game in March -- once again as a decided underdog -- Diane and Rick Gotkin will roll out the fine linen and silver for a seven-course, open-menu affair in early April.
It appears that Holy Cross and Sacred Heart are the chief obstacles to a fourth NCAA game for the Lakers in late March.
In the meantime, Gotkin will wax one-liners while never missing a chance to utter his favorite: "I think I have the best job in the world."
On Campus clips -- Minnesota head coach Don Lucia signed a three-year extension through 2012. ... Match this fact in NHL history: Maine recently had four alumni across 96 square feet of collective NHL pipes in Mike Dunham (Atlanta), Garth Snow (Islanders), Jimmy Howard (Detroit), and Mike Morrison (Edmonton). ... Individual leaders across the nation at the break are Colorado College's Brett Sterling in scoring at 18-14-32 and goals; Bowling Green's Alex Foster and Quinnipiac's Reid Cashman in assists at 23; Maine's Matt Lundin leads all goaltenders with a GAA of 0.96 in seven games played, while Wisconsin's Brian Elliot clearly takes first-half honors between the pipes with most wins at 14, most minutes played, and a 1.43 GAA. His Badger teammates are ranked No. 1 in all polls.
NHL.com's Current Top 10
- Wisconsin
- Miami of Ohio
- Vermont
- Minnesota
- Boston College
- Michigan
- Colorado College
- Maine
- North Dakota
- Cornell
Bob Snow covers college hockey for NHL.com.
