ERIE, Pa. (Interstat) — Syracuse and Mercyhurst meet Saturday at Mercyhurst Ice Center in a women’s NCAA Division I hockey game, with the Orange serving as the visiting team and the Lakers as the home team.

Syracuse enters 3-0 after opening the season with two wins over Stonehill and a 3-1 victory at Mercyhurst in the most recent meeting between the programs. That win also stands as Mercyhurst’s most recent result. The Lakers are 2-3. Mercyhurst opened with a 3-1 home win over RPI and a 3-0 home win over RPI, then dropped two games at Minnesota-Duluth by scores of 2-0 and 4-0 before falling 3-1 at home to Syracuse. The Saturday game is the second meeting between the teams in as many days.

Jackson Kinsler is a player to watch for Syracuse. In her past two games, both wins over Stonehill, she scored two goals on six shots in a 4-1 victory and recorded five shots on goal in a 3-0 win. Syracuse’s wins over Stonehill came by scores of 3-0 and 4-1. Syracuse also has a 3-1 road win at Mercyhurst on its resume.

Julia Perjus is a player to watch for Mercyhurst. Over her past four games, she has two goals and two assists. She scored a goal and added two assists with two shots on goal in a 3-0 win over RPI, then scored again with five shots on goal in a 3-1 win over RPI. Perjus also recorded two shots on goal in each of two games at Minnesota-Duluth and had two penalty minutes in each RPI win. She has recorded at least two shots on goal in each of her past four games.

The Lakers have played five games, including two home wins over RPI, two road losses at Minnesota-Duluth and the home setback against Syracuse. The Orange have played three games, all victories, and will return to the road for the Saturday matchup. Syracuse’s early schedule has included two home wins over Stonehill and the win at Mercyhurst. Syracuse is 2-0 against Stonehill and 1-0 against Mercyhurst, while Mercyhurst is 2-0 against RPI, 0-2 against Minnesota-Duluth and 0-1 against Syracuse.

Mercyhurst’s upcoming slate includes games at Lindenwood, Connecticut and Delaware, followed by home games against Assumption and Penn State. Syracuse is set to host Penn State, travel to Robert Morris, host Delaware, visit Lindenwood and play RPI in a home-and-home series. The teams will meet again in the rematch after Syracuse’s 3-1 win in the most recent head-to-head game. The Lakers will remain at home for the Saturday contest.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a final score of Mercyhurst 4, Syracuse 1.