Mercyhurst forward Daniel Bahntge had a hat trick as the Lakers defeated AIC for their third win in four games.
Holy Cross upset Boston College, 5-4, in the most shocking result of the Friday night college hockey schedule. The Crusaders jumped out to a 5-1 lead through 40 minutes before hanging on for dear life in the final seconds to preserve a significant win for the program.
Elsewhere around college hockey Greg Carey's goal and three assists lifted St. Lawrence past North Dakota, 5-2, to keep UND in the doldrums. Dave Hakstol's team is now winless in four straight games and sits three games below .500 on the season.
The Big 10 Hockey Conference began league play on Friday night with Minnesota downing Wisconsin, 4-1, and Michigan holding off a pesky Ohio State team in overtime, 4-3.
Let's take a look at the top performers from Friday night in NCAA Hockey:
Daniel Bahntge, Jr., F, Mercyhurst - The Westlake, Ohio native had a hat trick as Rick Gotkin's team defeated American International, 6-3, in Atlantic Hockey action. Mercyhurst has now won three of four and is 5-2 in its last seven.
Greg Carey, Sr., F, St. Lawrence - The Hobey Baker Award finalist from a year ago continues to pile up ridiculous numbers. The Hamilton, Ontario native had a goal and three assists as Greg Carvel's team defeated North Dakota, 5-2. Carey now has 10 goals and 18 assists in just 15 games this season for the 8-5-2 Saints.
Mike Barrett, Fr., F, Holy Cross - The Orland Park, Ill. native had two goals and an assist as the Crusaders upset heavily favored Boston College in Chestnut Hill. Junior goaltender Matt Ginn stopped 34 of 38 shots, including several point-blank opportunities for the Eagles in the closing seconds to preserve the win. "It's pretty big. [BC] is an excellent team and an excellent program," said head coach Paul Pearl following the game when asked of the significance of the achievement. It was the first time an Atlantic Hockey team had defeated Boston College. Holy Cross is no stranger to milestone victories for its conference. The Crusaders were the first Atlantic Hockey team to win an NCAA Tournament game in 2006 when they upset Minnesota.
Seth Ambroz, Jr., F, Minnesota - The Columbus Blue Jackets property had two goals as the Gophers pushed past Wisconsin, 4-1, in the first ever conference game for the Big 10.
Greg Noyes, Sr., D, RIT - After only winning once in the first ten games the Tigers have won two straight, including last Saturday's upset of St. Lawrence. Noyes, a Lucan, Ontario native, had two goals as Wayne Wilson's team won, 5-2, at Sacred Heart on Friday evening. He also registered an assist in the game.
Sam Rendle, Jr. D, Bemidji State - The Beavers battled back from a 4-1 deficit to tie Miami on Friday night. Tom Serratore's team scored three unanswered goals in the third period, including Rendle's with just 43 seconds to play. The Grand Rapids, Minn. native scored the key goal as BSU had pulled its goaltender for the extra attacker.
Alex Petan, So., F, Michigan Tech - MTU is now 4-2-1 in its last seven games after starting 1-6-1. Mel Pearson's team went to Alaska and won, 3-2, on Friday night thanks to two goals from Petan, a small, but crafty forward out of the BCHL.
Nick Sorkin, Sr., F, New Hampshire - Dick Umile was not pleased after his team lost 6-3 to Harvard on Tuesday night. The Wildcats bounced back from that setback with a 6-2 win at Colorado College. Sorkin had two goals to increase his season total to 10. The Rockville, Md. native had just 14 goals in his first three seasons in Durham.
Brett Switzer, Jr., F, Bentley - The Calgary, Alberta native scored two goals as Bentley upset Air Force in Colorado Springs for the team's third consecutive victory.
Jeff Cox covers college and junior hockey, NCAA recruiting, NHL Draft prospects and the AHL for SBNation. Follow him on twitter @JeffCoxSBNation.