The No. 1 ranked Mercyhurst women’s hockey team is on its way to the Frozen Four for the second year in a row after a 4-1 win over Boston University this past weekend.

The Lakers defeated the eighth-seed BU in front of a full house of 1,300 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.

This time, though, the accomplishment feels a lot different.

“The first time we made it to the Frozen Four, we were so excited to just get there, this time we have had the goal to win it all the entire season, and getting this far just seemed a matter of fact, and we handled it very professionally,” Coach Michael Sisti said.

Mercyhurst’s women’s hockey program has seemingly defied logic as it is far smaller in size than many of its competitors, but has had equal and in many cases far greater success than these larger schools.

“We have defied logic because we have had such great success with nine conference championships and have been able to win on a regular basis and against some well-known teams. No one thought we could do what we are doing,” Sisti said.

This year the competition is beginning to take notice of the Lakers.

“We have done enough to earn people’s respect, and for us to be playing for the championship, they don’t have to like us but they do have to respect us,” Sisti said.

While going to the Frozen Four is an accomplishment for any player, it must feel very good to get there as a freshman.

“Going to the Frozen Four is an amazing accomplishment in any year. Not very many girls have this chance throughout their four years of school, so I definitely consider myself lucky. Last year’s team made it to the final at the Frozen Four in Boston and came up short, so hopefully this year we can change things around,” freshman Samantha Watt said.

The Lakers will go up against Cornell University at 6:00 pm at the Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn., for the Frozen Four semifinals on Friday, March 19.