DETROIT - The Wayne State University women's hockey team took to its home ice at the City Sports Center for the first time since Oct. 2 but fell, 7-1, to fourth-ranked Mercyhurst College on Friday night.

After a scoreless first period, the Lakers broke it open with a five-minute barrage midway through the second. Mercyhurst tacked on four more in the third to defeat Wayne State for the 11th consecutive time.

Laker forward Meghan Agosta had a hat trick as part of a four-point performance. Jess Jones contributed two goals and three assists, and Kelley Steadman scored a goal and had a helper.

Senior Adrianna Pfeffer (Farmington Hills, Mich./Belle Tire) scored the lone WSU goal, her first of the season, late in the second period.

Wayne State held the edge in shots on goal, 10-6, after 20 minutes of play, but the Lakers out-shot the Warriors, 28-11, over the final two periods.

Jones' first tally of the game came at 11:08 of the second and broke the 0-0 deadlock, as a neutral zone turnover produced a 2-on-1 situation for Jones and Meghan Corbett, who assisted on the goal.

At the 13:55 mark, Agosta fired a wrist shot into the top corner past the glove of junior goaltender Delayne Brian (Winnipeg, Man./Notre Dame Hounds) on a Laker power play. Moments later, Steadman went end-to-end and scored her eighth of the season at 15:52 to make it a 3-0 game.

Two minutes later, Pfeffer floated in a shot from just inside the blue line that found its way past Hillary Pattenden to put the Warriors on the board. Veronique Laramee-Paquette (Mont-Tremblant, Que./Les Cheminots) and Gina Buquet (Lafayette, La./Ohio Flames) earned assists.

A shot from the right wing by Agosta found the back of the net at 4:21 of the third period as Mercyhurst regained its three-goal lead. Jess Jones tacked on a goal, her eighth of the season, at 6:41 and prompted a WSU timeout.

A short-handed goal by Agosta, her 13th of the year and third of the game, made it 6-1 at the 9:01 mark, and Vicki Bendus' power-play tally at 14:06 capped off the scoring.

Brian and Pattenden finished with 27 and 20 saves, respectively.

Wayne State and Mercyhurst will wrap up the weekend series Saturday at 2:00 p.m.