Mike Sisti starts his 25th year, during the 2023-24 season, as head coach of the women's hockey program, the only head coach the program has ever known.
Sisti claimed a record of 21-14-2 in the 2022-23 season. He claimed his 550th win in the CHA Semifinal game against Syracuse.
On December 11th, 2020 Sisti became the second Division I Women's Hockey Head Coach to reach 500 career wins and just the third women's hockey coach to reach this mark. The Lakers defeated the RIT Tigers 5-1 with Liliane Perreault scoring twice while Sarah Nelles, Megan Korzack, and Emily Pinto scored once.
Sisti has turned a small-college women’s hockey program into one of Division I's premier powers. The Lakers have won 550 games, have captured 17 regular season conference titles, 15 conference championship titles, and made 10 consecutive trips to the national tournament - an NCAA record - before the streak was halted in the 2014 season. Sisti has 369 wins compared to just 58 losses in conference play during his tenure as the Lakers' head coach. Among other notables, Sisti recruited and coached Meghan Agosta, who became a four-time All-American while at Mercyhurst, the leading scorer in Division I women's hockey history, a three-time Olympic gold medalist for Team Canada, and hockey MVP of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Forward Vicki Bendus garnered the team's first Patty Kazmaier Award in 2010 while Agosta was a four-time finalist for the sport's highest honor.
After three years as an assistant men’s coach at Canisius College in Buffalo, Sisti came to Mercyhurst in 1993 and spent his first six years as men’s varsity assistant coach and then associate head coach. He was named head coach of the new women's program in March of 1999.
His efforts with the women's program have earned him numerous honors. Sisti was named Division I Coach of the Year in 2005 and USCHO.com Coach of the Year in 2007. He has been recognized as a finalist for Division I Coach of the Year on six occasions. Conference coaches have also named him coach of the year six times - five times in the CHA.
Off the ice, Sisti has developed his players into outstanding student-athletes. For 16 consecutive years, the team’s cumulative grade point average has been above a 3.0. The Lakers have also been very active in the community. The team annually donates over 200 hours on various community service projects, and spends time at several local schools instructing students on life skills.
Prior to coaching, Sisti played four years of collegiate hockey at Canisius College. A four-year letterwinner, Sisti ranks among Canisius's best in several categories, including career points (163) and goals (74). He also shares the school record for most goals in a game with four and holds the single-season record for hat tricks with six. Sisti helped the Griffs to a 21-11-0 record with 13 goals and 19 assists as a freshman. He was named the team’s top forward for his 33-goal, 57-point effort in 1988-89, and served as team captain for his senior season in 1989-90. A 1990 graduate of Canisius, Sisti was inducted into the Canisius Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Sisti and wife, Nicole, reside in Erie.
SISTI BY THE NUMBERS
| YEAR |
TEAM |
OVERALL
RECORD |
CONFERENCE
RECORD |
| 1999-00 |
Mercyhurst |
23-6-0 |
N/A |
| 2000-01 |
Mercyhurst |
9-15-1 |
5-1-1 |
| 2001-02 |
Mercyhurst |
24-8-1 |
8-0-0 |
| 2002-03 |
Mercyhurst |
25-8-1 |
6-0-0 |
| 2003-04 |
Mercyhurst |
26-6-4 |
11-1-0 |
| 2004-05 |
Mercyhurst* |
28-7-2 |
11-0-1 |
| 2005-06 |
Mercyhurst* |
23-8-6 |
10-0-2 |
| 2006-07 |
Mercyhurst* |
32-2-3 |
11-0-1 |
| 2007-08 |
Mercyhurst* |
26-8-3 |
11-2-1 |
| 2008-09 |
Mercyhurst*** |
31-6-0 |
16-0-0 |
| 2009-10 |
Mercyhurst** |
30-3-3 |
14-1-1 |
| 2010-11 |
Mercyhurst* |
29-6-0 |
16-0-0 |
| 2011-12 |
Mercyhurst* |
23-8-3 |
8-1-3 |
| 2012-13 |
Mercyhurst** |
29-7-1 |
17-3-0 |
| 2013-14 |
Mercyhurst** |
24-9-4 |
15-3-2 |
| 2014-15 |
Mercyhurst |
23-9-3 |
14-5-1 |
| 2015-16 |
Mercyhurst* |
19-11-5 |
14-3-3 |
| 2016-17 |
Mercyhurst |
15-18-2 |
11-8-1 |
| 2017-18 |
Mercyhurst* |
18-15-4 |
13-4-3 |
| 2018-19 |
Mercyhurst |
15-14-5 |
12-6-2 |
| 2019-20 |
Mercyhurst* |
21-10-5 |
13-4-3 |
| 2020-21 |
Mercyhurst |
10-7-1 |
10-6-1 |
| 2021-22 |
Mercyhurst |
21-12-2 |
10-6-0 |
| 2022-23 |
Mercyhurst |
21-14-2 |
13-4-2 |
| Career Record |
550-217-61 |
369-58-29 |
* NCAA Tournament Appearance
** NCAA Women's Frozen Four
*** NCAA Women's Frozen Four Title Game
