Within the conference, they were 38-1-3, winning every regular season, and every tournament. Their overall record was 102-29-13 for the same period. In the first two years of the conference, the CHA a smaller conference against much more storied conferences, like the ECAC and the WCHA. As a result, Mercyhurst did not receive a bid to appear in the NCAA Tournament. In 2005, the Lakers received their first bid, traveling to powerful Harvard University on March 19. The ensuing game was one of the most bitterly fought in tournament history, with Harvard prevailing 5–4 in the third overtime period. During that game, Mercyhurst goaltender Desi Clark set a single game save record of 78 stops. That record still stands at the Division I level as of the end of the 2019–20 season. In the following year, the Lakers had similar bad luck, this time losing to Wisconsin in 2 overtimes. The CHA Conference saw some changes, as Findlay dropped their program in 2004, and the Robert Morris Colonials joining for 2005–06, after Quinnipiac joined for a single year (2004–05). The Meghan Agosta years  By the mid-2000s Mercyhurst College (it would become Mercyhurst University in 2012), had several advantages in recruiting: The college itself, a small Catholic institustion with very good academics; The success and graduation rate of its athletes; and, the overwhelming success of the team. The campus location near Lake Ontario was attractive to young women from Ontario, New York and Pennsylvania, a large pool of talent. In 2006, the Lakers attracted Megan Agosta, perhaps the most sought-after talent in the NCAA. Even before attending college, she had won an Olympic gold medal at the 2006 Turin games with Team Canada. She became one of the best players of the decade in NCAA play. Agosta would be the first ever freshman to be a top three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award. In 2007, Mercyhurst successfully recruited Vicki Bendus, who would win the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Award as the nation's top player, and was a top-10 finalist in the following year. In addition, the Lakers recruited Katariina Soikkanen of the Finnish National team, as well as Angelica Lorsell and Johanna Malmstrom who played for the Swedish National Team. The Lakers also had four players on the roster who played on the Canadian Under-22 Team. Mercyhurst had two CHA First Team selections in 2006–07, one second team choice, the Player and Rookie of the Year, and four members of the All-Rookie Team.