BUFFALO – Canisius closes out the non-conference portion of its 2016-17 schedule this weekend as it hosts No. 16 St. Lawrence in a two-game series at KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER.
The Griffs (7-9-3) returned to action last weekend with an AHC series at Holy Cross. Canisius took the series opener, 3-0, on Dec. 30 before the Crusaders flipped the script with a 3-0 shutout of the Griffs on New Year’s Eve.
The Saints (10-6-4) also play their final non-league tilts of the season with their visit to the Queen City this weekend. St. Lawrence played its first game of the second semester Tuesday, suffering a 4-3 setback at No. 13 Vermont.
Junior Ryan Schmelzer (4g, 6a) and freshman Nick Hutchison (6g, 4a) are tied for the team lead in scoring with 10 points each. Hutchison has tallied eight points (4g, 4a) in the Griffs last eight contests while Schmelzer has notched five points (2g, 3a) in the past four games. Sophomore defenseman Cameron Heath was named Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday. Heath scored two goals and blocked six shots in the Griffs’ 3-0 victory over Holy Cross on Dec. 30. Sophomores Felix Chamberland (4g, 4a) and Dylan McLaughlin (4g, 4a) are tied for second on the team with eight points apiece. Senior goaltender Charles Williams begins the week ranked sixth in the nation in save percentage (.937). He also ranks 13th in goals against average (2.16) and tied for fourth in shutouts (3) nationally. Canisius has had little problem playing a man down of late, having successfully killed off 43-of-46 (.935) shorthanded situations over its last 11 contests.
Canisius opened the second half of the regular season last weekend with an AHC series at Holy Cross. The Griffs took the series opener, 3-0, on Dec. 30 thanks to a two-goal effort from sophomore defenseman Cameron Heath and a 30-save shutout from senior Charles Williams. Heath became the first Canisius defenseman to score two or more goals in a game since Carl Hudson recorded a hat trick at Sacred Heart during the 2009-10 season. Freshman Casey Jerry also scored for the Griffs while fellow newcomer Nick Hutchison dished out two assists. In the series finale on New Year’s Eve, Holy Cross used a power play goal in the first to take a 1-0 lead before adding a pair of insurance markers in the third to record the 3-0 triumph.
St. Lawrence heads into its final non-conference games of the regular season sporting a 10-6-2 overall record. The Saints, a member of the ECAC, are in sole possession of second place in the league standings with a 7-1-2 ledger. Senior defenseman Gavin Bayreuther leads the Saints in scoring with six goals and a team-high 17 assists for 23 points. Bayreuther has points in four of St. Lawrence’s last five contests. Junior forward Mike Marnell is second on the squad in scoring with 22 points, thanks in large part to his team-high 11 goals. Marnell has tallied seven points (3g, 4a) in the Saints last four games. Junior goaltender Kyle Hayton has started all 20 games between the pipes for St. Lawrence. The Mike Ritcher Award candidate ranks amongst the nation’s leaders in save percentage (.932/), goals against average (2.19/) and shutouts (3/T-2nd). The Saints are in their first season under the guidance of veteran head coach Mark Morris. No stranger to the St. Lawrence program, Morris spent three seasons (1985-88) as an assistant coach under longtime Saints bench boss Joe Marsh before returning to Canton last spring.
The series against No. 16 St. Lawrence is another opportunity for Canisius to make a splash on the national stage. Canisius is 6-35-3 all-time against nationally-ranked schools since moving to Division I in 1998. The Griffs are playing their third ranked opponent of the season. Cansisius opened the campaign with a pair of games at then-No. 1 North Dakota (L 0-6 & L 1-4) before traveling to then-No. 19 Penn State during the final weekend of October (L 1-4 & L 2-4). The Griffs last defeated a ranked opponent with a 4-1 victory at No. 17 Denver on Oct. 26, 2013.
Sophomore defenseman Cameron Heath was named the Travel Team USA Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week, league officials announced Jan. 3. A native of Troy, Mich., Heath tallied two goals in leading the Griffs to a 3-0 victory over Holy Cross on Dec. 30. He notched the game-winning goal 1:43 into the second period before adding a power-play tally later in the frame. Heath also recorded a team-high six blocked shots to help the Griffs record their third shutout of the season. With his two-goal effort against the Crusaders, Heath became the first Canisius blueliner to record multiple goals in a game since Carl Hudson posted a hat trick in a 5-5 tie at Sacred Heart on Jan. 23, 2010.
Canisius returns its focus to Atlantic Hockey action next weekend when it heads to Colorado for a series at Air Force. The Griffs and Falcons open their two-game set Jan. 13 at 9:05 p.m. (EST) before wrapping up the series the following evening with a 7:05 p.m. (EST) faceoff.
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