NIAGARA UNIV. — Canisius closes out a three-game road swing Tuesday with a visit to rival Niagara for a 7:05 p.m. contest at Dwyer Arena.
The Griffs (13-10-5, 12-4-4 AHC) and Purple Eagles (3-21-3, 3-16-2 AHC) wrap up the first half of their season series with Tuesday’s contest. The two teams play a second home-and-home series Feb. 15 (HARBORCENTER) and 17 (Dwyer Arena).
Winners of five straight and unbeaten in its last seven contests, Canisius enters Tuesday’s game with a chance to take sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Hockey standings with a win or a tie against the Purple Eagles. Sophomore Dylan McLaughlin leads the Griffs in scoring with 22 points (10g, 12a). McLaughlin has amassed 13 points (6g, 7a) during the Griffs current seven-game unbeaten streak. Junior Ryan Schmelzer is second on the team with 21 points (9g, 12a). Schmelzer, who enters Tuesday’s contest riding a five-game point-scoring streak, tallied a goal and four assists during last weekend’s sweep of AIC. Senior Charles Williams continues to shine in goal for the Griffs this season as he enters the weekend leading the nation in save percentage (.946). Williams also ranks amongst the top ten netminders nationally in both goals against average (1.87/6th) and shutouts (3/T-7th) as well. The power play has been firing on all cylinders for the Griffs in recent contests, converting 10-of-28 opportunities (.357) over the past seven contests. Canisius has found its offensive groove of late as it is averaging 3.67 goals per game over its last nine contests, compared to just 1.84 goals per game average during the Griffs’ first 19 games of the season.
Canisius stretched its unbeaten streak to seven games with a sweep of its Atlantic Hockey series at American International last weekend. The wins moved the Griffs to 5-1-1 in their last seven road games after beginning the campaign 2-6-0 in contests away from home. In the series opener, sophomore Dylan McLaughlin scored twice and freshmen Matt Hoover and Jesse Pereira also chipped in tallies to pace Canisius to a 4-2 victory. Senior Charles Williams turned aside 28 shots to record the victory between the pipes. McLaughlin played a key role in the series finale as well, notching a goal and two assists to help lead Canisius to a 6-1 triumph. Junior Ryan Schmelzer also finished with a goal and two assists while sophomore Alex Jaeckle chipped in a goal and an assist. Williams finished with 25 saves, marking the 11th time this season he has allowed one goal or fewer.
Niagara (3-21-3, 3-16-2 AHC) enters Tuesday’s matchup with Canisius trying to get back in the win column after falling in both games of its home-and-home series last weekend against Mercyhurst. The Purple Eagles have been paced offensively by underclassmen this season as four of its top five point scorers are either freshmen or sophomores with rookie Kris Spriggs leading the Niagara attack with 12 points (6 g, 6a). Sophomore Johnny Curran leads Niagara with seven goals while freshman Derek Brown has dished out a team-high seven assists. Both players are part of a four-way tie for second on the team’s scoring chart with 11 points. Niagara has relied upon a three-goaltender system this season as Guillaume Therian, Jackson Teichroeb and Joe O’Brien have all played more than 400 minutes between the pipes. Teichroeb leads the Purple Eagles with a 4.07 goals against average while Therian holds a team-best .884 save percentage.
In a rivalry that began in 1997, Niagara holds a 21-16-4 advantage in the all-time series, including a 17-15-4 edge in Division I meetings. The Griffs hold the edge in recent contests with a 6-2-2 record against the Purple Eagles in their last 10 matchups. The Griffs’ six wins against the Purple Eagles in that span have all come since the start of the 2015-16 season. The two teams are squaring off at Dwyer Arena for the first time in nearly two years as each of the last six meetings between the programs has taken place at HARBORCENTER. Canisius holds a 5-6-3 mark against Niagara at Dwyer Arena and enters Tuesday’s matchup with wins in each of its last three visits, including a 6-4 triumph in its most recent appearance on Jan. 24, 2015. In the first of four meetings between the two programs this season, the Griffs scored twice in the opening 12 minutes to take control of the contest as they posted a 4-1 victory last Tuesday at HARBORCENTER.
Canisius hosts Army West Point for an Atlantic Hockey series this weekend at HARBORCENTER. The Griffs and Black Knights open their two-game set Feb. 3 with a 7:35 p.m. contest before the two teams wrap up their slate with a 4:05 p.m. matinee the following day. Both games will be shown regionally on the Time Warner Cable Sports Network.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
