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BUFFALO – Junior Ryan Schmelzer scored with 1:15 remaining in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and lift top-seeded Canisius to a 2-1 victory over No. 11 seed Niagara in game two of their Atlantic Hockey Tournament quarterfinal series Saturday at KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER.
With the win, the Griffs (21-10-7) swept the best-of-three series and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Tournament semifinals March 17 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. The win also extended Canisius’ unbeaten streak, the longest active untbeaten streak in the nation, to 17 games dating back to early January.
Schmelzer’s series-clinching tally punctuated a dramatic third period that saw all three goals scored during the frame while teams were on the power play.
Sophomore Felix Chamberland broke the scoreless deadlock at the 3:06 mark of the third, one-timing a feed from Schmelzer past Niagara keeper Jackson Teichreob from the left faceoff circle during a Canisius rush.
Vinny Muto tied the game at 1-1 for Niagara a little less than five minutes later. During a 5-on-3 advantage for the Purple Eagles, Muto where wired a wrist shot through traffic from the top of the faceoff circles that found the upper right corner of the net.
Schmelzer put the Griffs in front for good at the 18:45 mark of the third, deflecting a shot from sophomore Jimmy Mazza past Teichreob from the middle of the slot to send Canisius onto the semifinal round.
Senior Charles Williams made 25 saves in goal for Canisius while Teichreob stopped 32 shots between the pipes for Niagara (5-31-3).
Canisius Head Coach Dave Smith said, “That was a hard game tonight. I liked the way we got better as the game went on. I thought we got better as the weekend went on. It took all 60 minutes to get the win tonight. Our success is a statement about the Canisius community. It’s not just the hockey program; it’s not just the athletic department; it’s everyone associated with Canisius College. What we’ve been able to do, both this season and in recent years, takes the entire Canisius community to say hockey is important. They have; and our players have backed up that support with the results on the ice.”
Canisius advances to the semifinals of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, slated for Friday at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester. The Griffs will face the lowest remaining seed at the conclusion of the quarterfinal round in the first semifinal, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. The winner of Friday’s two semifinal contests will square off in the championship game March 18 at 7:05 p.m.
