Canisius used goals from four different players and a 32-save performance from senior goaltender David Fessenden to post a 4-1 victory over Mercyhurst in Atlantic Hockey Association action Thursday at LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo.
Graduate student Erik Urbank, seniors Max Kouznetsov and Jackson Decker and freshman Jack Budd all scored for the Golden Griffins (7-12-3, 6-5-3 AHA).
Garrett Dahm accounted for the lone tally for the Lakers (7-11-3, 5-5-3 AHA).Owen Say finished with 27 saves between the pipes for the visitors.
Budd opened the scoring just 6:10 into the contest with his second of the campaign, batting sophomore Oliver Tarr’s centering feed into the Mercyhurst goal out of midair from the top of the crease to put Canisius up early.
Kouznetsov doubled the Griffs advantage to 2-0 in the opening minute of the second, depositing senior Randy Hernandez’s pass between the legs of Say for his sixth goal of the season to make it a 2-0 contest.
Decker stretched the Canisius cushion to 3-0 with 6:25 elapsed in the middle frame, dancing past a pair of Mercyhurst near the right sidewall before placing a wrist shot underneath the glove of Say for his fourth of the campaign.
Urbank made it a 4-0 contest with an empty-net goal at the 14:18 mark of the third, finding the vacated Laker goal while the Griffs were shorthanded.
Dahm spoiled the Griffs and Fessenden’s shutout bid in the final seconds of regulation, sneaking one between the legs of the Canisius netminder with seven seconds to play to determine the final three-goal margin.
GAME NOTES
• Mercyhurst outshot Canisius, 33-31, for the contest, highlighted by a 15-10 edge in the third period.
• The Lakers were 0-for-3 on the power play while the Griffs did not have a power play opportunity as Mercyhurst was not whistled for a penalty during the contest.
• Canisius held its opponent to two goals or fewer for the eighth time this season and improved to 5-2-1 when doing so.
• The Griffs tallied four or more goals in a contest for the fifth time this season and improved to a perfect 5-0-0 in those games.
• Fessenden made 30-or-more saves in a game for the third time this season and 15th time in his career with his 32-save performance on Saturday.
• Urbanks’ empty-net tally in the third was the Griffs’ seventh shorthanded goal of the season, moving them into a tie with Northeastern for the national lead in team shorthanded tallies.
• Urbank’s shorthanded tally was also his second of the season, making Canisius the only school in the nation with multiple players with two-or-more shorthanded goals this season (junior Matt Vermaeten)
• Kouznetsov tallied multiple points in a game for the for the second time this season and the 12th time in his career as he finished with a goal and an assist on Thursday.
• Kouznetsov also tallied his second game-winning goal in the last three games as he also scored the decisive tally in the Griffs’ 5-1 win against St. Lawrence on Jan. 5.
• Freshman Matteo Giampa tallied multiple assists in a game for the second time this season as he finished with two helpers on Thursday.
• Senior Randy Hernandez notched his team-leading 10th assist of the season with the primary helper on Kouznetsov’s second-period goal.
• Sophomore Stefano Bottini picked up his third point in three games since returning to the lineup from injury as he notched the secondary helper on Budd’s first-period goal.
UP NEXT
Canisius returns to the road Saturday as it travels to No. 19/20 RIT for an AHA matchup. Puck drop for the contest between the Griffs and nationally-ranked Tigers is slated for 7 p.m. at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester.
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