BUFFALO – Canisius returns to the road this weekend as it travels to Connecticut for a two-game Atlantic Hockey Conference series at Sacred Heart.
The Griffs (15-10-6, 14-4-5 AHC) and Pioneers (10-14-4, 8-12-2 AHC) open their weekend series Friday with a 7:05 p.m. matchup before wrapping the set Saturday with a 2:05 p.m. matinee. Both contests will be played at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.
Owners of the nation’s longest active unbeaten streak, Canisius (15-10-6, 14-4-5 AHC) begins the weekend in sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Hockey standings, one point ahead of second-place Air Force. Sophomore Dylan McLaughlin leads the Griffs in scoring with 25 points (11g, 14a). McLaughlin has amassed 16 points (7g, 9a) during the Griffs current 10-game unbeaten streak. Junior Ryan Schmelzer is second on the team with 24 points (10g, 14a). Schmelzer, who begins the weekend riding an eight-game point-scoring streak, leads the Griffs and ranks 6th nationally with four game-winning goals. Senior Charles Williams has remained rock solid in goal for the Griffs 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 (1.80/4th) and shutouts (4/T-5th) as well. Canisius looks to continue its strong play away from home of late as it is 5-1-1 in its last seven road games after beginning the campaign 2-6-0 in road contests. The power play has been firing on all cylinders for the Griffs in recent contests, converting 14-of-39 opportunities (.359) over the past nine games. Canisius has scored a power play goal in all nine of those games. Canisius has found its offensive groove since the start of 2017 as it is averaging 3.67 goals per game over its last 12 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 10 games last weekend with a win and a tie against Army West Point in an Atlantic Hockey series at HARBORCENTER. In the series opener, junior Mike Sabatini scored twice and senior Charles Williams made 29 saves for his fourth shutout of the season to lead the Griffs to a 4-0 victory. The shutout victory moved Williams into a tie with Tony Capobianco for first place on the program’s single-season shutout list. Junior Ryan Schmelzer notched his team-leading fourth game-winning goal of the season and freshman Casey Jerry added a power-play goal to cap the scoring for Canisius. In the series finale, the Griffs used goals from sophomore Dylan McLaughlin and junior Jeff Murray to rally from a 2-0 deficit and post a 2-2 tie. Williams recorded 29 saves. Canisius improved to 7-2-5 at HARBORCENTER this season with the win and tie against Army.
Sacred Heart enters the weekend in ninth place in the Atlantic Hockey standings, one point ahead of eighth-place American International and just four points back of seventh-place RIT. The Pioneers are undefeated in their last three games, including a win and a tie last weekend at Mercyhurst. Sacred Heart has relied heavily upon its senior class to supply the offense this season as five of the top seven spots on the team’s scoring chart are occupied by seniors. Senior Justin Danforth leads the team in scoring with 24 points (8g, 16a) while fellow senior Jordan Minello paces the squad in goals (14) and ranks second in points (22). Junior Nathan Perry and sophomore Brett Magnus have split time between the pipes for Sacred Heart this season. Perry has a team-best 2.67 goals against average in 12 appearances while Magnus holds a 2.93 GAA in 19 starts.
In 55 previous meetings between the two schools, Canisius holds a 27-22-6 advantage in the series. The Griffs have controlled the series as of late, posting an 11-5-2 record in the last 18 meetings. The Pioneers enter the weekend riding a three-game winning streak in the series after claiming three-of-four meetings between the teams during the 2015-16 regular season. Canisius holds a 10-14-5 mark in true road contests against Sacred Heart. The schools split their last series at Sacred Heart in October 2015, with Canisius claiming the opener, 3-0, before the Pioneers responded with a 4-0 win in the finale.
Unbeaten in its last 10 contests, Canisius is not only the owner of the nation’s longest active undefeated streak, but it is also approaching the program’s all-time mark for consecutive games without a loss. The current stretch marks the first time in the Division I era of the program that it has gone 10 or more games without a loss. The previous longest unbeaten streak during the Division I era came during the 1999-2000 season, when the Griffs went 7-0-2 from Nov. 13-Jan. 15. The longest unbeaten streak in program history occurred during the 1996-97 campaign, when Canisius ran off 11 games without a loss from Dec. 9-Feb. 2 of that season.
Canisius squares off against rival Niagara in a home-and-home next week. The Griffs and Purple Eagles open their two-game set Feb. 15 with a 7:35 p.m. contest at HARBORCENTER before wrapping up their season series two nights later with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop at Dwyer Arena.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
