The Canisius College team shutout Army on Saturday night, posting a 2-0 victory over the Black Knights. With the win, the Griffs improved to 7-5-3 on the season and 5-3-1 in Atlantic Hockey play.
“I thought we played very hard,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “It was a gritty and tough performance. I thought that goaltending and penalty kill was the story of the game.”
Junior Andrew Loewen stopped all 25 shots he faced to lead the Griffs to victory, earning his fourth career shutout and first of the 2008-09 campaign. Loewen was also key in killing nine Army power plays.
“I started the game strong and made a couple of key saves to get into it early,” Loewen said. “I was seeing the puck well and I just seemed to be there every time when they shot it.”
Sophomores Cory Conacher and Vincent Scarsella both scored for the Griffs. Freshman defender Wes Love paced the Canisius attack with two assists.
After a scoreless first period, Conacher opened the scoring 57 seconds into the second frame. The Griffs rotated the puck around to Conacher and the sophomore one-timed it past Army's Jay Clark. Sophomore Matt Zuke and Love both notched assists on Conacher's sixth goal of the season.
The Black Knights' (3-9-1, 3-7-1 Atlantic Hockey) best opportunity to score came on a 5-on-3 power play. Loewen made the initial stop but the puck went right to an Army forward on the crease. Loewen then made a diving stop and recorded the save with his glove to keep the shutout intact.
Scarsella added an insurance goal 1:18 into the third period. Scarsella and Conacher connected on a give-and-go as Canisius claimed a 2-0 advantage. Love also tallied an assist on the score.
The Griffs and Black Knights conclude the two-game series tomorrow afternoon. The two teams will meet at the Buffalo State Sports Arena at 4:05 p.m.
Game Notes: Tonight's game will be shown on Time Warner SportsNet Channel 13 on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ... Loewen's last shutout was also against Army on Jan. 18, 2008 ... Love posted the first multiple point game of his career ... The Griffs remained unbeaten at home this season, improving 3-0-1 at the Buffalo State Sports Arena in 2008-09 ... Canisius has outscored opponents during the third period in each of the last five league games.
