The Canisius College hockey team fought to a 1-1 draw with Air Force on Friday night at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. The Griffs are now 4-5-4 on the season and 3-4-4 in Atlantic Hockey play, while the Falcons are 3-6-1 and 2-3-1 against league foes.
"It was a hard-fought 65 minutes tonight where we played our most complete game of the season," said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. "It showed in our defensive and offensive effort. It was a great hockey game and I am very happy with the way our team played."
Freshman Patrick Sullivan scored the lone goal of the game for the Griffs, while junior netminder Dan Morrison stopped 21 shots to anchor the Canisius defense.
After a scoreless opening period, the Falcons found the back of the net 9:26 into the second. Tim Kirby fired a shot from the blue line and Blake Page redirected the puck from the slot past Morrison for the 1-0 advantage.
The Griffs had a number of near misses during the first 50 minutes and finally netted a goal with 9:14 remaining in regulation. Sophomore Ben Parker took a shot from the blue line but the Falcons goaltender was once again there for the save. Senior Derek Danowski, however, was there to knock the loose puck to Sullivan, who netted his fourth goal of his rookie campaign to knot the game at one.
Both goaltenders continued their strong play after the Canisius goal and the defenses held up for the 1-1 draw. Air Force's Jason Torf recorded 28 saves on the night to earn the tie.
For the game, Canisius held a 29-22 advantage in shots. Neither team was able to capitalize on the power play, with the Griffs going scoreless in two opportunities and killing all three Air Force chances.
Canisius is back in action tomorrow night, hosting nationally-ranked Robert Morris. The Griffs and the 20th-ranked Colonials meet at the Buffalo State Sports Arena, beginning at 7:05 p.m.
Game Notes: The 22 shots on goal allowed by Canisius is a season-low ... The previous low was 26 against Army ... Canisius was able to dress six defensemen for the first time in five games ... Danowski, who registered the primary assist on the game-tying score, was playing in his first game of the season ... The all-time series between the two schools remains tied at 5-5-3 ... Canisius is now winless in its last seven games (0-4-3), its longest run since an 11-game stretch during the 2005-06 season.
