The Canisius College hockey team skated to a 1-1 draw with Air Force on Monday night at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. The Griffs are now 8-14-4 on the season and 8-8-3 in Atlantic Hockey play, while the Falcons are 12-7-6 and 10-4-5 against league foes.
"Tonight was a fun game to be a part of with the constant tug-of-war of momentum," said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. "Five-on-five, the game was a really even contest and our penalty kill came up huge tonight. It's a great tie against a really good hockey team."
Senior goaltender Dan Morrison led the Griffs charge to earn the draw, recording 32 saves on the night.
Freshman Braeden Rigney gave Canisius the early lead in the contest, scoring with 9:19 remaining in the opening period. Sophomore defender Ben Danford took the puck behind the net before centering it in front of the Air Force goal. After freshman Cody Freeman had his shot attempt blocked, Rigney found the rebound and put it into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.
The Griffs' lead held until 4:07 remaining in the second period. Tim Kirby fired a shot toward goal that got through an Air Force screen and into the back of the net for the 1-1 score.
Both teams had a number of chances the remainder of the game but could not close the deal. Canisius' best opportunity came when sophomore Patrick Sullivan followed his own shot and had the rebound hit the post.
On the defensive end, the Griffs penalty kill unit came up with a number of huge stops, anchored by the effort of Morrison. Canisius killed four Air Force power plays in the final 25 minutes, including one with three minutes remaining in regulation and another in the extra session. Morrison recorded 14 of his 32 saves when the Falcons had the extra-man advantage.
Air Force finished with a 33-15 edge in shots on the night. Neither team scored on the power play with the Falcons going 0-for-7 and Canisius going 0-for-2. Jason Torf recorded 14 saves in the tying effort for Air Force.
Canisius returns to action on Friday night, playing at Robert Morris. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.
Game Notes: Air Force now leads the all-time series against Canisius, 7-5-6 ... Nine of the last 11 games in the series have resulted in a tie, a one-goal game or a two-goal contest that included an empty-net tally ... Morrison is now 60 saves shy of setting the program's career saves record ... Rigney also won 18-of-25 draws (72 percent) to lead Canisius' effort in the face-off circle.
