Game Recap
Army goaltender and Buffalo native Parker Gahagen posted a 14 save shutout, while three different Black Knight skaters scored their first goals of the season, en route to a 3-0 victory over the Canisius College hockey program Friday night from Tate Rink in West Point, N.Y. The loss moves Canisius to 4-6-1 overall and 3-1-1 in Atlantic Hockey action, while the Black Knights move to 5-3-1 overall and 5-2-0 in league play.
The Black Knights jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with goals by sophomore Tipper Higgins and junior Nick DeCenzo at 17:32 and 15:17 of the first period respectively.
The Griffs outshot Army West Point in the first period, 9-8, but struggled to get their offense going throughout the remainder of the game, recording only five shots over the next two periods combined.
The Black Knights would add their final goal of the game at 13:14 of the third period, as freshman Dominic Franco earned his team-high third point of the contest.
Canisius senior goaltender Charles Williams received the lose, moving his record to 4-3-1 on the year, while Gahagen moved to 5-3-1 with the win. Neither team scored on the power play on Friday, as the both teams went 0-for-6 on the man-advantage.
Head Coach Dave Smith's Postgame Comments
“Army played very well tonight. They came out and won the game in the first five minutes. We were not prepared to check hard enough from the first drop of the puck. Playing nice will not find success ever in college Hockey. Army kept us to the outside and we weren't willing to grind it out and get pucks to their net. With a very good goalie in Gahagen we needed to do more.”
Game Notes
• In 52 all-time meetings between the two schools, Army leads the series 24-23-5.
• The shutout loss marked the fifth time the Griffs have been held scoreless by the Black Knights.
• Gahagen increased his NCAA best save percentage to .950 in the Army victory.
• The Griffs lost for the first time in five Atlantic Hockey games this season, marking the longest unbeaten streak the team has had to begin the season since 2010-11.
• In the loss Williams recorded over 30 saves, the sixth time this season he has reached the marker.
• The Blue and Gold have held their opponent to zero power play goals for the third consecutive game.
Up Next
Canisius and Army West Point will close out their weekend series tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 12, when the two teams meet again at Tate Rink, with a faceoff set for 7:05 p.m.
