Hockey Completes Homestand Versus No. 18 Air Force

Games 4-5
Canisius (1-1-1, 1-1-0 AHC) vs. No. 18 Air Force (4-1-1, 0-0-0 AHC)
Date: Friday, Oct. 27 | Saturday, Oct. 28
Times: 7:35 p.m. | 7:35 p.m.
Location: Buffalo, N.Y. / KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER
TV/Webcast: AtlanticHockey.tv
DI Series History: Air Force leads, 17-12-9

Canisius hockey wraps up its season-opening homestand with its toughest challenge to date as it squares off against No. 18 Air Force in a two-game Atlantic Hockey Conference series at KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER.

Opening faceoff for both contests is set for 7:35 p.m. Friday's game serves as Military Appreciation Night, sponsored by WYRK 106.5 FM. All families with valid military ID will receive complimentary admission to the game.

Scouting the Griffs

Canisius (1-1-1) returns to Atlantic Hockey play following a 3-3 tie against ECAC Hockey foe Colgate last Saturday at HARBORCENTER.
Sophomore Dylan McLaughlin tallied a goal and an assist in the third period of the Griffs' matchup with Colgate to increase his team-leading point total to six (2g, 4a). McLaughin has registered multiple points in each of the Griffs' three games this season.
Senior Ryan Schmelzer (1g, 3a) and sophomore Nick Hutchison (3g, 1a) are tied for second on the team's scoring chart with four points each. Schmelzer and Hutchison have recorded points in all three games in 2017-18.
Canisius has thrived on special teams in the early going as the Griffs are 5-for-20 (.250) with the man advantage and have killed off 17-of-19 (.895) shorthanded situations. Canisius has scored multiple power-play goals in each of its last two contests and have not surrendered a goal while down a man in its last 16 shorthanded situations.
Sophomore goaltender Daniel Urbani has started the last two games in goal for Canisius. He has posted a 1.93 goals against average and a .938 save percentage in those contests.

Canisius Rallies to Tie Colgate, 3-3

Canisius scored twice in the third period to erase a two-goal deficit and earn a 3-3 tie with Colgate in a non-conference contest Oct. 21 at KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER.
Junior Dylan McLaughlin and sophomore Matt Hoover scored during the final frame while sophomore Jesse Pereira opened the scoring with a power-play goal in the second period.
Trailing 3-1 at the start of the third, McLaughlin brought Canisius within one just 34 seconds into the frame with a man-advantage tally before Hoover sent the game to overtime with an extra-attacker goal in the final minute regulation that had was initially ruled no goal before being overturned upon video review.
Pereira staked Canisius to a 1-0 lead 70 seconds into the middle frame with his first goal of the season, but Colgate responded with three unanswered goals to build a 3-1 advantage after 40 minutes.
Sophomore Daniel Urbani got the start in goal for Canisius and finished with a season-high 37 saves.
Canisius was 2-for-6 on the power play while Colgate was 0-for-3. The Raiders out-shot the Griffs by a 40-35 margin.

Scouting the Falcons

Defending Atlantic Hockey Conference Tournament champion No. 18 Air Force (4-1-1, 0-0-0 AHC) makes its league debut this weekend after opening the 2017-18 campaign with non-conference matchups against Alaska, Arizona State and Bemidji State.
Junior defenseman Matt Koch lead the Falcons in scoring with six points (3g, 3a), highlighting a balanced attack that already features 12 players with multiple points this season.
Senior forward Tyler Ledford is second on the team in scoring with five points, thanks in large part to a team-best four assists.
Junior Billy Christopoulos has started all six games in goal for the Falcons, compiling a 2.15 goals against average a .927 save percentage in 362 minutes of action to date.

Canisius-Air Force Series Notes

Air Force holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 17-12-9. All 38 previous meetings have come since the Falcons joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006-07.
The Griffs took three-of-four points from the Falcons in their lone regular season series in 2016-17, claiming a 4-1 victory in the opener before playing to a 2-2 draw in the series finale last January at the Cadet Ice Arena.
Canisius holds an 4-8-4 record against Air Force in games played in Buffalo.
The Falcons took three-of-four points in their last visit to the Nickel City, posting a 3-2 win and a 1-1 tie over the Griffs in January of 2016.

Griffs Versus Ranked Teams

The series against No. 18 Air Force this weekend is another opportunity for Canisius to make a splash on the national stage.
Canisius holds an all-time record of 6-36-4 against nationally-ranked schools since moving to Division I in 1998.
The Griffs went 0-5-1 versus ranked competition last season. Canisius was 0-1-1 against nationally-ranked opposition on home ice in 2016-17, playing to a 3-3 tie and suffering a 2-1 setback to ECAC Hockey rival St. Lawrence in a non-conference series at HARBORCENTER last January.
Canisius last defeated a ranked opponent with a 4-1 victory at No. 17 Denver on Oct. 26, 2013.

Up Next

Canisius takes to the road for the first time this season when it travels to the Nutmeg State for an Atlantic Hockey Conference series against Sacred Heart Nov. 4-5.
The teams will play a pair of weekend matinees at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn.
Puck drop for both contests is set for 2:05 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#72 Matt Hoover: F; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#91 Nick Hutchison: F; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#13 Dylan McLaughlin: F; 5' 11"; Junior

#40 Jesse Pereira: F; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#26 Ryan Schmelzer: F; 6' 2"; Senior

#29 Daniel Urbani: G; 6' 1"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#72 Matt Hoover
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: F

#91 Nick Hutchison
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: F

#13 Dylan McLaughlin
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

#40 Jesse Pereira
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: F

#26 Ryan Schmelzer
: 6' 2"; Senior
: F

#29 Daniel Urbani
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: G