Hockey Hosts No. 3 Clarkson Saturday at HARBORCENTER

Game 14
Canisius (8-4-1, 8-4-0 AHC) vs. No. 3 Clarkson (12-3-1)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 2
Times: 7:35 p.m.
Location: Buffalo, N.Y. /KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER
TV/Webcast: AtlanticHockey.tv
Live Stats: www.GoGriffs.com
Tickets: Ticketmaster.com
Game Notes: Canisius | Clarkson
DI Series History: Canisius, 1-0-3

Two of the hottest teams in college hockey meet on the ice Saturday as Canisius hosts No. 3 Clarkson in a 7:35 p.m. contest at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.
Winners of their last five contests, the Golden Griffins square off against the Golden Knights, owners of the nation's second-longest unbeaten streak at eight games.

Scouting Canisius

The Golden Griffins (8-4-1) return home after posting a Thanksgiving-weekend sweep of Atlantic Hockey Conference foe Army West Point.
Sophomore Dylan McLaughlin leads the Atlantic Hockey Conference in scoring with 21 points (8g, 13a). McLaughlin enters the weekend with points in each of the last nine contests.
Junior Ryan Schmelzer ranks second on the team in goals (7), assists (10) and points (17). Schmelzer enters the weekend just seven points away from becoming the 11th player in the Division I era of the program to reach the 100-point plateau.
Sophomores Nick Hutchison (6g, 6a) and Matt Hoover (4g, 6a) sit third and fourth in scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Sophomore Daniel Urbani has been the goaltender of choice during the Griffs five-game winning streak. Urbani has posted a goals against average of 2.19 and a save percentage of .931 during the five-game stretch.
The power play continues to be effective as the Griffs are 16-of-58 (.276) with the man advantage thus far this season, tied with Mercyhurst for third nationally in that category.
Canisius enters the weekend ranked seventh in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 3.54 goals per game. The Griffs have recorded two or more goals in 12 of 13 games played this season.

Griffs Extend Winning Streak With Sweep of Army West Point

Canisius stretched its winning streak to five games with a road sweep of Atlantic Hockey Conference foe Army West Point last weekend.
The Griffs claimed the series opener in overtime, 4-3, before posting a 3-2 victory in the series finale.
The sweep moved Canisius to 24-20-6 against Army West Point and 6-4-0 in its last 10 contests against the Black Knights at Tate Rink.
The Griffs tallied the opening goal in both games of the series, improving to 7-0-1 this season and 25-2-0 since the start of the 2016-17 season when scoring the first goal of the contest.
Sophomore Nick Hutchison scored at the 1:33 mark of overtime to secure the series opener.
Juniors Alex Jaeckle and Dylan McLaughlin and senior Jack Stander also scored for the Golden Griffins in the series opener while senior Ryan Schmelzer dished out a pair of assists.
The series finale saw sophomore Matt Hoover and Schmelzer scored 1:56 apart in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and propel the Griffs to a 3-2 victory.
Senior Mike Sabatini opened the scoring with his third of the season late in the first period.
Schmelzer recorded his third game-winning goal of the season and the 11th of his career with his power-play goal in the series finale, one shy of matching Cory Conacher '11 for first place on the program's career game-winning goals list.

Scouting Clarkson

Winners of eight straight, No. 3 Clarkson (12-3-1) completes a seven-game road swing this weekend with its visit to Western New York.
The Golden Knights' top line of Devin Brosseau, Sheldon Rempal and Nico Sturm has carried the way offensively this season, accounting for nearly one-third of Clarkson's point production.
Rempal leads the way with a team-high 19 points, recording a team-high 11 goals to go along with eight assists while Brosseau is the Knights' second-leading scorer with 15 points and shares the team lead in assists with 11.
Defense has been the name of the game for the Golden Knights as Clarkson boasts the top ranked scoring defense in the nation (1.44). The Knights have outscored their opponents 51-23 through the first 16 games, and 33-10 during the current eight-game winning streak.
Sophomore goaltender Jake KIelly has gotten off to a fantastic start in his second season between the pipes for the Knights, ranking among the top goaltenders in the country in goals against average (1.44/1st), save percentage (.947/T-2nd) and shutouts (5/1st).

Canisius-Clarkson Series Notes

Saturday's contest between Canisius and Clarkson serves as the fifth meeting involving the two Empire State foes.
All four previous meetings have taken place in Potsdam, with the Griffs holding a 1-0-3 edge as all four previous contests have gone to overtime.
The teams played to a pair of draws in their most recent series at Cheel Arena in November 2012 (3-3, 2-2).
Canisius' lone win in the series came in a 4-3 overtime triumph on Nov. 28, 2008.
The team's complete their home-and-home series Jan. 2 with a 7 p.m. contest at Cheel Arena in Potsdam.

Canisius Versus Ranked Teams

Saturday's matchup with No. 3 Clarkson is another opportunity for Canisius to make a splash on the national stage.
Canisius holds an all-time record of 7-37-4 against nationally-ranked schools since moving to the Division I ranks in 1998.
The Griffs are 1-1 this season against ranked opposition this season, splitting an Atlantic Hockey Conference series against then-No. 18 Air Force at HARBORCENTER in late October.

Up Next

Canisius closes out the first half of the regular season next weekend with a home-and-home series against longtime rival Niagara.
The Griffs and Purple Eagles open the two-game set Dec. 8 with a 7:05 p.m. contest at Dwyer Arena before wrapping the weekend the following day with a 4:35 p.m. matinee at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#44 Alex Jaeckle: D; 6' 3"; Junior

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

#12 Mike Sabatini: F; 6' 1"; Senior

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

#55 Jack Stander: D; 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

#44 Alex Jaeckle
: 6' 3"; Junior
: D

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

#12 Mike Sabatini
: 6' 1"; Senior
: F

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

#55 Jack Stander
: 6' 2"; Senior
: D

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