BUFFALO – Top-seed Canisius scored once in each period and senior Charles Williams stopped all 24 shots he faced as the Griffs recorded a 3-0 victory over No. 11 seed Niagara in game one of an Atlantic Hockey Tournament quarterfinal round series Friday at KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER.

Sophomores Jimmy Mazza and Dylan McLaughlin, and freshman Nick Hutchsion accounted for the three goals scored by Canisius (20-10-7), who extended the nation's longest active unbeaten streak to 16 games with the victory.

Williams, meanwhile, continued his storybook season between the pipes for the Blue and Gold as the First-Team All-AHC selection posted his league-leading sixth shutout of the season.

Jackson Teichreob made 36 saves in goal for the Purple Eagles (5-30-3).

Mazza opened the scoring at the 14:57 mark of the first period, putting home a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble while the Griffs were on the power play to give Canisius the lead.

The Griffs saw their margin doubled to 2-0 less than four minutes into the second period when a shot from junior David Parrottino deflected off McLaughlin and past Teichreob.

Hutchision closed out the scoring just 1:48 into the third period, forcing a turnover in the Purple Eagles zone before burying a feed from sophomore Felix Chamberland to determine the final margin.

Head Coach Dave Smith's Postgame Comments

“It was a really good win for us tonight. To get a shutout feels really good. We got off to a slow start; having been off the last 15 days. But, as the game went on, we got better. We played aggressive, disciplined Griff hockey.  

“We've got to start a new chapter. Tomorrow is a new night. It's always tough to end someone's season. We're going to have to focus on our game and play aggressive, disciplined hockey.”  

Game Notes
- Canisius picked up its fifth victory of the season against Niagara with Friday's triumph. The Griffs have now won seven straight against the Purple Eagles, dating back to the 2015-16 season.  
- Canisius improved to 5-1 all-time against Niagara in the postseason. The two teams are meeting in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament for the second consecutive campaign and the third time in the last five seasons.
- The Griffs improved to 10-2-5 at home this season and 6-0-1 in its last seven games at HARBORCENTER.
- Canisius reached the 20-win plateau for the first time under Head Coach Dave Smith with Friday's victory. The Griffs are now just one win shy of matching the school mark for wins in a season (21), set during the 1986-87 season and matched during the 2000-01 campaign.
- The Griffs improved to 17-0-2 this season when scoring three or more goals in a game.
- Canisius is now 17-0-0 when leading after 40 minutes and when scoring the first goal of the game in 2016-17.
- The Griffs were 1-for-5 on the power play. Canisius has scored with the man advantage in 14 of its last 15 contests.
- Sophomore Dylan McLaughlin tallied his team-leading 14th goal of the season with his second-period tally on Friday.
- McLaughlin also picked up an assist on Mazza's game-winning tally, giving him his 10 mutli-point performance of the season. Canisius is 10-0-0 in 2016-17 when McLaughlin records multiple points in a game.
- Sophomore Felix Chamberland finished with two assists, marking the second time this season he has recorded multiple assists in a game.
- With his shutout on Friday, senior Charles Williams moved into a tie for second place on the program's career shutout list. Williams also extended his career shutout streak
- Sophomore Cameron Heath recorded a point in the third straight contest with an assist on McLaughlin's second-period tally.  
- Sophomore Jimmy Mazza posted his second game-winning goal of the season against the Purple Eagles. He scored the deciding tally in the Griffs' 4-2 triumph over the Purple Eagles at HARBORCENTER on Feb. 15.

Up Next
- Game two of the quarterfinal series between Canisius and Niagara takes place Saturday at KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER. Puck drop is set for 8:05 p.m.
- The Canisius Ticket Office at the Koessler Center will be open from Noon – 2 p.m. tomorrow for fans who want to purchase their tickets in advance.