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McLaughlin_Dylan action vs RIT 1-19-18
Marshall Haim
5
Winner Canisius CAN 12-9-2, 12-5-0 AHA
4
RIT RIT 8-12-2, 7-8-1 AHA
Winner
Canisius CAN
12-9-2, 12-5-0 AHA
5
Final
4
RIT RIT
8-12-2, 7-8-1 AHA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 OT 1 F
Canisius CAN 2 0 2 1 5
RIT RIT 1 0 3 0 4

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Top Line Propels Hockey to 5-4 Victory at RIT

Senior Ryan Schmelzer scored 22 seconds into overtime to lift Canisius to a 5-4 victory over RIT In Atlantic Hockey Conference action Friday at the Gene Polisseni Center.
 
The top line of Schmelzer, junior Dylan McLaughlin and senior Jeff Murray combined for four goals and six assists to power the Golden Griffins (12-9-2, 12-5-0 AHC) to the overtime victory.

Mark Logan, Erik Brown, Shawn Cameron and Adam Brubacher accounted for the four goals for the host Tigers (8-12-2, 7-8-1 AHC).
 
Schmelzer's overtime winner capped a back-and-forth contest that saw the Tigers tie the game twice in the third period to force overtime.
 
Trailing 3-1 after senior Nolan Sheeran scored his first goal of the season at the 8:02 mark of third period to give the Griffs a two-goal cushion, RIT responded by scoring twice in a 17-second span to tie the game at 3-3.
 
Brown made it a one-goal contest just 22 seconds after Sheeran's tally, deflecting a point shot past Canisius keeper Daniel Urbani from the middle of the slot for his team-leading 14th goal of the campaign.
 
Cameron brought the Tigers level on the next shift, roofing a loose puck from just above the goal line for his second of the season.
 
The Griffs regained the lead less than five minutes later when Murray one-timed a feed from McLaughlin past Tigers goaltender Ian Andriano to make it a 4-3 contest.
 
RIT was able to force overtime with less than three minutes remaining in regulation as a wrist shot from Brubacher at the top of the point found its way through traffic and into the cage to tie the game at 4-4.
 
Schmelzer ended the game on the first shift of the overtime session, jamming home a goalmouth feed from McLaughlin for his fourth game-winning goal of the season.
 
Earlier in the contest, McLaughlin opened the scoring at the 7:17 mark of the first, getting behind the RIT defense before beating Andriano from close range to give Canisius an early 1-0 advantage.
 
Logan tied the game at 1-1 a little less than four minutes later, redirecting Jordan Peacock's centering feed past Urbani for his second of the campaign.
 
McLaughlin restored Canisius' lead with a little less than five minutes remaining in the opening period with a power-play tally, sliding the puck past Andriano on the break to make it a 2-1 contest.
 
Following a scoreless second, Sheeran gave the Griffs a two-goal cushion at the 8:02 mark of the third period, beating Andriano with a wrist shot from the slot, setting up the game's frantic finish.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"It was definitely a high-energy game. That game required everything we had. The comeback by RIT after we went up 3-1; they just attacked after our third goal and got two quick ones to tie it  and then it was a little bit of back and forth from there. It made it a really exciting hockey game to watch during the third period and overtime.
 
"The message after they tied the game both times in the third period was to keep doing what we were doing. They were doing the same things they had done the entire game prior to tying it up. They put a lot of pressure on you to pass the puck out of your own end. They were able to force some turnovers and generate some quick transition opportunities in the third. They also got some extended offensive zone time that got us tired. We were playing well. When a team battles back to tie a game like that, it really requires you to stay calm and just get back to what you've been doing all night."
 
Game Notes
• Canisius improved to 15-21-1 against RIT in the Division I history of the series with Friday's victory. The win was also the Griffs' fifth straight against the Tigers, their longest winning streak in series history.
• The Griffs improved to 2-2-1 in overtime contests this season. Both overtime victories have come on the road this season (at Army West Point on Nov. 24)   
• Canisius moved to 27-2-0 since the start of the 2016-17 season and 10-0-1 in 2017-18 when scoring the first goal of the contest.
• The Griffs tallied four or more goals in a game for the 10th time this season and improved to 9-0-1 when doing so.
• Senior Ryan Schmelzer became the 11th player in the Division I era of the program to reach the 100-point plateau for his career with an assist during the first period of Friday's contest.
Schmelzer also tallied his fourth game-winning goal of the season and the 12th game-winning goal of his career, matching former Griff Cory Conacher '11 for first place on the program's Division I game-winning goals chart.
Junior Dylan McLaughlin matched his career high with four points on Friday (2g, 2a). McLaughlin tallied multiple points in a game for the 10th time this season, with Canisius improving to 7-2-1 when he does.
Senior Jeff Murray matched his career high with three points on Friday (1g, 2a). Murray has recorded multiple points on five occasions this season.
Sophomore goaltender Daniel Urbani posted his first career point with an assist on Murray's goal during the third period.
 
Up Next
The teams complete their two-game series Saturday with a 7 p.m. contest at the Gene Polisseni Center. 
 
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