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Canisius University Athletics

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Schmelzer_Ryan action vs Sacred Heart 11-4-17
John McCeary
2
Canisius CAN 13-11-2, 13-7
3
Winner Bentley BEN 8-13-6, 5-11-5
Canisius CAN
13-11-2, 13-7
2
Final
3
Bentley BEN
8-13-6, 5-11-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Canisius CAN 0 0 2 2
Bentley BEN 1 2 0 3

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Hockey’s Comeback Falls Short at Bentley

Senior Ryan Schmelzer scored twice in the final 10 minutes of the third period to pull Canisius within one, but Bentley held on for a 3-2 victory in Atlantic Hockey Conference action Saturday at the John A. Ryan Arena.
 
Matt Sieckhaus, Luke Santerno and Kyle Schmidt scored in the opening 24:26 of the contest to stake the Falcons (8-13-6, 5-11-5 AHC) to a 3-0 lead before Schmelzer found the back of the net twice in the final frame to give the Golden Griffins (13-11-2, 13-7-0 AHC) a chance.
 
Sieckhaus opened the scoring a little more than seven minutes into the first period when he fired a slap shot off the glove of Canisius sophomore goaltender Daniel Urbani and into the cage from the top of the slot for his second of the series.
 
Santerno doubled the Bentley advantage just 28 seconds into the second period, tapping home a backpost feed from Drew Callin to make it a 2-0 contest.
 
Schmidt increased the Falcons cushion to 3-0 a little less than four minutes later with a power-play tally, placing a wrist shot inside the left post from the middle of the slot for his eighth of the season.
 
The score remained 3-0 in favor of the home team until the 10:05 mark of the third period, when a shot from junior Alex Jaeckle deflected off Schmelzer and into the net while the Griffs were on the power play to trim the Canisius deficit to 3-1.
 
Schmelzer bought the Griffs within one with 1:07 remaining in regulation, notching his second of the period by depositing a feed from junior Felix Chamberland into the back of the Bentley net while Canisius was skating with an extra attacker to make it a 3-2 game.
 
That would as close as the Griffs would get, however, as the Falcons held on for the one-goal victory.  
 
Urbani finished with 27 saves for Canisius. Pelino turned aside 23 shots between the pipes for the Falcons.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"Those were two really similar games this weekend. It was tough-sledding out there again today. Bentley's compete level was high yesterday and I felt that it was equally as high today. For the first two periods, although our guys got out-worked, it was not as though we were not competing. They got the first goal and that certainly made a difference in how both teams were feeling. We had a good push in the third period and maybe with a little more time we would have able to tie it up, but the harder-working team won tonight.
 
"There's a lot of belief on our team. If you watch us play there are guys such as (Matt) Hoover, (Ryan) Schmelzer, (Dylan) McLaughlin and (Nick) Hutchison that drive our team. It's actually pretty easy to play when you're down 3-0 because there's really no choice. You know the opponent might be a little more relaxed and you have no choice but to push. I wish the deficit was not 3-0, but in those moments, we know we're going to get the ultimate effort from our guys."
 
Game Notes
• Canisius saw its 11-game unbeaten streak against Bentley come to a close as the Falcons picked up their first victory against the Griffs since March 14, 2014.
• The Griffs moved to 6-3 in one-goal games this season as three of their last four contests have been decided by a single goal.
• Senior Ryan Schmelzer tallied two goals in a game for the second time this season and the third time in his career. Both of his multiple-goal efforts this season have come against the Falcons (Nov. 18)
• Junior Dylan McLaughlin recorded two assists Saturday, giving him 97 career points. McLaughlin has recorded 61 assists during his career, moving him within one of matching former teammate Ralph Cuddemi (2012-16) for 10th place on the program's Division I era assists chart.
 
Up Next
• Canisius returns to home to host Holy Cross for a two-game league series Feb. 2-3 at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.
• Friday's contest is slated for a 7:35 p.m. puck drop while Saturday's finale is scheduled for a 4:35 p.m. start.
• Tickets for both games can purchased by calling 716-888-TIXX or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.
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