Hockey Heads West to Face Air Force

Games 31-32
Canisius (15-13-2, 15-9-0 AHC) at Air Force (15-13-4, 10-11-3 AHC)
Date: Friday, Feb. 16 | Saturday, Feb. 17
Time: 7:05 p.m. MST | 5:05 p.m. MST
Location: Cadet Ice Arena/United States Air Force Academy, Colo.
TV/Webcast: Stadium TV (Feb. 16) | Atlantichockey.tv (Feb. 17)
Live Stats: Friday | Saturday
Tickets: GoAirForceFalcons.com
Game Notes: Canisius | Air Force
DI Series History: Air Force leads, 18-13-9

Canisius heads out west this weekend for a two-game series at Atlantic Hockey Conference rival Air Force.

The series opener is set for a 7:05 MST puck drop while the finale is slated for a 5:05 MST opening faceoff. Friday's contest will be shown live on Stadium TV.

Scouting Canisius
• With four games remaining on its regular season schedule, Canisius (15-13-2, 15-9-0 AHC) holds a two-point lead over Holy Cross and Mercyhurst for first place in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
• Junior Dylan McLaughlin continues to pace the Canisius attack, leading the team in goals (14), assists (25) and points (39). McLaughlin begins the week ranked in the top 10 nationally in points (1.34/9th) and assists (0.86/3rd) per game.
• Senior Ryan Schmelzer is second on the team in goals (13), assists (16) and points (29). Schmelzer enters the weekend seventh in the nation in faceoffs won (368).
• Sophomore Nick Hutchison is tied for second in goals (13) and third in points (23). Hutchison is tied for the national lead with five game-winning goals in 2017-18.
• Sophomore Daniel Urbani has seen the majority of time between the pipes for the Griffs this season. He has compiled a .911 goals against average and a .289 goals against average in 25 starts.
• Canisius ranks second in Atlantic Hockey in scoring offense, averaging 3.13 goals per game. The Griffs have tallied multiple goals on 20 occasions this season, including 12 outings with four or more goals.
• Canisius has been able to capitalize during special-teams opportunities this season as it ranks 15th in the nation in power play percentage (.217) and fourth in shorthanded goals (6).

Canisius Completes Homestand with Split Versus Army
• Canisius wrapped up a four-game homestand last weekend with a split of its series against Atlantic Hockey Conference foe Army at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.
• The Griffs posted a 4-1 victory in the opener before the Black Knights rebounded to take the finale by a 3-2 margin.
• In the opener, sophomore Matt Hoover recorded two power-play goals while junior Ian Edmondson and freshman Matt Long pitched in shorthanded tallies to guide the Griffs to victory.
• Long and junior Felix Chamberland found the back of the net for Canisius in the finale, but the Griffs were unable to overcome an early 2-0 deficit in suffering the one-goal setback.
• The shorthanded tallies by Edmondson and Long in the opener marked the first time since a 6-4 victory at Army on Oct. 17, 2014, that Canisius tallied two shorthanded goals in a game.
• The goal by Edmondson was his first since finding the back of the net against Holy Cross on Oct. 24, 2015.
• Hoover recorded multiple goals for the second straight contest and third time in his career with his two-goal performance in the series opener.
• Long extended his goal-scoring streak to three games with goals in each game of the series.
• Chamberland recorded his fourth goal of the season with his second-period tally in game two.

Scouting Air Force
• With two weekends remaining in the regular season, Air Force (15-13-4, 10-11-3) finds itself tied with Niagara for seventh place in the league standings with 23 points. The Falcons have two games in hand over the idle Purple Eagles.
• Senior Erik Baskin leads Air Force in goals (12) and is tied for the team lead in points (19) to pace a balanced Falcons attack that features 10 players with double-digit points.
• Junior Evan Giesler is tied with Baskin for the team lead in points as he is tied for second in assists (10) and third in goals (9).
• Junior Billy Christopoulos has seen the majority of time between the pipes for the Falcons, posting a 2.28 goals against average and a .915 save percentage in 32 starts.

Canisius-Air Force Series Notes
• Air Force holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 18-13-9. All 40 previous meetings have come since the Falcons joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006-07.
• Canisius holds an 8-9-5 record in road contests against Air Force. The Griffs took three-of-four points from the Falcons in their most recent visit to the Cadet Ice Arena, claiming a 4-1 victory in the series opener before playing to a 2-2 draw in the second contest last January.
• The teams split their first series at the HARBORCENTER in late October. Air Force recorded a 3-1 victory in game one while Canisius rebounded to earn a 3-2 victory in game two on a shorthanded goal in the third period from junior Jimmy Mazza.

Up Next
• Canisius closes out the regular season with a home-and-home series against longtime rival Niagara Feb. 23-24.
• The Griffs host the series opener at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER in a 7:35 p.m. puck drop on Feb. 23 before the two teams play the series finale the following night in a 7 p.m. matchup at Dwyer Arena.
• Canisius will honor its senior class in a ceremony prior to the start of Friday's contest.

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Players Mentioned

#74 Felix Chamberland: F; 5' 11"; Junior

#8 Ian Edmondson: D; 6' 1"; Junior

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

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

#77 Jimmy Mazza: D; 6' 2"; Junior

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

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

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

#25 Matt Long: F; 5' 11"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#74 Felix Chamberland
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

#8 Ian Edmondson
: 6' 1"; Junior
: D

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

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

#77 Jimmy Mazza
: 6' 2"; Junior
: D

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

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

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

#25 Matt Long
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: F