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Chamberland_Felix action vs AWP 2-10-18
www.tomwolf.smugmug.com
3
Winner Canisius CAN 17-15-2, 17-11-0 AHC
2
Niagara NIA 11-20-3, 10-15-3 AHC
Winner
Canisius CAN
17-15-2, 17-11-0 AHC
3
Final
2
Niagara NIA
11-20-3, 10-15-3 AHC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Canisius CAN 1 1 1 3
Niagara NIA 2 0 0 2

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Chamberland’s Late Goal Propels Hockey Past Niagara

Junior Felix Chamberland scored with 40 seconds remaining in the third period to break a 2-2 tie and lift Canisius to a 3-2 victory over Niagara in Atlantic Hockey Conference action Saturday at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, N.Y.  
 
Junior Dylan McLaughlin and sophomore Matt Stief also scored for the Golden Griffins (17-15-2, 17-11-0 AHC), who extended their winning streak to 12 straight against the Purple Eagles (11-20-3, 10-15-3 AHC).
 
In the regular-season finale for both programs, the game was deadlocked with less than a minute remaining in regulation when sophomore Matt Hoover entered the Niagara zone with the puck and was tied up by a Niagara defender, allowing Chamberland to fire the loose puck past Niagara goaltender Brian Wilson from the middle of the slot to give Canisius the lead.
 
After the ensuing faceoff, the Purple Eagles pulled their goaltender and drew a penalty with 20 seconds remaining to create a 6-on-4 situation. The Griffs kept Niagara from attempting a shot in the final seconds, however, to preserve the one-goal victory.
 
Earlier in the contest, Stief staked Canisius to a 1-0 lead just 6:11 into the contest, finishing off a Griffs rush by sliding the puck past Wilson for his first of the campaign.
 
Kris Spriggs brought Purple Eagles level on the next shift, depositing a loose puck past Canisius sophomore netminder Daniel Urbani to knot the score at 1-1.
 
Derian Ploufee put Niagara in front with 1:22 to play in the first, jamming home a rebound from just off the left post to give the Purple Eagles a 2-1 lead.
 
McLaughlin tied the game at 2-2 with 8:10 elapsed in the second period when he beat Wilson with a wrist shot to the blocker side from the top of the slot, setting up the game's dramatic finish.
 
Urbani turned aside 33 shots in goal for Canisius. Wilson stopped 34 shots between the pipes for Niagara.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"It's a great feeling (to get a bye into the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament). One of the goals we set at the beginning of the year was to finish in the top five, hopefully the top four of the regular season standings to get a bye and a home weekend in the playoffs, so our guys are excited about the playoffs will be for us.
 
"Congratulations to Mercyhurst, they went on an incredible run and got it done this weekend. The best team won the regular season. Now we get a chance to see who will be the best team in the playoffs.
 
"We need to bottle that third period and take it with us into the postseason. We talked about intensity for this weekend. That was something that we really concentrated on. I don't know if we've played a better period all year than we did in the third tonight. I know as we were watching the scores tonight, it was a question of 'how are we going to play when a championship is on the line?' I was extremely proud of how our guys were in that third period. We battled like crazy. We were tenacious on the puck. Felix (Chamberland) getting a huge goal for the team late in the third; it felt like a championship moment."  
 
Game Notes
• Canisius improved to 25-21-4 against Niagara in the Division I era of the series with Saturday's victory.
• The Griffs also moved to 9-6-3 against the Purple Eagles at Dwyer Arena as they have won in each of their last six visits to Lewiston.
• Canisius moved to 15-1-1 this season when scoring the first goal of the contest.
• The Griffs increased their record to 8-5 this season in one-goal games. Each of the last three contests for Canisius have been decided by a single goal.
• Junior Dylan McLaughlin posted his 14th multiple-point game of the season with his two-point (1g, 1a) effort on Saturday. Canisius is now 10-3-1 in games during the 2017-18 campaign when McLaughin tallies two or more points.
• McLaughlin increased his point total for the 2017-18 season to 44 on Saturday, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the program's Division I single-season points chart.
• McLaughlin also moved into sole possession of third place on Canisius' Division I list for assists in a campaign with his 29th helper of the season.
• Sophomore Matt Stief scored his first goal since finding the back of the net against Robert Morris on Oct. 21, 2016. The defenseman also recorded multiple points in a game for the fourth time in his career with his two-point effort (1g, 1a) on Saturday.
• Junior Felix Chamberland recorded his first career game-winning goal with his goal at the 19:20 mark of the third period.
• Sophomore Daniel Urbani recorded 30 or more saves for the 14th time this season as he made 33 saves on Saturday.
 
Up Next
• Canisius will be the No. 2 seed for the 2018 Atlantic Hockey Tournament, which begins next weekend with first-round action.
• The Griffs will host the second-lowest remaining seed in a best-of-three quarterfinal series March 9-11 at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.
• Start times are set for 7:35 p.m. (March 9), 8:05 p.m. (March 10) and 7:05 p.m. (March 11 – If necessary).
• Tickets for the first two games will be available on Monday, Feb. 26. They can be purchased by calling 716-888-TIXX or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.
 
 
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