Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Hoover_Matt action vs Niagara 2-23-18
www.tomwolf.smugmug.com
1
Niagara NIA 11-19-3, 10-14-3 AHC
2
Winner Canisius CAN 16-15-2, 16-11-0 AHC
Niagara NIA
11-19-3, 10-14-3 AHC
1
Final
2
Canisius CAN
16-15-2, 16-11-0 AHC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Niagara NIA 1 0 0 1
Canisius CAN 1 1 0 2

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Hoover Helps Hockey Past Purple Eagles, 2-1

Sophomore Matt Hoover scored both goals to lead Canisius to a 2-1 victory over rival Niagara In Atlantic Hockey Conference action Friday at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.
 
Hoover recorded his 10th and 11th goals of the campaign to power the Golden Griffins (16-15-2, 16-11-0 AHC) to their 11th straight victory against the Purple Eagles (11-19-3, 10-14-3 AHC).

The win also clinched Canisius at least a second-place finish in the league standings and home ice in the quarterfinal round of the AHC Tournament as it heads into the final night of the regular season two points back of first-place Mercyhurst.
 
Hoover gave the Griffs a 1-0 lead just after the seven-minute mark of the first period when he got behind the Niagara defense and placed the puck over the right shoulder of Niagara goaltender Brian Wilson.
 
Kendall brought Niagara level with 4:01 remaining in the opening stanza, burying a rebound from the middle of the slot to make it a 1-1 contest.
 
Hoover restored the Griffs' lead just past the midway point of the second when he beat Wilson to the blocker side from the bottom of the left faceoff circle.
 
That would be all the support that Canisius sophomore goaltender Daniel Urbani would need as he stopped 18-of-19 shots faced to preserve the one-goal victory. Wilson finished with 16 saves between the pipes for Niagara.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"That was a gritty effort by us tonight. What I was asking from the guys was intensity in all areas. I thought we did a great job of that. It was a playoff-type atmosphere here in a 2-1 game, so obviously, I was very happy with the results, but I was more excited about the effort.
 
"Matt (Hoover's) production of late has been great. It seems as though he's on the scoresheet every night. He's an ultra-competitive player, who in his mind, will not be denied by any opponent. That mentality has helped his consistency and now he's scoring in bunches. For our team, his demeanor is contagious."
 
Game Notes
• Canisius increased its lead in the Division I era of the series against Niagara to 24-21-4 with Friday's victory.
• The Griffs improved to 14-1-1 this season when scoring the first goal of the game and 11-0-0 in 2017-18 when leading after 40 minutes.
• Canisius improved its record to 7-5 this season in one-goal games with Friday's victory as the victory snapped a three-game losing skid in one-goal games for the Griffs.
• The 19 shots by Niagara were a season-low for a Canisius opponent, eclipsing the previous mark of 20 set by Bentley on Nov. 17.
• Sophomore Matt Hoover recorded multiple goals in a game for the third time this season with his two-goal effort on Friday. All three performances have come in the Griffs' last six games.
• Freshman Grant Meyer posted his fourth multiple-point performance as he tallied an assist on both of Hoover's goals on Friday.
• Sophomore Nick Hutchison extended his point-scoring streak to four games with an assist on Hoover's second-period tally.
 
Up Next
The two teams complete their home-and-home series Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. contest at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston.
 
Print Friendly Version