Hockey to Face AIC in AHC Quarterfinals

No. 2 Canisius (17-15-2, 17-11-0 AHC) vs. No. 8 AIC (14-18-4, 11-13-4 AHC)
Date: Friday, March 9 | Saturday, March 10 | Sunday, March 11 (if necessary)
Times: 7:35 p.m. | 8:05 p.m. | 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Location:  Buffalo, N.Y. /KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER
TV/Webcast: AtlanticHockey.tv
Live Stats: www.GoGriffs.com
Tickets: Ticketmaster.com
Game Notes: Canisius | AIC
DI Series History: Canisius leads, 37-15-7

Second-seeded Canisius begins postseason play this weekend when it hosts No. 8 American International in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Atlantic Hockey Conference Tournament at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.

The best-of-three series gets underway Friday with a 7:35 p.m. contest and continues Saturday with an 8:05 p.m. matchup. If necessary, a winner-take-all game three is slated for Sunday at 7:05 p.m.

Scouting Canisius
• The Golden Griffins earned a bye into the quarterfinal round of the AHC Tournament for the second consecutive season as they finished league play with a record of 17-11-0, two points behind first-place Mercyhurst (16-8-4).
• All-AHC First-Team selection Dylan McLaughlin looks to build upon an outstanding 2017-18 regular season that saw him rank among the top 10 players nationally in assists (0.88) and points (1.33) per game.
• Senior Ryan Schmelzer garnered All-AHC Third Team honors after placing second on the squad in both assists (16) and points (29).
• Sophomore Nick Hutchison leads the team in goals (16) and ranks third in points (27). Hutchison leads the team in both power-play (6) and game-winning goals (5).
• Junior Cameron Heath was an All-AHC First Team selection as the junior led Canisius defensemen in goals (6), assists (13) and points (19). Heath also ranked third on the team in plus/minus rating of +9.
• Sophomore Daniel Urbani has been the man in goal for the Griffs this season, starting 29 of 34 games played during the regular season. Urbani posted a .912 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average in 1679 minutes of action thus far.
• Canisius has thrived with the power play this season as the Griffs are 31-of-142 (21.8) with the man advantage in 2017-18. Canisius has recorded at least one power-play goal in 22-of-34 games played this season.
• The Griffs have been one of the more prolific offensive teams in the nation this season as they have averaged 3.09 goals per game in 2017-18. Canisius, who ranks 19th in the nation in scoring offense, has recorded multiple goals in all but seven of its 34 games played this season.

Canisius Sweeps Niagara to Close out Regular Season Slate
• The Griffs completed their regular-season slate with a sweep of their home-and-home series with longtime rival Niagara Feb. 23-24.
• Canisius claimed the series opener with a 2-1 victory at HARBORCENTER before scoring in the final minute of regulation to post a 3-2 triumph in the finale.
• The sweep extended the Griffs' winning streak versus the Purple Eagles to 12 straight, dating back to the end of the 2015-16 campaign.
• The wins moved Canisius to 32-3-1 since the start of the 2016-17 season when scoring the first goal of the contest.
• Sophomore Matt Hoover scored both goals in the series-opening victory while freshman Grant Meyer assisted on both tallies.
• In the finale at Dwyer Arena, junior Felix Chamberland netted the game-winning goal with 40 seconds to play in regulation. It was the first game-winning goal of his career.
• Junior Dylan McLaughlin and sophomore Matt Stief also scored for Canisius, with both players finishing with a goal and an assist.
•The two-goal effort in the opener by Hoover was the fourth multiple-goal effort of his career and the third since the start of February.
• McLaughlin increased his point total for the 2017-18 season to 44 with his two points in the series finale, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the program's Division I single-season points chart.
•  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) in the series finale.

Scouting AIC
• The No. 8 seed Yellow Jackets (14-18-4, 11-13-4 AHC) advanced to the quarterfinals with a sweep of No. 9 seed Niagara in first-round action last weekend at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. AIC took the opener by a 4-1 margin before completing the sweep with a 4-3 victory in double overtime in game two.
• Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team selection Brennan Kapcheck highlights the Yellow Jackets attack, leading the team in both points (25) and assists (18) from his blueline position.
• Sophomore forward Blake Christensen has been the team's top goal-scorer this season, finding the back of the net 12 times this season to go along with 10 assists as he ranks second on the squad with 22 points.
• Freshman Stefano Durante has been the man between the pipes for second-year head coach Eric Lang as the AHC All-Rookie Team pick has fashioned a .917 save percentage and a 2.15 goals against average in 25 appearances this season.

Canisius-AIC Series Notes
• In a series that dates back to the 1992 season, the Griffs hold a 37-16-7 all-time record against the Yellow Jackets, including a 37-15-7 edge in Division I meetings.
• Canisius has more victories against AIC than any other school at the Division I level.
• The Griffs have especially dominated the series as of late as Canisius is 20-3-5 in its last 28 games against AIC, dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season.
• The teams split their lone regular-season series at HARBORCENTER in mid-January. AIC claimed the opener by a 3-0 margin before Canisius responded with a 6-1 victory in the finale.
• Canisius is 7-1-4 in its last 10 home contests against AIC. The Griffs last loss to the Yellow Jackets on home ice prior to the shutout loss in January came in a 2-1 setback in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Conference Tournament on March 3, 2007, the only postseason matchup between the programs prior to this weekend's quarterfinal series.

Canisius Postseason History
• The Griffs are in their 20th season competing at the Division I level, having compiled a 26-26 postseason mark during that span, including a 23-20 record in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament.
• Since 2013, Canisius is 17-7 in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. The Griffs have advanced to the final four in four of the past five seasons, winning the program's first title in 2013 and finishing as runner-up in 2014.
• Last season, Canisius was the No. 1 seed for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. The Griffs swept No. 11 seed Niagara in their quarterfinal round series, 3-0 and 2-1, before falling to No. 4 seed Robert Morris in the semifinals, 6-2.

Up Next
• The winner of the weekend series advances to the tournament semifinals, scheduled for March 16 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.

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Players Mentioned

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

#53 Cameron Heath: D; 6' 1"; Junior

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

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

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

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

#24 Matt Stief: D; 5' 9"; Sophomore

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

#15 Grant Meyer: F; 5' 8"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

#53 Cameron Heath
: 6' 1"; Junior
: D

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

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

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

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

#24 Matt Stief
: 5' 9"; Sophomore
: D

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

#15 Grant Meyer
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: F