Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Matt Long action vs Niagara 11-15-18
www.tomwolf.smugmug.com
2
Canisius CAN 0-3-0
7
Winner Rensselaer RPI 2-2-0
Canisius CAN
0-3-0
2
Final
7
Rensselaer RPI
2-2-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Canisius CAN 1 0 1 2
Rensselaer RPI 2 3 2 7

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

RPI Beats Hockey in Inaugural Meeting

Todd Burgess and Jake Marrello tallied two goals each to pace Rensselaer in a 7-2 victory over Canisius in collegiate men's ice hockey action Saturday at the Houston Field House in Troy, N.Y.
 
Patrick Polino notched a goal and three assists while Brady Ferner and Ottoville Leppanen chipped in a goal and an assist for the Engineers (2-2-0). Juniors Matt Long and Austin Alger accounted for the two goals for the Golden Griffins (0-3-0).
 
For the second straight contest, Canisius jumped out to an early lead as Long opened the scoring just 5:12 into the contest when he finished off an odd-man rush with a shot from the bottom of the right face-off circle.
 
RPI tied the game less than four minutes later as Brady Ferner put home a rebound in the dying seconds of an Engineer power play to knot the score at 1-1.
 
Burgess put RPI in front at the 14:03 mark of the opening frame, getting behind the Canisius defense before finishing off the breakaway by sliding the puck past Griffs goaltender Matt Ladd and inside the left post.
 
The Engineers carried the momentum into the second, adding three goals in the middle frame to build a 5-1 cushion after 40 minutes.
 
Polino made it a 3-1 game at the seven-minute mark of the second by stuffing home a goalmouth feed in the final seconds of a 5-on-3 opportunity.
 
RPI increased its margin with 14:23 gone in the second as Marrello buried a Polino pass under the crossbar from the middle of the slot after the Engineers forced a turnover deep in the Canisius zone.
 
Leppanen finished off the second-period salvo for the Enginers with 2:02 remaining in the frame, making it a 5-1 game, using a turnover to get behind the Griffs defense before putting the puck between the legs of Ladd.  
 
Alger trimmed the Canisius defict to 5-2 just before the midway point of the third, putting home senior Matt Hoover's feed from just off the right post during 4-on-4 play.
 
Burgess closed out the scoring with a power-play goal at the 12:53 mark of the third, entering the Canisius zone before firing a wrist shot over the blocker of Griffs netminder Jacob Barczewski.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"RPI was able to take advantage of almost every opportunity they had tonight while we were unable to capitalize on our chances. We need to be better on the power play, especially early in the second period so that we don't fall behind 3-1. It's a closer game and we can fight it out in the third period if we get one there. We're relying upon our goaltenders and our penalty kill too much right now. Our special teams are not where they need to be. We can target that as an area that needs improvement moving forward.
 
"We have to get better. Whether you win the first three games or lose them, you have to get better. We know that playing non-conference games are tough and we know that playing non-conference games on the road are especially difficult. It's something that will hopefully propel us to be really hungry for growth and really obsessed with improving. That's everyone: our staff, our players; everyone in our locker room so that we can look each other in the eye and say we've got to get better. We've got to grab the positives, we need to push those forward. We need to say out of the penalty box and attack some things in the strategy of how we want to play. We need individual players to be stronger and work harder. We need to bottle up the good and evaluate and attack the poor."   
 
Game Notes
• Saturday's game served as the first contest between Canisius and RPI.
• RPI out-shot Canisius by a 33-30 margin for the contest, highlighted by a 17-9 margin in the third period.
• The Engineers were 3-for-5 on the power play while the Griffs were 0-for-5 with the man advantage.
• Junior defenseman Blake Wareham picked up his first collegiate point with the secondary assist on Long's first-period tally.
• Alger found the back of the net for the second straight contest with his third-period tally.
 
Up Next
• Canisius hosts the United States National Team Development Program U-18 squad in an exhibition contest Oct. 27 at the LECOM Harborcenter.
• Opening face-off is set for 3:05 p.m.
• Tickets are available by calling the Canisius ticket office at 716-888-TIXX or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.
 
Follow the Griffs
• For complete coverage of Canisius hockey, please follow the Griffs on social media at @GriffsHockey (Twitter, Facebook & Instagram).
Print Friendly Version