Hockey Returns to Action Versus Holy Cross

Games 15-16
Date: Saturday, Dec. 28 | Sunday, Dec. 29
Times: 4:05 p.m. | 4:05 p.m.
Location: Buffalo, N.Y./KeyBank Rink at LECOM Harborcenter
Live Stats: GoGriffs.com
TV/Webcast: FloHockey.tv
Game Notes: Canisius (PDF) | Holy Cross
Tickets: Via Ticketmaster.com

The Canisius hockey teams opens the second half of the regular season this weekend with an Atlantic Hockey series against Holy Cross.

The Golden Griffins and Crusaders begin their two-game set Dec. 28 before wrapping up their series with the finale the following day. Puck drop for both contests is set for 4:05 p.m. at LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo.

Parking Information
• Parking for Canisius home hockey games can be found at the LECOM Harborcenter parking ramp and at additional public parking locations in the Canalside District.
• Parking is $3 for all games in the LECOM Harborcenter ramp. Please see the ramp attendant if there is a question about the posted cost.
• On nights when the "Permit Only" sign is displayed, Canisius hockey fans are advised to enter the LECOM Harborcenter ramp and ask the attendant for directions to the most convenient alternate site.
• Fans are also encouraged to take the subway to the LECOM Harborcenter. The final stop on the subway line is outside the LECOM Harborcenter.

Scouting Canisius
• Canisius (2-12-0, 1-7-0 AHA) starts the second half of the regular season looking to improve upon its position in the Atlantic Hockey standings as it finds itself in 11th place, four points back of 10th place Mercyhurst.
• Senior defenseman Matt Stief (2g, 8a) leads the Griffs in scoring with 10 points, nine of which have come while Canisius is on the power play.
• Senior forward Matt Hoover (2g, 7a) is one point back of Stief on the team's scoring chart with nine points. Seven on Hoover's nine points have come on Harborcenter ice this season (2g, 5a).
• Senior Nick Hutchison leads the team with five goals scored in just nine games played this season. Hutchison begins the series against Holy Cross just three goals away from becoming the sixth player in the Division I era of the program to reach the 50-goal milestone during their career.
• Nearly half of Canisius' goals this season have come in special teams situations as the Griffs have tallied 13 of their 27 goals while either on the power play or shorthanded. Canisius has struggled at 5-on-5 play, however, having been out-scored by a 41-14 margin by its opponents this season.

Canisius Swept in AHA Series at Defending Champion AIC
• Canisius closed out the first half of the regular season with a pair of losses at defending Atlantic Hockey champion AIC Dec. 6-7.
• Game one of the league series saw the Yellow Jackets score twice in the opening six minutes of the contest to take control early and cruise to a 6-0 victory.
• Senior Daniel Urbani got the start between the pipes for the Griffs in game one and finished with 32 saves.
• In the finale, Canisius jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes thanks to power-play goals from junior Austin Alger and senior Nick Hutchison, but AIC battled back to complete the sweep with a 3-2 victory in overtime.
• Alger (1g, 1a) and senior Matt Stief (2a) both tallied multiple points in the finale while sophomore Matt Ladd finished with 28 saves in goal for the Blue and Gold.

Scouting Holy Cross
• Holy Cross (3-9-4, 2-8-2 AHA) starts the second half of the season in ninth place in the league standings, two points ahead of tenth-place Mercyhurst.
• Freshman Alex Peterson (4g, 5a) and senior Neil Robinson (3g, 6a) are tied for the team's scoring lead as both players have amassed nine points in 15 games played.
• Sophomore Conner Jean serves as the team's leading goal scorer with six goals while senior Dalton Skelly is the team's top playmaker, recording seven assists.
• Freshman Matt Radomsky has seen the majority of time between the pipes for the Crusaders, posting a 3.11 goals against average and a .891 save percentage in 13 starts.

Canisius-Holy Cross Series Notes
• Holy Cross holds a 36-22-10 advantage over Canisius in a series that dates back to 1986, including a 32-20-10 edge in Division I meetings.
• Canisius has enjoyed the better of play as of late, however, posting a 10-5-1 mark against Holy Cross during the last six seasons.
• The Griffs hold an 11-14-4 mark versus the Crusaders in home matchups. The teams split their last series in Buffalo, with Holy Cross posting a 5-1 victory in the opener and Canisius responding with a 5-2 triumph in the finale of their two-game set played during the final month of the 2017-18 campaign.
• The teams split their lone regular-season series last October at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass., with the Crusaders posting a 4-2 victory in the season opener for both squads before the the Griffs rallied for 7-6 triumph in a wild back-and-forth affair in the finale.

Up Next
• Canisius rings in the New Year with a home-and-home series versus Atlantic Hockey foe RIT.
• The Griffs and Tigers open the two-game set Jan. 3 with a 7 p.m. contest at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester before completing the series the following afternoon with a 4:05 p.m. matinee at LECOM Harborcenter.
• Tickets for the series finale at Harborcenter are still available. They can be purchased by calling 716-888-TIXX or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.

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Players Mentioned

#83 Austin Alger: F; 6' 0"; Junior

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

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

#33 Matt Ladd: G; 6' 3"; Sophomore

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

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

Players Mentioned

#83 Austin Alger
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

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

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

#33 Matt Ladd
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: G

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

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