Hockey Wraps Up Road Swing at Air Force

Games 30-31
Canisius (9-17-3, 6-15-2 AHA) at Air Force (13-11-4, 11-8-3 AHA)
Date: Friday, Feb. 15 | Saturday, Feb. 16
Times: 9 p.m. (EST) | 7 p.m. (EST)
Location: Cadet Ice Arena | USAFA, Colo.
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
TV/Webcast: Atlantichockey.tv
Tickets: Air Force Tickets
Game Notes: Canisius (PDF) | Air Force

The Canisius hockey team closes out a four-game road swing this weekend with a visit to Atlantic Hockey rival Air Force.

The Golden Griffins and Falcons open the series at Cadet Ice Arena with a 7 p.m. (MST) opening faceoff. The teams conclude their two-game set the following day with a 5 p.m. (MST) puck drop.

Scouting Canisius
• With five games remaining on the regular-season schedule, Canisius (9-17-3, 6-15-2 AHA) makes its way to Colorado in the thick of the race for home ice in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs.
• Senior forward Dylan McLaughlin, who leads the team in goals (16), assists (17) and points (33) looks to continue his assentation within the Canisius record book as he begins the weekend just seven points back of Division I era career scoring leader Cory Conacher (147). McLaughlin also ranks among the top five players in program history in career goals (55) and assists (85).
• Sophomore forward Austin Alger has been on an offensive tear in recent games, recording 10 points (3g, 7a) in the Griffs' last seven contests. For the season, Alger ranks second on the squad in both goals (11) and points (24).
• Junior Matt Hoover has also been piling up points of late, tallying four goals and five assists in the past seven games. Hoover currently sits fourth on the team's scoring chart with 18 points on nine goals and nine assists.
• Three has been a critical number as it relates to goals allowed by the Griffs this season as Canisius is 6-1-2 when holding its opponent to two goals or fewer, but just 3-16-1 when an opponent puts three or more on the scoreboard.
• Canisius will look to build off its power play success last weekend as it was 2-for-7 with the man advantage in its series against Bentley. For the season, the Griffs are converting on 18.8 percent of their power-play opportunities (25-of-133).

Canisius Swept by Surging Bentley Last Weekend
• Canisius opened its four-game road swing last weekend with a pair of close losses at red-hot Bentley.
• Making its first visit to the brand-new Bentley Arena, the Griffs suffered a 3-2 overtime setback in the opener before seeing their comeback bid come up short in a 6-4 defeat that allowed the Falcons to extend the nation's longest active unbeaten streak to 11 games.
• In the opener, Jonathan Desbiens scored with 90 seconds remaining in the extra session to give Bentley the victory in a back-and-forth affair that saw both teams lead during the third period.
• Sophomore Austin Alger recorded a goal and an assist while junior Matt Hoover authored the other Canisius tally in the series opener. Freshman Matt Ladd stopped 26 shots between the pipes for the Griffs.
• The finale saw Bentley score three times early in the second to build a 5-1 cushion, only to have Canisius tally three unanswered goals to pull within one in the third. The Falcons added a power-play marker in the final two minutes to determine the two-goal margin.
• Alger, fellow sophomore Matt Long and freshmen David Baskerville and J.D. Pogue accounted for the four goals scored by Canisius.

Scouting Air Force
• Currently tied with RIT for third place in the league standings, Air Force (13-11-4, 11-8-3 AHA) heads into the weekend series against Canisius looking to bounce back after being swept by second-place Bentley on the road two weekends ago.
• Matt Koch highlights a balanced Falcons attack as he paces the squad in both assists (20) and points (22).
• Evan Feno is second on the squad in both points (21) and goals (10). Feno is one of three Air Force players with double-digit goals this season as he sits one behind team leaders Kyle Haak and Kieran Durgan.
• Billy Christopoulos has seen the majority of time between the pipes for the Falcons, posting league-highs in both goals against average (2.22) and save percentage (.918) in 24 starts.
Canisius-Air Force Series Notes
• Air Force holds a 22-14-9 edge over Canisius in 45 previous meetings between the two programs, all of which have come since the Falcons joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006-07.
• The teams split their first series back in October at Harborcenter. Air Force took the opener by a 7-3 margin while Canisius got revenge with a 2-0 triumph in the finale as junior netminder Blake Weyrick stopped all 34 shots he faced from the Falcons.
• Canisius holds an 8-11-5 record in its 24 previous contests at Cadet Ice Center. The Griffs were swept in their most recent visit, suffering 7-4 and 3-2 setbacks to the Falcons last February at the 2,500-seat facility.

Up Next
• Canisius completes its season slate against longtime rival Niagara with a home-and-home series Feb. 22-23.
• The Griffs host the Purple Eagles in a 7:35 p.m. puck drop at KeyBank Rink at Harborcenter before the series heads to Dwyer Arena the following night in a 7 p.m. start
• The Feb. 22 contest will serve as the program's senior day, with the team honoring its seven
senior student-athletes in a pregame ceremony.
• Tickets for the game are still available. They can be purchased by calling 716-888-TIXX or by visiting the tickets page on GoGriffs.com.

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Players Mentioned

#20 David Baskerville: F; 5' 11"; Freshman

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

#25 Matt Long: F; 5' 11"; Sophomore

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

#85 Blake Weyrick: G; 6' 3"; Junior

#12 J.D. Pogue: F; 6' 0"; Freshman

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

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

Players Mentioned

#20 David Baskerville
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: F

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

#25 Matt Long
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: F

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

#85 Blake Weyrick
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G

#12 J.D. Pogue
: 6' 0"; Freshman
: F

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

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