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Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Hockey class of 2019 group photo
Dean Bogart
2
Niagara NIA 11-17-4, 10-12-4 AHA
2
Canisius CAN 10-18-4, 7-16-3 AHA
Niagara NIA
11-17-4, 10-12-4 AHA
2
Final
2
Canisius CAN
10-18-4, 7-16-3 AHA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 OT 1 F
Niagara NIA 1 1 0 0 2
Canisius CAN 0 1 1 0 2

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Hockey Rallies to Post 2-2 Tie Versus Niagara

Seniors Felix Chamberland and Dylan McLaughlin scored goals and freshman goaltender Matt Ladd recorded 40 saves to pace Canisius in a 2-2 draw against "Battle of the Bridge" rival Niagara in Atlantic Hockey Association action Friday at KeyBank Rink at Harborcenter.
 
McLaughlin tallied a shorthanded goal halfway through the second and Chamberland tied the game with a power-play marker midway through the third to rally the Golden Griffins (10-18-4, 7-16-3 AHA) from a 2-0 deficit.
 
Ladd, meanwhile, stopped the final 25 shots he faced, including a game-high 15 attempts from the Purple Eagles (11-17-4, 10-12-4 AHA) in the third, to preserve the tie.
 
Justin Kendall and Ludwig Stenlund accounted for the two Niagara tallies while Brian Wilson finished with 27 saves between the pipes for the Purple Eagles.  
 
Kendall staked Niagara to a 1-0 lead at the 5:25 mark of the contest when put a snap shot past the blocker of Ladd for his ninth of the season.
 
Stenlund doubled the Purple Eagles advantage with a power-play tally less than three minutes into the second period, putting home a slap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle.  
 
McLaughlin had an answer for the Griffs just seconds before the halfway point of the contest as he wired a wrist shot over the right shoulder of Niagara goaltender Brian Wilson from the top of the Purple Eagles zone while Canisius was shorthanded to make it a 2-1 game.
 
Chamberland brought the Griffs' level at the nine-minute mark of the third with a power-play goal, finishing off a goalmouth feed from freshman Kevin Obssuth for his fourth of the season.
 
The game would head to overtime, where the best chance for the game-winning goal during the extra session would come in the final 10 seconds of play as sophomore Austin Alger had a chance with a loose puck, but was unable to put it home from just off the left post before it was covered by Wilson.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"It was a tough game. I thought early they were a lot better than we were. We struggled in the first period. I liked how we responded from there. It was a good hockey game. It was a hard-fought game. It was physical. It felt like a playoff atmosphere. Leaving here with a 2-2 tie after heading into the third down 2-1 feels ok. We want more. We're looking for more and hopefully we get it done tomorrow.
 
"(McLaughlin's shorthanded goal) felt like it gave us a new life. We were a little off early on. Our passing wasn't sharp. Our details were not great. We were playing pretty separated. They were out-shooting us by a lot but then all of a sudden it was 2-1. It was a breath of life on the bench. We were able to play pretty well from that point on. That goal was something that Dylan has done often this season. That bad-angle shot where he can tell they're screening their goalie and he knows he can sneak one by him high. I don't think Wilson saw it at all. That's a skilled, smart play by a very skilled, smart player.
 
"The second power-play unit has been doing well lately, getting some good zone time. Felix has scored a couple of goals of late, which is great, especially in his senior year. It was a great play. We took advantage of them trying to take away the high option from us, so we went low. A really nice play by Grant Meyer to get it to Kevin Obssuth and then obviously a back-door option to Felix and right in the back of the net obviously gave our group a jolt and I thought we carried the play after that."
 
Game Notes
• Friday's contest was the just the fifth tie between Canisius and Niagara in 53 meetings between the two programs. It was also the first tie in 16 games between the two rivals, dating back to a 3-3 tie at Harborcenter on Jan. 16, 2016.
• Niagara out-shot Canisius by a 42-29 margin in the contest, highlighted by a 14-4 edge in the first period.
• The Griffs were 1-for-3 on the power play Friday while Niagara was 1-of-6 with the man advantage.
• McLaughlin's second-period goal was his first career shorthanded goal.
• The tally also moved McLaughlin into sole possession of third place on the program's Division I era chart for career goals (58), surpassing former Griff standout Kyle Gibbons (2010-14).
• The goal also moved McLaughlin within four points of matching Cory Conacher for first place on the program's Division I era list for career points (147).
• Chamberland's power-play goal was his third of the season and 13th of his career.
• Canisius honored its eight-member senior class in a ceremony prior to the start of Friday's contest.
 
Up Next
• The teams complete their home-and-home series Saturday with a 7 p.m. contest at Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, N.Y.
 
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