Hockey Starts Road Swing at Bentley

Games 19-20
Dates: Friday, Jan. 10 | Saturday, Jan. 11
Times: 7:05 p.m. | 7:05 p.m.
Location: Waltham, Mass./Bentley Arena
Live Stats: Friday | Saturday
TV/Webcast: FloHockey.tv
Game Notes: Canisius (PDF) | Bentley

The Canisius hockey team begins a stretch that will see it play seven of its next eight games away from home this weekend with a two-game Atlantic Hockey series at Bentley.

Start time for both games of the Jan. 10-11 series is set for 7:05 p.m. at Bentley Arena in Waltham, Mass.

Scouting Canisius
• Canisius (5-12-1, 4-7-1 AHA) takes to the road looking to extend an unbeaten streak that stands at four games after it posted a win and a tie in its home-and-home series with longtime rival RIT last weekend.
• Senior Matt Hoover leads the Griffs in scoring with 16 points on six goals and 10 assists. Hoover enters the Bentley series riding a five-game point-scoring streak that has seen him amass four goals and four assists in those contests.
• Senior Matt Stief has enjoyed a stellar final season in Blue and Gold as leads the team with 13 assists and ranks second in scoring with 15 points. Stief, who has already surpassed his career high points this season, has done most of his damage on the power play with 13 of his 15 points coming while the Griffs have had the man advantage.
• Senior Nick Hutchison ranks third on the team's scoring chart with 14 points in just 13 games, thanks in large part to his team-best nine goals. Hutchison enters the weekend needing just five more points to reach the 100-point plateau for his career.
• Freshman goaltender Jacob Barczewski has shined during Canisius' current four-game unbeaten streak, posting a 1.33 goals against average and a .951 save percentage in 225 minutes of action. For the season, Barczewski leads the Griffs in both save percentage (.922) and goals against average (2.51).
• Canisius will attempt to continue its recent success on the power play as the Griffs have capitalized on nearly 30 percent of its power-play chances during its last five contests (7-of-24). For the season, Canisius is 16-of-80 with the man advantage (.200).

Canisius Records Win, Tie in Home-and-Home Versus RIT
• Canisius extended its unbeaten streak to four games as it posted a tie and a win in its home-and-home series with longtime rival RIT last weekend.
• In the series opener against the Tigers, senior Matt Hoover scored the lone goal for the Griffs while freshman Jacob Barczewski stopped 23 shots to pace Canisius in a 1-1 tie. RIT picked up an extra point in the league standings by winning the sudden-death shootout in the third round.
• The series finale saw Hoover score with 59 seconds remaining to break a 3-3 tie and senior Nick Hutchison add an empty-net tally to lift the Griffs to a 5-3 victory. Canisius had jumped out to a 3-0 lead, only to see the Tigers counter with three goals in a 12-minute span in the third, setting the stage for Hoover's heroics.
• Sophomores Lee Lapid and Mitchell Martan, as well as senior Will Scherer, also found the back of the net in the game-two victory. Barczewski recorded 25 saves between the pipes to record his third victory of the season.

Scouting Bentley
• Bentley begins the weekend in sixth place in the league standings a 6-9-0 mark in league play and an 8-11-1 overall record. The Falcons began the week with a 4-2 setback at Hockey East foe Northeastern on Monday.
• Ottawa Senators draft pick Jakov Novak has paced the Falcons attack this season, ranking first on the squad in both goals (12) and points (20). All but three of Novak's points have come during league play (10-7-17).
• Luke Santerno serves as the team's top playmaker, with 11 of his 13 points this season coming the form of an assist. Jonathan Desbiens has also done a majority of his scoring with assists, as 10 of his 14 points have been helpers.
• The Falcons have used a trio of goaltenders this season, with Aidan Pelino seeing the majority of time between the pipes. In 11 starts this season, Pelino has posted a .883 save percentage and a 3.10 goals against average in 600 minutes of action

Canisius-Bentley Series Notes
• In a series that dates back to 1981, Canisius holds a 33-29-6 advantage over Bentley in 68 previous meetings, including a 32-28-6 mark in Division I contests.
• The Falcons have held the edge of late, entering the weekend riding a five-game winning streak against the Griffs, a stretch that halted an 11-game unbeaten streak for Canisius.
• Canisius is making its second visit to Bentley Arena this weekend. The Griffs were swept in their inaugural visit to the facility last February, suffering a 3-2 overtime setback in the opener before falling in the finale by a 6-4 margin.
• Bentley swept the season series from the Griffs last season, taking both games of their first series at Harborcenter in January (4-2; 3-1) before finishing off the sweep two weeks later at home (3-2; 6-4).

Up Next
• Canisius returns to the road next weekend for an Atlantic Hockey series at league-leading Sacred Heart.
• The Griffs and Pioneers open their two-game set Jan. 16 with a 6:05 p.m. contest at Webster Bank Arena. The finale is set for a 1 p.m. puck drop the following afternoon.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

#28 Lee Lapid: F; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#81 Mitchell Martan: F; 5' 8"; Sophomore

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

#30 Jacob Barczewski: G; 6' 1"; Freshman

#44 Will Scherer: D; 6' 0"; Senior

Players Mentioned

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

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

#28 Lee Lapid
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: F

#81 Mitchell Martan
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: F

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

#30 Jacob Barczewski
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: G

#44 Will Scherer
: 6' 0"; Senior
: D