Hockey Hosts First-Place AIC at Harborcenter

Games 29-30
Date: Friday, Feb. 14 | Saturday, Feb. 15
Times: 7:35 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) | AIC
Tickets: Via Ticketmaster.com

The Canisius hockey team continues its five-game homestand this weekend as it entertains league-leading AIC in an Atlantic Hockey series at LECOM Harborcenter.

The Golden Griffins and Yellow Jackets open their two-game series on Valentine's Day with a 7:35 p.m. contest before the teams conclude their set the following day with a 4:35 p.m. matinee.

Saturday's contest will serve as Senior Day, with the program honoring its seven senior student-athletes in a ceremony prior to the start of the contest.

Scouting Canisius
• Canisius (8-15-5, 7-10-5-3 AHA) begins the weekend in a tie with Holy Cross for ninth place in the league standings, just six points back of Bentley for the fifth and final first-round bye in the upcoming Atlantic Hockey Championship.
• Senior Matt Hoover continues to pace the Canisius attack with 27 points on 12 goals and 15 assists. Hoover has been consistent since the team's return to action from Christmas break, recording points in 11 of 14 games played (10g, 8a).
• Fellow senior Nick Hutchison leads the Griffs in goals scored with 15 and ranks second in points with 25. Hutchison recently moved into the top 10 on the program's Division I era chart for career points (106).
• Senior defenseman Matt Stief is third on the team's scoring chart with 23 points, highlighted by a team-best 20 assists. Stief's 23 points rank him second in Atlantic Hockey and 11th nationally for points by a defenseman this season.
• Freshman Jacob Barczewski has started the last 13 games in goal for Canisius, posting a .906 save percentage and 2.79 goals against average in that span. Last weekend, Barczewski posted his first career shutout in a 1-0 victory over Air Force at Harborcenter.
• Canisius has been one of the highest-scoring teams in the country over the last six weeks as it is tied with Harvard for fourth in the nation with 46 goals scored since returning to action after the holiday break. The Griffs have tallied three or more goals in all but two of their 14 games played in that timeframe, games that saw earn a tie (Jan. 3 at RIT) and a win (Feb. 8 vs. Air Force).

Canisius Takes 4-of-6 Points Versus Air Force to Open Homestand
• Canisius opened its five-game homestand last weekend by posting a tie and a win in its Atlantic Hockey series versus visiting Air Force.
• Game one of the series saw the Falcons build a 2-0 advantage early in the first before Canisius scored three unanswered goals to take the lead. Air Force tied the game and forced overtime, where they scored in the second round of the shootout to earn the extra point.
• Senior Matt Stief tallied a goal and an assist while fellow seniors Nick Hutchison and Matt Hoover accounted for the other two Canisius goals.
• In the finale, sophomore Lee Lapid scored the game's lone goal midway through the first and freshman goaltender Jacob Barczewski stopped all 23 shots he faced to give the Griffs a 1-0 victory.
• The game was the first 1-0 win for Canisius since the 2016-17 campaign, when it posted a 1-0 triumph versus Atlantic Hockey foe RIT on Nov. 4, 2016.

Scouting AIC
• Defending Atlantic Hockey regular season and tournament champion AIC (16-11-1, 16-5-1 AHA) sits atop the league standings after defeating Sacred Heart, 6-2, in a first-place showdown Tuesday to extend their winning streak to a nation's best seven games.
• Senior Blake Christensen's 23 points (9g, 14a) paces a balanced Yellow Jackets attack that features 12 players with double-digit points for the season.
• Fellow senior Martin Mellburg is second on the squad in scoring with 21 points (8g, 13a) while junior defenseman Brennan Kapcheck sits one point back of Mellburg in third (20a).
• Junior Stefano Durante has started the last nine games between the pipes for AIC, posting a .914 save percentage and a 2.52 goals against average in that span.

Canisius-AIC Series Notes
• In a series that dates back to the 1992 season, the Griffs hold a 40-20-7 all-time record against the Yellow Jackets, including a 40-19-7 edge in Division I meetings.
• Canisius' 40 victories against AIC are the most by the Griffs against any school at the Division I level.
• The Griffs have dominated the series over the last decade, with Canisius boasting a 23-7-5 record in its last 35 games against AIC, dating back to the start of the 2008-09 season.
• Canisius holds a 23-9-5 record versus AIC at home, including a 6-3-2 mark in games played at Harborcenter. The teams split their last meeting in the Nickel City last November, with the Griffs taking game one by a 4-2 margin and the Yellow Jackets winning the finale in a 6-1 triumph.
• The Yellow Jackets took both games of their first league series at the MassMutual Center back in December, with AIC posting a 6-0 victory in the opener before rallying for a 3-2 overtime victory in the finale.

Up Next
• Canisius completes its season matchup versus Robert Morris with the second of two home-and-home series.
• The Griffs and Colonials open their weekend slate Feb. 21 with a 7:35 p.m. contest at Harborcenter before the series shifts to Colonials Arena in Pittsburgh the following evening for the finale.
• Tickets for the series opener are still available. They can be purchased by calling 716-888-TIXX or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.

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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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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