Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Canisius goaltender Jacob Barczewski (left) and Austin Alger (right) share a fist bump after Alger's goal against RIT at LECOM Harborcenter on Nov. 13, 2021
Lindy Feider
1
RIT RIT 5-5-2, 3-3-2
4
Winner Canisius CAN 6-4-1, 3-1-0
RIT RIT
5-5-2, 3-3-2
1
Final
4
Canisius CAN
6-4-1, 3-1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
RIT RIT 0 0 1 1
Canisius CAN 0 1 3 4

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Hockey Completes Sweep of RIT with 4-1 Triumph Saturday

Canisius used goals from four different players and a 28-save performance from junior goaltender Jacob Barczewski to record a 4-1 victory over RIT in Atlantic Hockey Association action Saturday at LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo.
 
Junior Ryan Miotto, graduate student Austin Alger and seniors J.D. Pogue and Lee Lapid accounted for the four goals for the Golden Griffins (6-4-1, 3-1-0 AHA), who completed a sweep of the weekend series against the Tigers (5-5-2, 3-3-2 AHA) with Saturday's victory.
 
Elijah Gonsalves was the lone goal scorer for RIT while Kolby Matthews made 29 saves in goal.
 
Following a scoreless first period, Miotto got Canisius on the board at the 6:35 mark of the second, finishing off a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush with graduate student Jake Witkowski by firing a one-timer past the blocker of Matthews from the middle of the slot.
 
Canisius took control of the game with a pair of tallies 2:06 apart midway through the third. Alger began the sequence at the 10:24 mark of the frame with a power-play goal as his one-timer from the bottom of the left faceoff circle deflected off an RIT defender and into the goal.
 
Pogue stretched the margin to 3-0 moments later when he beat Matthews on the rush with a slap shot just above the right pad.
 
The teams traded goals in the final two minutes of regulation as Lapid notched his fifth of the season on a 2-on-1 rush with 18:11 elapsed in the final frame before Gonsalves spoiled the Griffs' shutout bid with a power-play goal with 21 seconds to play to determine the final margin.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large's Postgame Comments
"It was a tough hockey game. You look at the stats, you got a short-handed goal for us in the second on a great play by Jake Witkowski to make the pass to Ryan Miotto for a big-time goal that really got us going. It felt like the first two periods we were fighting for our game. In the third period halfway through we get a power play goal from Austin Alger on a great play. Lots of guys were a part of that. Then it was just us really playing very strong together. It felt like a slow death for the opponent because we just didn't give up anything and they couldn't push. We get another goal to make it 3-0 and Lee Lapid making a nice play late in the game to make it 4-0. We wanted to scratch and claw and battle and get Barzo (Barczewski) the shut out there. We had extreme effort, but RIT gets one late and we go home with a sweep.
 
"We played together in the third. In that third, you're up 1-0. You know and expect that the opponent is going to push. You don't want to take penalties. You're trying to remain extremely disciplined and in how you play. I really liked our team when it was 3-0, we did not give RIT anything. We stayed out of the box for the most part. We got kills when we needed to. We had numbers back whenever they got a puck in. We were taking care of the net in front of Barzo and he really took care of everything else. That is us playing together.
 
"(The goal scoring) is a result of us playing harder. Everybody's production on our team comes from effort. Period. Our guys continue to look to skate and work. The secret recipe to their production comes from effort. Effort is going to unlock it for everybody. We just have more guys doing that. We have a very deep team and our guys are realizing that if you put in the effort, that's when you're going to produce. When you get to the blue paint, that's where you're going to score. It gives us an opportunity to show off our skill and ability, but it starts with effort first."
 
Game Notes
• Canisius extended its current winning streak against RIT to six games with Saturday's victory. All six games have been played at LECOM Harborcenter.
• Canisius out-shot RIT, 33-29, for the contest, highlighted by a 14-9 advantage in the third period.
• Both teams were 1-for-5 on the power play during Saturday's contest.
• Canisius scored a shorthanded goal for the fourth time this season with Miotto's second-period tally.
• Canisius recorded four or more goals in a game for the third straight contest and the sixth time this season. The Griffs improved to 5-0-1 in those contests.
• The Griffs scored the first goal of the game for the third straight contest and the fifth time this season. Canisius is a perfect 5-0-0 in those games.
• Graduate student Joey Matthews recorded multiple assists in a game for the second time his career and first in a Canisius uniform with a two-assist effort on Saturday.
• Senior defenseman Derek Hamelin recorded his first point of the season with an assist on Lapid's third-period goal.
• Alger scored his second game-winning goal of the season and the fourth of his career with his third-period tally on Saturday.
 
Up Next
Canisius squares off against longtime rival Mercyhurst in a home-and-home series Nov. 19-20. The Griffs and Lakers open the series at the Mercyhurst Ice Center in Erie, Pa., before completing the weekend slate with a matchup at LECOM Harborcenter. Puck drop for both contests is slated for 7 p.m.
 
For complete coverage of the Canisius hockey team, please follow the Griffs on social media at @GriffsHockey on Twitter and Instagram.
Print Friendly Version