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Canisius University Athletics

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Keaton Mastrodonato skates with the puck during game action at RIT at LECOM Harborcenter on Dec. 3, 2022
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2
Canisius CAN 7-12-3, 5-6-3
2
Bentley BEN 7-16-1, 4-11-1
Canisius CAN
7-12-3, 5-6-3
2
Final
2
Bentley BEN
7-16-1, 4-11-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 OT 1 OT 2 F
Canisius CAN 0 0 2 0 0 2
Bentley BEN 0 2 0 0 0 2

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Canisius Battles Back in the Third to Earn Tie at Bentley

Canisius used a pair of third-period goals to erase a two-goal deficit and earn a 2-2 tie at Bentley in Atlantic Hockey Association action Saturday at Bentley Arena.
 
Seniors Simon Gravel and Keaton Mastrodonato found the back of the net during the third period for the Golden Griffins (7-12-3, 5-6-3 AHA). Senior goaltender Jacob Barczewski recorded 34 saves in goal for the Blue and Gold.
 
Arlo Merritt and Nicholas Niemo tallied the two goals in regulation for the Falcons (7-16-1, 4-11-1 AHA), who picked up the extra point in the standings by winning the best-of-three shootout, 1-0. Connor Hasley made 42 saves between the pipes for the home team.
 
Following a scoreless first, Bentley got on the board just 2:01 into the second period as Merritt beat Barczewski with a wrist shot to the blocker side while on the rush for his second goal of the series.
 
Niemo doubled the Falcon's advantage to 2-0 with 16:04 elapsed in the middle frame, converting on a 2-on-1 opportunity by chipping the puck over the glove of Barczewski from close range for his fourth of the campaign.
 
Canisius got within one less than four minutes into the third when Gravel deflected junior Randy Hernandez's shot from near the left sidewall past the glove of Hadley and into the Bentley goal to make it a 2-1 contest. Mastrodonato brought the Griffs level with 8:28 elapsed in the third, redirecting fellow senior David Melaragni's point shot up and over the right pad of Hasley to knot the score at 2-2. After a scoreless 3-on-3 overtime, the game moved to the shootout. Bentley's Lucas Vanroboys was the only one of the six shooters to find the back of the net, beating Barczewski with a wrist shot to the blocker side to give the Falcons a 1-0 win to earn the extra point in the standings.
 
Head Coach Trevor Large Post Game Comments
"We're disappointed in the result. We're playing for three points, so the team is leaving Boston disappointed. In looking at how we're playing, some things are happening in our game that are exciting. We don't want to be down to 2-0 going into the third period, but when we come back and tie the game up, those are positives for us. We had the majority of chances tonight; Bentley's goalie was excellent. But we have to find a way to score earlier in games to get up. That's something that we need to focus on so we can have better execution. Even in games where we played well, we need more.
 
"Atlantic Hockey is tough. Every game in this league is against a quality opponent. We played another one this weekend. We're leaving with four points; that's a positive thing.  When we're looking at the standings, we're trying to get closer to, then leapfrog and hopefully, leave some teams in the dust. That's what we're trying to do. What the focus is on now is what we are doing, shift-by-shift, moment-by-moment, to make sure those things happen. Again, I felt like our depth was excellent. All four lines played well. All six defensemen played well.  Barzo (Jacob Barczewski) was once again solid for us in goal. It is easy to look at the positives. That's who we are. That's how we behave and they're very real. But we're still leaving with a sour taste in our mouth in that we feel like we're leaving two points behind here and that is not okay with our team and that is not okay with our staff. That trend cannot continue. That will be our focus going into our rivalry matchup versus Niagara next weekend."
 
Game Notes
• Saturday's game was the 15th in the series between Canisius and Bentley to go to overtime. The teams have split those overtime contests, 3-3-9.
• Canisius moved to 2-0-3 in overtime games this season and 1-2 in the shootout with Saturday's shootout setback.
• The Griffs outshot Bentley by a 44-36 margin for the contest, including a 28-19 edge during the first two periods of the game.
• Canisius was 0-for-1 on the man advantage as only one minor penalty was called during the game.
• The Griffs were not charged with a penalty in a game for the first time this season and the first time since its matchup with Mercyhurst on Feb. 9, 2021.
• The Griffs held their opponent to two goals or fewer for the 10th time this season and moved to 5-2-3 when doing so.
• Barczewski made 30 or more saves in a game for the fifth time this season with his 34-save effort on Saturday.
• Melaragni recorded an assist for the third consecutive contest with his primary helper on Mastrodonato's game-tying tally in the third period.
• Mastrodonato's third-period goal was his 15th point of the season and 12th to come in the third period (5g, 7a).
 
Up Next
Canisius returns to action Jan. 27-28 when it hosts Battle of the Bridge rival Niagara for a two-game Atlantic Hockey Association series. Both games of the weekend set are slated for a 7 p.m. start at LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo.
 
Tickets for both games are still available. They can be purchased by visiting the tickets page on GoGriffs.com or at the the LECOM Harborcenter ticket kiosk.
 
For complete coverage of the Canisius hockey team, please follow the Griffs on social media at @GriffsHockey on Twitter and Instagram.
 
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