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Canisius University Athletics

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Jacob Barczewski is shown following the puck during game action versus AIC at LECOM Harborcenter on Nov. 11, 2022
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3
Winner Canisius CAN 14-16-3, 12-10-3
0
Holy Cross CHC 13-17-3, 12-11-2
Winner
Canisius CAN
14-16-3, 12-10-3
3
Final
0
Holy Cross CHC
13-17-3, 12-11-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Canisius CAN 0 2 1 3
Holy Cross CHC 0 0 0 0

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Barczewski, Urbank Spark Hockey to Shutout Victory at Holy Cross

Graduate student Erik Urbank scored two goals and senior goaltender Jacob Barczewski stopped all 33 shots he faced as Canisius defeated Holy Cross, 3-0, in Atlantic Hockey Association action Friday at the Hart Center in Worcester, Mass.
 
Urbank netted the eventual game-winning goal in the second period before closing out the scoring with an empty-net tally in the third while senior Ryan Miotto added a shorthanded tally in the second for the Golden Griffins (14-16-3, 12-10-3 AHA), who moved into a tie with Army for fourth place in the league standings heading into the final day of the regular season.
 
That would be all the support Barczewski would need, as he recorded his first shutout of the season and the fourth of his career with his 33-save performance.
 
Thomas Gale made 21 stops between the pipes for the Crusaders (13-17-3, 12-11-2 AHA).
 
Following a scoreless first period, Urbank opened the scoring at the 4:22 mark of the second, firing a wrist shot past Gale from below the right face-off circle to give Canisius the 1-0 lead. Miotto doubled the Griffs advantage to 2-0 with less than two minutes to play in the middle frame with a shorthanded tally, burying a rebound over the glove of Gale after senior Simon Gravel created a scoring chance by forcing a turnover in the Crusaders zone.
Urbank put the finishing touches on the win with an empty-net goal with less than two minutes remaining in the third period. Head Coach Trevor Large's Post Game Comments
"That was a great team victory tonight. We played our game with extreme discipline and that was really important against a team like Holy Cross. Jake Barczewski put on a clinic tonight in goal for us. He got the shutout, but it also required some blocks from guys like Lincoln Erne, who was really good tonight. Eric Urbank had two goals, including a great effort to get the empty netter, which he earned. Simon Gravel made a great play on the second goal. It took everybody again tonight. That's what it's like Atlantic Hockey, especially at the end of February as teams are getting ready for playoffs. Very proud of the team tonight.
 
"North. They (Stefano Bottini, Markus Boguslavsky and Erik Urbank) drive our team north. It's amazing to have a line like that where we talk as a staff after the game and we credit them for lots of little plays again tonight. If there's ever a battle on a wall and they're out there, we have complete confidence that they're going to win the battle. They don't take any shortcuts. They're not looking to poke and hope. They're not going to make a risky play. They're just going play hard hockey and it's honestly, it's a lot of fun to watch. They all play the same way. There's very few words said between them. They know what the expectations are. They've been our one of our best lines in the past month so, hopefully, that continues.
 
"He (Barczewski) was spectacular. In the second period, they had 17 shots on net, with about five of them being breakaways. He was dialed in. As the game started to tick away I went, 'man, they're not going to beat him tonight.' In the second period, they were able to spring a couple players and get some pretty good scoring chances, but he was there and he shut it down every time. He doesn't allow many second-chance opportunities. If it hits him, it sticks to him. Our guys were committed around him to not give Holy Cross any rebound opportunities or second-chance shots. We did a good job blocking shots when we needed to. But, Barzo answered the bell every single time, so I'm not shocked. That is who he is and we're very lucky to have had such an elite goaltender for the last four years."
 
Game Notes
• Friday's game served as the 65th all-time meeting between Canisius and Holy Cross. The Griffs improved to 11-16-2 against the Crusaders on the road as they picked up their third win in their last four games against Holy Cross at the Hart Center.
• Holy Cross outshot Canisius by a 32-24 margin for the contest, highlighted by a 17-6 edge in the second period.
• The Griffs were 1-for-6 on the power play on Friday while Holy Cross was 0-for-3 with the man advantage.
• Canisius improved to 12-1-0 this season when carrying a lead into the third period.
• The Griffs moved to 10-3-3 this season when holding their opponent to two goals or fewer in a game.
• Canisius improved to 9-5-0 in 2022-23 when netting the first goal of the game.
• Urbank tallied multiple goals in a game for the first time in his career with his two-goal effort on Friday. His second-period goal was also the first game-winning goal of his career.
• Senior David Melaragni picked up his team-leading 16th assist of the season with the secondary helper on Urbank's second-period goal.
• Miotto's shorthanded tally in the second period was his the third of his career and first of the season. The marker was also the Griffs fourth shorthanded goal of the campaign.  
• Barczewski finished with 30 or more saves in a game for the eighth time this season as he recorded 33 stops in Friday's contest.
• With the win on Friday, Barczewski moved into a tie with Tony Capobianco for third place on the program's all-time wins chart (39). He also moved into fourth place on the school's career saves chart, moving past Andrew Loewen during Friday's contest.
 
Up Next
The teams complete their two-game series Saturday with a 7 p.m. contest at the Hart Center.
 
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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