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Canisius University Athletics

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Members of the Canisius hockey team pose with Jack Riley trophy after winning the 2023 Atlantic Hockey Championship on Saturday at LECOM Harborcenter
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0
Holy Cross CHC 17-21-3
3
Winner Canisius CAN 20-18-3
Holy Cross CHC
17-21-3
0
Final
3
Canisius CAN
20-18-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Holy Cross CHC 0 0 0 0
Canisius CAN 0 1 2 3

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Hockey Wins 2023 Atlantic Hockey Championship

Canisius graduate student Nick Bowman scored the game-winning goal at the 17:59 mark of the second period and senior goaltender Jacob Barczewski recorded a 24-save shutout to help lead the fourth-seeded Canisius hockey team to a 3-0 victory over No. 7 seed Holy Cross in the 2023 Atlantic Hockey Championship in front of 1,805 fans at the LECOM Harborcenter Saturday night.
 
The championship, the program's second conference title and first since 2013, allows the Golden Griffins (20-18-3) to earn Atlantic Hockey's automatic berth into next weekend's NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship. Canisius will learn its regional destination and opponent on Sunday night at 6:30 p.m., when the NCAA officially unveils this year's tournament bracket live on ESPNU and ESPN+.
 
GAME RECAP
 
In a tight-checking affair, Bowman put the Griffs in the lead for good at the 17:59 mark of the second period with his 10th goal of the season. Senior David Melaragni took the puck from the right side of the ice and slid it to defensive partner Jackson Decker, who found Bowman all alone on the left-side boards. Bowman one-timed a shot over the glove side of Holy Cross goalkeeper Jason Grande, for his third goal of the postseason. Barczewski made that one-goal lead stand for the Blue and Gold with eight stops in the third period. Less than 4:00 into the third period, Holy Cross (17-20-3) forward Jack Ricketts fired a shot from the right point that rang off the right post and stayed out of the Griffs' net.
 
Canisius put the game away with two empty-net goals in the game's final 1:28 of regulation. Senior Markus Boguslavsky gave the Blue and Gold some breathing room with his fourth goal of the season, after he won the face-off in the neutral zone and chipped the puck from just on the Griffs' defensive side of the ice into the empty cage to make it 2-0. Senior Keaton Mastrodonato closed out the scoring on the next shift, collecting senior Hudson Lambert's clearing attempt in the Crusaders' zone, before firing it into the vacant net.
 
Barczewski was named both the Atlantic Hockey Championship MOP and he earned a nod to the league's all-tournament team after he went 5-2 in the postseason with a 1.13 goals against average and a .963 save percentage. Bowman, Decker and Mastrodonato were also named the 2023 Atlantic Hockey All-Tournament Team as well, where they were joined by Holy Cross players Jack Robilotti and Liam McLinskey.

Canisius Head Coach Trevor Large Post Game Comments Game Notes
• Canisius outshot Holy Cross, 25-24, for the contest, highlighted by a 12-8 advantage in the third period.
• Neither team scored on the power play as both teams were 0-for-1 on the power play on Saturday. Both penalties were taken in the first five minutes of the first period.
• Canisius held its opponent to two goals or fewer for the seventh straight contest and the 23rd time this season as it improved to 15-5-3 in such games in 2022-23.
• The Griffs moved to 13-5-0 this season when scoring first and 16-1-0 when leading after 40 minutes.
• Barczewski became the sixth goaltender in Atlantic Hockey history to record more than 200 saves in a single tournament as he finished with 208 stops during the Griffs' seven postseason contests. Barczewski also became the sixth goaltender to record a shutout in an Atlantic Hockey Championship game and the second in the last two seasons.
• Barczewski recorded his third shutout of the season and second against Holy Cross. He made 33 saves in a 3-0 win at Holy Cross on Feb. 24.
• Bowman's game-winning goal was his third of the season and his first since his overtime winner at Army on Jan. 14.
• Melaragni's secondary assist on the game-winning goal was his team-leading 21st helper of the campaign.
• Mastrodonato recorded his 16th goal of the season on Saturday, putting him one back of senior Ryan Miotto for the team lead (17).
 
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