Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Canisius forward Stefano Bottini is shown in game action versus Sacred Heart at LECOM Harborcenter on Dec. 6, 2024
Lindy Feider
4
Winner Sacred Heart SHU 9-7-2, 8-5-1
2
Canisius CAN 5-9-1, 5-3-1
Winner
Sacred Heart SHU
9-7-2, 8-5-1
4
Final
2
Canisius CAN
5-9-1, 5-3-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Sacred Heart SHU 2 1 1 4
Canisius CAN 0 1 1 2

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Hockey Tripped up by Pioneers in Series Opener

Reid Pabich scored two goals and Felix Trudeau finished with a goal and two assists to pace Sacred Heart in a 4-2 victory over Canisius in Atlantic Hockey America action Friday at LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo.
 
Max Dorrington accounted for the fourth goal for the Pioneers (9-7-2, 8-5-1 AHA). Ajeet Gundarah recorded 25 saves between the pipes for SHU as he recorded his seventh win of the season.
 
Sophomore Stefano Bottini and graduate Alec Cicero tallied the two goals for the Golden Griffins (5-9-1, 5-3-1 AHA). Freshman goaltender Ben Bonisteel finished with 28 saves for Canisius as he made his second consecutive start.
 
Pabich opened the scoring at the 11:33 mark of the first period, putting home a rebound after the initial attempt from Trudeau on a rush attempt was turned aside by Bonisteel.
 
Dorrington doubled the Pioneers advantage to 2-0 with less than five minutes to play in the opening frame, depositing a centering feed from Matthew Guerra under the glove of Bonisteel for his sixth goal of the campaign.
 
Pabich notched his second of the contest 1:20 into the second period when he tucked home a loose puck in front of the Canisius cage to extend the SHU advantage to 3-0.
 
Bottini got Canisius on the board at the 5:27 mark of the second when he put the rebound off sophomore Jack Budd's initial attempt over the blocker of Gundarah to pull the Griffs within two. Trudeau restored the Pioneers three-goal cushion early in the third period, one-timing a cross-ice feed from Marcus Joughin past Bonisteel for his team-leading 10th goal of the season.
 
Cicero gave Canisius a glimmer of hope in the final three minutes of the third when he beat Gundarah over the left shoulder with a one-timer from the left face-off circle to pull the Griffs within two, but that was as close as Canisius would get as the Pioneers secured the series-opening win.   POSTGAME COMMENTS GAME NOTES
• Sacred Heart outshot Canisius by a 32-27 margin for the contest, highlighted by 14-10 margin in the first period.
• Both teams were 1-for-5 on the power play as each team was whistled for five minor penalties in the contest.
• Budd recorded multiple assists in a game for the second time this season and the third time in his career as he notched the primary helper on both Canisius goals.
• Cicero recorded his first power-play goal in a Canisius uniform and the eighth of his career with his third-period tally.
• Bottini has now scored in consecutive games after he found the back of the net in the second period.
• Sophomore Jackson Nieuwendyk notched his first assist of the season with the primary helper on Bottini's second-period goal.  
 
UP NEXT
The teams complete their two-game series Saturday with a 6 p.m. contest at LECOM Harborcenter.
 
Tickets for the game are still available. They can be purchased by visiting the tickets page on GoGriffs.com, calling 716-888-TIXX or by visiting the ticket kiosk at LECOM Harborcenter on gameday.
 
Like Canisius Athletics and Griffs Hockey on Facebook
Follow @GoGriffs and @Griffshockey on X (formally known as Twitter)
Follow @GoGriffs and @Griffshockey on Instagram
Follow @CanisiusHockey on TikTok
 
Print Friendly Version