The Canisius College hockey team scored three goals in the third period to earn a 6-3 exhibition victory against the University of Toronto on Sunday night.
Senior Mitch McCrank (Haileybury, Ontario) and sophomore Shane Conacher (Burlington, Ontario) led the Griffs with three points apiece. McCrank netted two goals to go along with one assist, while Conacher chipped in three assists. Senior Braeden Rigney (Southampton, Ontario), junior Ralph Cuddemi (Concord, Ontario), sophomore Jack Hidi (Toronto, Ontario) and freshman Ryan Schmelzer (East Amherst, N.Y.) all added two points – Rigney and Hidi tallied a goal and an assist, while Cuddemi and Schmelzer both recorded a pair of helpers.
Seniors Cody Freeman (Toronto, Ontario) and Matthew Grazen (Clarence, N.Y.) rounded out the scoring for Canisius with a goal each.
Senior Keegan Asmundson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) started for the Griffs and posted 10 saves, while junior Adam Harris (Penticton, British Columbia) stopped 11 shots during the second 30 minutes of action.
Canisius wasted no time in jumping out to a lead, scoring two goals in just 40 seconds of action. McCrank netted his first of the day with assists to Cuddemi and Conacher 20 seconds into the game. The Griffs then struck again on their second shift of the night when Hidi scored 20 seconds later with assists to Rigney and Schmelzer, forcing an early Toronto timeout.
The Griffs stretched their advantage to three with 8:14 remaining in the first period when Freeman scored. Freshman David Parrottino (Rochester Hills, Mich.) fired a pass down the ice to Freeman, who got past the Toronto defense. The senior then found the back of the net for the 3-0 lead after one period.
The Varsity Blues answered back in the second with three goals of their own. Andrew Doyle first got the team on the scoreboard 4:37 into the period before Toronto scored two goals just 90 seconds apart to tie the contest at three. Tyler von Engelbrechten and Patrick Marsh each netted goals, knotting the contest with 10:31 remaining in the second.
The game remained tied until McCrank tallied his second of the day with 10:49 left in regulation. The senior scored off passes from Conacher and Cuddemi to net what stood as the game-winning goal.
The Griffs then sealed the contest when Grazen scored a power-play goal with 2:34remaining in the game – assists to Conacher and McCrank. Rigney then tallied an empty-net goal with 1:54 left off passes from Hidi and Schmelzer for the 6-3 final score.
Canisius finished the game with a 30-24 advantage in shots. The Griffs converted 1-of-3 power-play chances, while killing both of Toronto’s power plays.
The Griffs now turn their attention toward the regular season, opening with Western Michigan on Friday. The schools are set to meet at Buffalo’s First Niagara Center with the first face-off scheduled for 7:35 p.m.
