Canisius (6-8-5, 5-4-4 AHC) vs. Holy Cross (8-6-5, 7-1-5 AHC)
Dates: Friday, January 9 / Saturday, January 10
Times: 11:05 a.m. / 7:35 p.m.
Location: Buffalo, N.Y. | HARBORCENTER
TV/Webcast: America One Network
Live Audio: GoGriffs.com
DI Series History: Holy Cross leads, 28-13-9
The Canisius College hockey team returns to Atlantic Hockey play for the first time in more than a month when the Griffs meet Holy Cross at HARBORCENTER. The schools will play on Friday at 11:05 a.m. for a special Kid’s Day contest before playing on Saturday at 7:35 p.m.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFS
• The Griffs are tied for fourth in the Atlantic Hockey standings with a 5-4-4 conference record (6-8-5 overall).
• Sophomore Shane Conacher leads the Griffs with 19 points on five goals and a team-best 14 assists, while junior Ralph Cuddemi has netted a team-leading 10 goals.
• Keegan Asmundson (2-5-3 / 2.81 gaa / .908 sv pct) and Reilly Turner (4-3-2 / 2.64 gaa / .910 sv pct) have split time in net this season.
CALLING IT EVEN
• With the Griffs and Crusaders set to meet this weekend, it is probably a safe bet that fans will be treated to bonus hockey at some point.
• Canisius and Holy Cross lead the country in ties this season and are the only two schools with five draws during the 2014-15 campaign.
CUDDEMI HITS DOUBLE DIGITS
• Ralph Cuddemi added to his goal tally last weekend at Maine and has now reached double digits for the second-straight season.
• The junior reached the mark in 19 games and is the third-quickest Griff to get to 10 goals in a season in the last 14 years (Dave Kostuch took 18 games in ‘08-09 and Cory Conacher took 12 games in ‘09-10).
• Cuddemi currently ranks 16th nationally with his 10 goals.
BETTER WITH AGE
• If the Griffs can stay even in the first 40 minutes of a game, the team is in good shape for the third period.
• Canisius has a goal differential of -8 in the first period this season, while the team is -4 in the second and +5 in the third.
• The Griffs are 5-0-2 this season when tied or leading after two periods of play. On the opposite end, Canisius is just 1-8-3 when trailing at the second intermission.
CANISIUS – HOLY CROSS SERIES HISTORY
• The Crusaders hold a 32-15-9 advantage in a series that dates back to 1986, including a 28-13-9 edge in Division I meetings.
• Last season, the Griffs swept a pair of games at Holy Cross in early January, earning 4-2 and 3-0 victories at Hart Center.
• The wins a year ago mark the first time that Canisius won consecutive games against Holy Cross since taking three-straight in 2000.
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
• Holy Cross enters the weekend in second place in the Atlantic Hockey standings with a 7-1-5 conference record, with its only loss in league play coming in overtime at Army on Nov. 14.
• Overall, the Crusaders are 8-6-5 on the year, coming off a three-point weekend versus Air Force.
• Holy Cross owns the top scoring defense in Atlantic Hockey, allowing only 2.11 goals per game.
• Matt Ginn has started every game in net for the Crusaders with a 2.01 goals against average and .933 save percentage.
• T.J. Moore and Jake Bolton are tied for the team lead with 12 points. Moore also leads Holy Cross with six goals, while Bolton is tied with Mike Barrett for the team lead in assists with seven.
