Sophomore Nick Hutchison scored two goals and junior Simon Hofley made 36 saves to pace Canisius in a 4-4 tie versus St. Lawrence in collegiate men’s ice hockey action Friday at Appleton Arena in Canton, N.Y.
Freshman Matt Long and sophomore Matt Hoover also scored for the Golden Griffins (10-7-2)
Ryan Lough, Mike Marnell, Joe Sullivan and Carson Gicewicz accounted for the four Saints (3-14-2) goals while Daniel Mannella turned aside 36 shots.
The teams traded goals in a 33-second span early in the first period to open the scoring. Lough jammed home a rebound at the 3:29 mark to give the Saints a 1-0 lead, only to see Hutchison respond for the Griffs on the following shift when he slid the puck past Mannella to finish off a Canisius rush.
Marnell restored the Saints advantage with a little less than five minutes remaining in the opening frame, taking advantage of a bad bounce to get behind the Canisius defense before placing a backhand just inside the left post.
Sullivan increased the Saints lead to 3-1 less than four minutes into the second when he snuck a wrist shot between the legs of Hofley seconds after a St. Lawrence power play opportunity had expired.
Hutchison drew the Griffs within one at the 7:52 mark of the middle stanza, placing a feed from junior Dylan McLaughlin under the crossbar from the bottom of the right faceoff circle for his second of the contest.
Long brought Canisius level with his second of the season early in the third period, tapping home a rebound off the end boards from a shot by junior Cameron Heath.
Hoover gave the Griffs their first lead of the contest at the 11:51 mark of the third with a power-play tally, banking home a shot from behind the goal line for his fifth of the campaign.
Gicewicz brought the Saints level just 11 seconds later, however, pushing home a loose puck to tie the game at 4-4.
Head Coach Trevor Large’s Postgame Comments
“Tonight’s game was a battle. It was a great college hockey game if you were watching as a fan. There was a high compete level from both teams. St. Lawrence is physical. They play hard and we’re the same way. We were trying to take advantage of us breaking the puck out well versus their aggressive forecheck. When we were able to do that, that’s where our scoring chances came from.
“I liked how we competed tonight. There was an internal challenge tonight that we needed more effort. That’s what we’ve learned on this road trip; that when we give all that we have in terms of effort, then our speed and skill can come out. That was the challenge tonight and our guys competed like crazy.”
Game Notes
• The contest served as the third meeting between the two instate programs. Two of the previous three meetings have ended in a tie.
• Canisius played its fourth overtime game of the season on Friday. It moved to 1-1-2 in extra-session games in 2017-18.
• The Griffs recorded multiple power-play goals for the sixth time this season as it was 2-for-6 with the man advantage.
• Sophomore Nick Hutchison recorded multiple goals in a game for the fourth time in his career and the second time this season with his two-goal effort on Friday.
• Junior Felix Chamberland tallied multiple points in a game for the first time this season and the ninth time in his career as he finished with two assists.
• Freshman Grant Meyer tallied multiple points for the first time in his career as he recorded two assists.
• Junior Simon Hofley recorded his first career point as he picked up an assist on Hutchison’s power-play tally early in the second period. He is the first Canisius goaltender to record a point since Dan Morrison tallied an assist versus Mercyhurst on Feb. 24, 2012.
• Senior forward Josh Kielich appeared in his first contest since March 12, 2016 at Air Force.
Up Next
The teams conclude their two-game series Saturday with a 7 p.m. contest at Appleton Arena.
