Zach Evancho scored a power-play goal with 5:40 remaining in the third period to break a 3-3 tie and propel Army to a 5-4 victory over Canisius in Atlantic Hockey Association action Friday at Tate Rink in West Point, N.Y.
Evancho’s go-ahead goal was the second man-advantage tally of the contest for the Black Knights (8-7-1, 7-5-1 AHA), who entered the game fourth in the nation in power-play percentage (.307). Daniel Haider, Dominic Franco, Dalton MacAfee and Mason Krueger also scored for Army.
Junior Nick Hutchison tallied two goals while senior Ian Edmondson and sophomore Austin Alger also found the back of the net for the Golden Griffins (5-8-1, 4-7-1 AHA).
With the score tied at 3-3, Evancho put Army in front for good at the 14:20 mark of the third, beating Canisius keeper Blake Weyrick with a wrist shot through traffic from the left side wall for his seventh of the campaign.
Krueger extended the Black Knights lead to 5-3 with an empty-net goal with 2:33 to play, but Hutchison brought Canisius within one less than a minute later, netting his second of the game with an extra attacker to once again make it a 5-4 game.
That would be as close as the Griffs would get, however, as Army held on for the one-goal triumph.
Earlier in the contest, Edmondson staked Canisius to a 1-0 lead just 2:38 in when he beat Army netminder Jared Dempsey with a slap shot from the left faceoff circle for his first of the campaign.
Army tied the game at 1-1 just 1:17 later when Haider redirected a shot from Alex Wilkinson over the glove of Griffs netminder Blake Weyrick from the middle of the slot.
Franco put the Black Knights in front at the 17:38 mark of the opening frame when placed a wrist shot inside the left post during a zone entry just seconds after Army had returned to full strength.
Alger brought Canisius level at 2-2 with a power-play tally 6:56 into the second period, finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with a snap shot past the glove of Dempsey for his fourth of the season.
MacAfee restored Army’s lead with a man-advantage tally less than a minute later, firing a wrist shot through traffic and over the left shoulder of Weyrick to give the Black Knights a 3-2 advantage.
Hutchison tied the game at 3-3 with just over two minutes remaining to play in the middle frame, jamming home his own rebound from just off the right post for his eighth of the campaign.
Head Coach Trevor Large’s Postgame Comments
“We were not at our best early in the game. It was a little bit of back-and-forth with some momentum swings both ways. Our power play didn’t get us what we wanted. We were trying to get some momentum off of some power plays and that did not happen. We were frustrated in the first and the penalty kills gave them some momentum. They were better than us for the first two periods. I thought we did a really good job to tie the game up late in the second. It was 3-3 going into the third and we felt really fortunate with that.
“I really liked how we played in the third and then we take a penalty. Their power play is excellent; they’re really clicking right now and they get a power-play goal and an empty-netter and we’re clawing and fighting near the end of the game and had a chance to tie it up. But, all-in-all, it was not our best effort tonight and we need to get better.
“Our challenge is to continue to fight for our game. We need to get better. We’re focused on the right things. We’re focused on effort and details and structure. Tonight, we had those things. When we do, we’re a really good hockey team. When we lose structure or lose effort, it’s a battle. Our consistency is something we’re really trying to battle for. I do think it’s coming. I like what we’re doing. We have really good moments in hockey games, we just need to keep the fight close.”
Game Notes
• Friday’s contest served as the 60th meeting between Canisius and Army. The teams have split those contests, 27-27-6, while the Griffs still hold a 25-22-6 advantage in the Division I portion of the series.
• Army held a 29-24 shot advantage for the contest, highlighted by a 14-8 margin in the first period.
• Canisius scored the first goal of the contest for just the fourth time in 14 games this season with Edmondson’s opening tally. The Griffs moved to 2-2-0 during the 2018-19 campaign when scoring the game’s first goal.
• Hutchison recorded multiple goals in a game for the second time this season and eighth time in his career with his two-goal effort on Friday.
• Sophomore Grant Meyer tallied multiple assists in a game for the second time this season and fourth time in his career as he finished Friday’s game with two assists.
• Edmondson tallied multiple points in a game for the first time this season and fourth time in his career with his two-point effort on Friday.
• Hutchison, Alger and senior Dylan McLaughlin all extended their respective point-scoring streaks to five games on Friday.
Up Next
• The teams conclude their series Saturday with a 4 p.m. contest at Tate Rink.
