BUFFALO – Sophomore Matt Hoover recorded a natural hat trick and senior Charles Williams posted his second shutout of the season to lead the Canisius College hockey program to a 4-0 victory over American International in Atlantic Hockey Conference action Friday at KeyBank Arena at HARBORCENTER.
After nearly 40 minutes of scoreless hockey, Hoover tallied the eventual game-winning goal in the final seconds of the second period before scoring twice in the third to move the Griffs to 4-2-1 in league play and 5-7-1 overall. The Yellow Jackets moved to 2-3-3 in AHC action and 2-4-4 on the season with the setback.
Hoover opened the scoring by stuffing home a rebound with less than four seconds to play in the second period to break the deadlock and give the Griffs a 1-0 lead.
The Brantford, Ontario, native then doubled the Canisius advantage just 5:03 into the third with snap shot from the top of the slot before capping off his hat trick at the 14:45 mark of the frame by finishing off an odd-man rush.
Fellow rookie Nick Hutchison tallied his team-leading fifth goal of the season with a power play tally just 1:09 after Hoover’s final marker to determine the final margin.
Williams picked up his fifth win of the campaign as he stopped all 24 shots he faced. Freshman Zackarias Skog got the start in goal for the Yellow Jackets and made 25 saves before being replaced by Justin Ketola after the fourth Canisius goal.
Head Coach Dave Smith’s Postgame Comments
“It was not a 4-0 game the entire contest. We had to battle. It was 0-0 for a long time. AIC had a really good push in the second and they gained some momentum with their power plays and we had to respond and I thought our guys did. It wasn’t an easy game to play in. I thought AIC played very well and put us in some tough spots. But, through it all, we came out on top and that feels good.”
Game Notes
• Canisius improved to 3-0-1 at HARBORCENTER this season with the shutout victory. All four contests have been against league competition.
• Hoover is the second Griff to record a hat trick this season. Sophomore Felix Chamberland notched three goals in a 6-3 victory over Robert Morris on Oct. 21.
• Led by Hoover and Hutchison, the Canisius freshman class tallied seven points in the contest. The Griffs rookies have accounted for 27 of the team’s 62 points this season (43.5%).
• Canisius improved to 34-15-6 all time against the Yellow Jackets and 34-14-6 as Division I rivals.
• Canisius successfully killed off both AIC power plays it faced during the contest. The Griffs have not allowed a power play goal in their last 20 shorthanded situations, dating back to Oct. 29.
•Williams posted his second shutout of the season and third of his collegiate career. He stopped 41 shots in a 1-0 win against RIT at HARBORCENTER on Nov. 4.
Up Next
• Canisius and AIC complete their weekend series Saturday with a 4:05 p.m. matinee at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.
