Canisius (5-10-1, 4-4-1 AHA) at Holy Cross (4-11-2, 3-7-0 AHA)
Dates: Friday, January 3 / Saturday, January 4
Times: 7:05 p.m. / 3:05 p.m.
Location: Worcester, Mass. | Hart Center
TV/Webcast: America One Network
Live Audio: GoGriffs.com
DI Series History: Holy Cross leads, 28-11-9
The Canisius College hockey team returns to Atlantic Hockey play for the first time in four weeks with a weekend series at Holy Cross. The schools are set to meet on Friday at 7:05 p.m. and on Saturday at 3:05 p.m.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFS
• Canisius (5-10-1, 4-4-1 AHA) lost a pair of games at the Catamount Cup last weekend, falling to No. 10 UMass Lowell and Vermont.
• Senior Kyle Gibbons leads the Griffs with 15 points and eight goals.
• Senior Tony Capobianco has started 10-of-16 games in net, posting a 3.29 goals against average and .904 save percentage.
LAW AND CONACHER PROVIDE OFFENSIVE BOOST
• Forwards Taylor Law and Shane Conacher have both returned from injuries in the first half of the year and sparked the Canisius offense.
• Law missed 11 games from Nov. 1 to Dec. 7 but returned last weekend and scored a goal. He has two goals in five games this season.
• Conacher missed nine games from Oct. 25 to Nov. 19. The rookie now has four points (2g, 2a) in his first seven collegiate games.
• Canisius is averaging 3.00 goals per game when at least one of the duo plays this year (compared to 1.86 goals when both are out).
GIBBONS REACHES SECOND MILESTONE OF THE YEAR
• Senior Kyle Gibbons continues to make headlines at Canisius, reaching a pair of milestones during his senior campaign.
• On Nov. 19, Gibbons became the eighth player in the school’s Division I history to reach 100 points for his career. He then became just the third Griff in the program’s history to score 50 career goals on Dec. 6.
• Gibbons is one of only six active players in the NCAA with 100 career points and 50 career goals.
ROAD WOES
• To be their most successful, Canisius needs to carry its play at home to the road.
• The Griffs, at 3-0-1, are one of only two unbeatens nationally at home (Wisconsin).
• Canisius, however, has struggled away from Buffalo with a 2-10-0 mark. Its scoring difference has also gone from +1.5 to -1.6.
CANISIUS – HOLY CROSS SERIES HISTORY
• The Crusaders hold a 32-13-9 advantage in a series that dates back to 1986, including a 28-11-9 edge in Division I meetings.
• The schools split two games in Buffalo last season, with the Griffs blanking Holy Cross in the opener, 3-0, before falling in the finale, 5-1.
• Holy Cross has controlled the series in Worcester, owning a 14-4-5 edge against the Griffs since the 1998-99 campaign. Canisius is just 1-5-1 in its last seven games at Holy Cross and has not won a regular-season meeting at the Hart Center since 2007.
ABOUT THE CRUSADERS
• Holy Cross enters the weekend with a 4-11-2 record and a 3-5-2 mark in Atlantic Hockey play.
• The Crusaders were swept last weekend, falling to Atlantic Hockey foe Bentleyon Saturday and Yale on Sunday.
• Adam Schmidt leads the team with 11 points (4g, 7a), while Matt Vidal is right behind with 10 points (4g, 6a).
• Matt Ginn has started every game in goal for Holy Cross, posting a 2.93 goals against average and .912 save percentage.
