Canisius tallied five unanswered goals, highlighted by a trio of tallies in the third period, to erase a 2-0 deficit and defeat Bentley, 5-2, in Atlantic Hockey Conference action Saturday at KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.
Senior Ryan Schmelzer scored two goals, including the game-winner, to pace the Golden Griffins (6-4-1, 6-4-0 AHC) comeback. Juniors Cameron Heath and Jack Stander and sophomore Jesse Pereira also found the back of the net for Canisius, who extended its winning streak to three games and completed the series sweep with the three-goal triumph over the visiting Falcons (1-7-3, 1-6-3 AHC).
Trailing 2-0 after Bentley used goals from Drew Callin and Matt Sieckhaus 2:05 apart in the first period, Canisius countered with a pair of tallies in the second to tie the game at 2-2.
Pereira got Canisius on the board just 1:27 into the second period when he tapped home a backpost feed from junior Matt McLeod for his third of the campaign.
Stander brought the Griffs level just before the midway point of the middle frame with a power play tally, beating Bentley goaltender Jake Bryniarski with a wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle.
Schmelzer put Canisius in front, 3-2, at the 4:21 mark of the third, firing a slap shot from the top of the slot that Bryniarski got a piece of, but was unable to keep from trickling over the goal line.
Schmelzer doubled the Griffs margin to 4-2 with his second of the period at the 16:19 mark of the third, one-timing a centering feed from junior Dylan McLaughlin into the back of the net during a 4-on-3 power play.
Heath closed out the scoring, recording an empty-net tally with three seconds remaining.
Sophomore Daniel Urbani finished with 30 saves in goal for Canisius. Making his first collegiate start, Bryniarski posted 23 stops between the pipes for Bentley.
Head Coach Trevor Large’s Postgame Comments
“In the first intermission it was the same messaging that our guys talk about is that adversity is always there. It’s there at the beginning, it’s there in the middle of games and it’s there at the end.
“We knew that we would play better after the first period and we responded. We played better in the second period and our game really came together in the third. We got better and better as the game went on.
“Ryan’s (Schmelzer) finishing ability is high end. The way he gets goals, it’s driven by his effort. His effort is undeniable. He will drive right past guys. His skating ability is getting to a category that is elite in college hockey. With his speed and effort, he’s getting scoring chances and it’s not surprising that when he gets a chance to score, he’s finishing them.”
Game Notes
Canisius extended its unbeaten versus Bentley to 10 games (8-0-2) with its victory on Saturday. The Griffs also increased their lead in the all-time series with the Falcons to 32-24-6.
Canisius picked up its first win of the season when allowing the first goal of the contest (1-4-0).
The Griffs scored four or more goals for the third consecutive game and the fourth time this season as they improved to 18-0-0 since the start of the 2016-17 season when scoring four or more goals in a contest.
Canisius tallied two or more power play goals in a game for the fifth time this season as it was 2-for-5 with the man advantage on Saturday.
Senior Ryan Schmelzer recorded his 10th career game-winning goal with his third-period tally, moving him into sole possession of second place on the program’s career game-winning goals list.
Schmelzer also moved into a tie with Carl Hudson (2006-10) for 12th place on the program’s division I era career scoring list with 90 points (33g, 57a).
Junior Dylan McLaughlin posted multiple points in a game for the sixth time this season and the 20th time in his career. McLaughlin also extended his point-scoring streak to seven games with his two-assist effort on Saturday.
Senior Jeff Murray tallied multiple points in a game for the third time this season with two assists in the third period.
Senior Jack Stander recorded his first goal since Jan. 23, 2016 with his power-play goal in the second period.
Up Next
Canisius travels to West Point, N.Y., next weekend for a two-game Atlantic Hockey Conference series versus Army West Point.
Puck drop of the series opener on Nov. 24 is set for 7:05 p.m. at Tate Rink. The series finale is scheduled for a 4:05 p.m. start the following afternoon.
