West Springfield, Mass. – For the second-straight night, the Canisius College hockey team used a strong third period to earn a victory at AIC, completing the series sweep with a 4-2 win. The Griffs improve to 4-2-0 and 3-1-0 against Atlantic Hockey foes, while the Yellow Jackets drop to 0-4-1 and 0-3-1 in league play.
“Sweeps are hard in our league,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “I’m happy with the four points as we played very well and with intensity, effort and focus from start to finish and the entire weekend. Cody Freeman stepped up and was the best player on the ice tonight. You could see how important the sweep was to him and the entire team this weekend.”
Senior Cody Freeman (Toronto, Ontario) matched his career high with three points, netting two goals to go along with one assist. Sophomore Shane Conacher (Burlington, Ontario) and freshman Nolan Sheeran (East Amherst, N.Y.) paced the Canisius attack with two assists apiece.
Junior Ralph Cuddemi (Concord, Ontario) and senior Tyler Wiseman (Burlington, Ontario)added goals for the Griffs in the win.
Freshman Reilly Turner (Temiscaming, Quebec) recorded 24 saves to earn a victory in his first collegiate start.
After a scoreless first period, both teams struck with a goal in the second frame. AIC opened the scoring when Jackson Dudley snuck one past Tuner short-side for the 1-0 lead with 15:01 remaining.
Canisius squared the game at one when Cuddemi netted his team-leading fourth goal of the season, connecting on the power play with 8:49 left in the second. Off a rush, Freeman fired a shot on net and Cuddemi was there to knock the rebound in. Conacher added an assist on the extra-man tally.
The Griffs then added three goals in final frame for the second-straight night with Freeman leading the charge with two tallies. The senior gave Canisius the lead for good with his second goal of the season, knocking in his own rebound just as a Griffs power play expired. Sheeran registered his first assist of the night on the goal 3:45 into the frame.
Freeman then extended the Canisius lead just 1:39 later, connecting on the team’s second power-play goal of the night. Off a rush, Conacher found the senior open on the back door and Freeman found the back of the net for the two-goal advantage. Sheeran added an assist as Canisius took a 3-1 lead with 14:36 left in regulation.
The Yellow Jackets pulled within one with 7:17 remaining in the game when Bryant Christian knocked in a rebound but the Canisius defense, behind Turner, closed the door from there. The Griffs sealed the victory when Wiseman netted an empty-net goal with 18.2 seconds left in the game – assist to senior Doug Beck (Plymouth, Mich.) – as Canisius earned the sweep and 4-2 win.
The Griffs finished the game with a 35-26 advantage in shots. Canisius was 2-for-6 on the power play, while killing both of the Yellow Jackets’ extra-man chances.
Canisius now can look ahead toward the opening of HARBORCENTER next weekend. The Griffs host Ohio State for two games, beginning on Friday at 7:35 p.m., at the school’s brand new rink in downtown Buffalo.
Game Notes: Canisius has scored 11-of-18 goals this season during the third period (61.1 percent) … The Griffs, who were a perfect 3-0-0 on Friday this season, won for the first time in three tries on Saturday … Turner is now 2-0-0 as a rookie after earning a win in his first collegiate appearance in relief … Canisius is 15-1-2 in its 18 games against AIC … Freeman now leads the Griffs with seven points this season (3g, 4a).
