Date: Saturday, March 20 | Time: 7:05 p.m. | Location: MassMutual Center/Springfield, Mass.
Live Stats:Via AICYellowJackets.com | TV/Webcast: FloHockey.tv
The Canisius hockey team looks to capture the second conference title in program history when it faces No. 15 AIC Saturday in the championship game of the 2021 AHA Tournament at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
Puck drop for the matchup between the Golden Griffins and Yellow Jackets is set for 7 p.m. The winner of Saturday’s championship contest will earn the league’s automatic berth into the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Scouting Canisius
• Canisius is making its third championship game appearance and first since the 2013-14 season after advancing to the title game with a 4-3 overtime victory versus No. 19 Army in the semifinal round on Friday.
• Sophomore forward Keaton Mastrodonato has paced the Canisius attack this season, leading the squad in goals (9) and points (18) while also tied for the team lead in assists (9). Mastrodonato has done most of his damage since the start of February, leading all of Atlantic Hockey with 13 points (6g, 7a) scored in that span.
• Junior forward and linemate Mitchell Martan ranks second on the squad with 15 points, recording six goals to go along with his team-leading nine assists. Martan tallied a power-play goal in the second period of Friday’s semifinal contest.
• In goal, junior Matt Ladd and sophomore Jacob Barczewski have split time between the pipes this season. Together, the tandem has combined to post a .920 save percentage and 2.52 goals against average in 904 minutes of action. Barczewski got the start in the semifinal matchup against Army and made 26 saves.
• Canisius has found its scoring touch as the game has progressed this season as it has tallied 48 of its 57 goals after the first period in 2020-21. The Griffs have been outscored by an 17-9 margin in the opening 20 minutes of play this season, but own a commanding +24 goal differential over its opponents during the remaining 40 minutes of regulation and overtime (48-24).
Last Time Out
• Junior J.D. Pogue scored at the 13:23 mark of overtime to lift Canisius to a 4-3 victory over No. 19 Army in the second semifinal of the 2021 Atlantic Hockey Association Tournament Friday at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
• In the first postseason meeting between the two programs, sophomore Simon Gravel, junior Mitchell Martan and freshman Max Kouznetsov also scored for the Golden Griffins.
• Canisius trailed 1-0 until it used goals from Gravel and Martan just 46 seconds apart early in the second to take a 2-1 lead.
• Army responded with two goals in the opening half of the third to move back in front, 3-2, but Kouznetsov tied the game with a power-play goal with 5:02 remaining to send the game to overtime, setting the stage for Pogue’s heroics.
• Sophomore Jacob Barczewski made 26 saves between the pipes for Canisius, who held a 31-29 shot advantage for the contest, highlighted by a 10-6 edge in the third period.
• Canisius was 2-for-5 on the powerplay while Army was 0-for-2 with the man advantage.
Scouting AIC
• AIC will attempt to defend its AHA Tournament title after it advanced to the championship game with a 2-1 triumph over Niagara in the first semifinal contest Friday at the MassMutual Center.
• Seniors Tobias Fladeby (9g, 7a) and Chris Dodero (6g, 10a) and junior Chris Theodore (3g, 13a) highlight a balanced and potent Yellow Jackets attack that is averaging 3.59 goals per game as the trio is tied for the team scoring lead with 16 points each.
• Senior Brennan Kapcheck, the AHA Eastern Pod Player of the Year and Best Defenseman honoree, highlights an AIC blueline that has limited opponents to an average of just 22.5 shots on goal per contest in 2020-21.
• Senior Stefano Durante has seen the majority of time between the pipes for the Yellow Jackets this season, compiling a 2.19 goals against average and a .908 save percentage in 11 starts.
Canisius-AIC Series Notes
• In a series that dates back to the 1992 season, the Griffs hold a 40-22-7 all-time record against the Yellow Jackets, including a 40-19-7 edge in Division I meetings. Canisius’ 40 victories against AIC are the most by the Griffs against any school at the Division I level.
• The Yellow Jackets have held the edge in the series of late, winning each of the last five meetings between the two programs dating back to the 2018-19 season.
• Canisius holds an all-time mark of 18-11-1 in road contests against the Yellow Jackets. The Griffs were swept in their most recent series against AIC at the MassMutual Center back in December 2019, with the Yellow Jackets posting a 6-0 victory in the opener before rallying for a 3-2 overtime victory the following day in the finale.
• Canisius and AIC have met just twice before in the postseason, with the team’s splitting their previous four matchups. The Yellow Jackets knocked off the Griffs in a first-round matchup in 2007 before Canisius defeated AIC in three games in a quarterfinal round series at LECOM Harborcenter in 2018.
(Canisius College Hockey Photo)
