Canisius (8-11-1, 7-5-1 AHA) vs. Bentley (11-8-2, 9-3-2 AHA)
Dates: Saturday, January 18 / Sunday, January 19
Times: 12:05 p.m. / 12:05 p.m.
Location: Buffalo, N.Y. | Buffalo State Sports Arena
TV/Webcast: America One Network
Live Audio: GoGriffs.com
DI Series History: Canisius leads, 23-21-3
The Canisius hockey team continues Atlantic Hockey play this weekend with a pair of home games against Bentley. The Griffs host the Falcons at the Buffalo State Sports Arena on Saturday and Sunday at 12:05 p.m.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFS
• Canisius (8-11-1, 7-5-1 AHA) split a pair of one-goal games last weekend against Sacred Heart.
• Kyle Gibbons leads the Griffs with 19 points and nine goals this season, while Ralph Cuddemi is second with 14 points (7g, 7a).
• Senior Tony Capobianco (3.33 gaa, .902 sv pct.) and junior Keegan Asmundson (2.35 gaa, .935 sv pct.) have split time in goal this year.
THE MOST DANGEROUS LEAD IN HOCKEY
• It is often said that a two-goal advantage is the most dangerous lead in hockey and the Griffs helped prove that last weekend.
• In the weekend split with Sacred Heart, both teams won after trailing by two goals in the game.
• Unfortunately, it has been a theme for the Griffs this season.
• The Griffs have now lost three games this season when up by at least two tallies – a first for the program since the 2004-05 season.
• Overall, Canisius has lost a two-goal lead in five of the last 32 games after going 98-straight games without losing a two-goal advantage.
GRIFFS RALLY FOR VICTORY
• It’s not all doom-and-gloom for Canisius concerning two-goal rallies.
• Canisius came back from a 4-2 third-period deficit against Sacred Heart on Saturday and earned a 5-4 victory.
• It marked the first time that the Griffs won a game when down by two scores in the final period since a 4-3 win against Sacred Heart on Jan. 22, 2012.
GIBBONS LISTED ON HOBEY BAKER BALLOT
• Senior Kyle Gibbons is listed on the initial Hobey Baker ballot.
• Fans can vote for who they believe deserves the award as the nation’s top player by visiting hobeybaker.comand clicking the Vote for Hobey link.
• Voting closes on March 9 and the list will be narrowed down to 10 semifinalists on March 20.
• Gibbons leads the Griffs with 19 points and nine goals this season.
CANISIUS – BENTLEY SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to 1981, Canisius holds a slight advantage in the series, 24-22-3, including a 23-21-3 mark in Division I meetings.
• The schools have split the season series in each the last four seasons with each team claiming six victories during that span.
• Last season, the schools split four meetings with each team winning twice on its home ice. The Falcons took all four points during the regular season with 3-2 (overtime) and 7-2 victories in Waltham. Canisius then responded with a sweep in the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals with 4-0 and 2-1 wins in Buffalo.
ABOUT THE FALCONS
• Bentley enters the weekend second in Atlantic Hockey with a 9-3-2 conference mark. The Falcons are 11-8-2 overall this season.
• The team is coming off a home sweep against RIT last weekend, earning 8-2 and 4-1 victories.
• The Falcons feature four players with at least 20 points this season, led by Brett Gensler (14g, 15a) and Alex Grieve (16g, 13a) with 29 points each. Defender Steve Weinstein (1g, 26a) and Andrew Gladiuk (13g, 9a) have also chipped in over 20 points.
• Branden Komm has started all 21 games in goal for the Falcons this season, posting a 2.42 goals against average and .927 save percentage.
