One night after earning a victory against NCHC foe Western Michigan, the Canisius College hockey team was unable to complete a sweep in a 4-1 setback at First Niagara Center on Saturday night. Both schools are now 1-1-0 after the season-opening series.
“We learned a lot this weekend, not only about ourselves about the necessary tenacity it takes to win both games in a weekend,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “We had it last night but Western Michigan had it tonight. There were a lot of positives that we learned and what we want to build on and carry into league play.”
Senior Tyler Wiseman (Burlington, Ontario) netted the Griffs lone goal on the night, tallying his second of the season in as many nights.
Senior Keegan Asmundson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) started for the Griffs and recorded 22 saves, while junior Adam Harris (Penticton, British Columbia) posted two stops in relief.
The Broncos took control of the contest right from the start, using an 11-1 shot advantage through the first 11-plus minutes to take the lead in the game. Sheldon Dries fired a shot from the boards on the goal line and it snuck past Asmundson for the early 1-0 advantage7:01 into the contest.
Dries then scored again to extend the Western Michigan advantage to two 8:04 into the second frame. Chris Dienes found his teammate open on the backdoor with a man advantage for the 2-0 lead.
Canisius cut its deficit in half when Wiseman scored on the power play. Senior defenderStephen Farrell (Ottawa, Ontario) fired a shot towards goal that was deflected by Wiseman and into the back of the net for the 2-1 tally. Senior Doug Jessey (Langdon, Alberta) also registered an assist on the goal with 9:38 remaining in the period.
Western Michigan, however, put the game away with two goals in the third period. Michael Rebry got past the Canisius defense and finished 3:49 into the period for a 3-1 lead. Kenney Morrison then struck on the power play just 1:52 later with a blast from the blue line for the 4-1 final score.
The Broncos finished the game with a 28-15 advantage in shots. Western Michigan was also 2-for-5 on the power play, while the Griffs went 1-for-5.
Canisius now turns its attention toward Atlantic Hockey action, opening league play at Army next weekend. The schools are set to begin the two-game series on Friday at 7:05 p.m.
Game Notes: Canisius was looking to start the year 2-0-0 for the first time since the 1998-99 season … Jessey now leads the team with three points through two games … Western Michigan converted 4-of-9 power plays during the weekend … The Griffs fell to 2-6-0 all-time against Western Michigan … Freshmen David Bennett, David Parrottino and Nolan Sheeran all saw their first collegiate action in the defeat.
