Sophomore Nick Hutchison tallied two power play goals to lead Canisius to a 4-1 victory over Robert Morris in Atlantic Hockey action Saturday at KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER.
Senior Mike Sabatini and junior Dylan McLaughin also scored for the Golden Griffins (1-1-0, 1-1-1 AHC), who picked up their first victory under new head coach Trevor Large. Michael Louria was responsible for the lone Colonials (1-1-0, 1-1-0 AHC) goal.
McLaughlin opened the scoring at the 6:14 mark of the first period, firing a feed from senior David Parrottino past RMU netminder Andrew Pikul from below the right faceoff dot for his first goal of the season.
Louria tied the game at 1-1 just 28 seconds after McLaughlin’s strike, finishing off a Colonials rush with a backhanded shot by the blocker of Griffs goaltender Daniel Urbani for his second goal of the campaign.
Hutchison restored Canisius’ lead just before the midway point of the first with his first power play tally of the game, taking a feed from junior Cameron Heath in the neutral zone and splitting the Colonials defense before sliding the puck between the legs of Pikul to make it a 2-1 game.
Hutchison struck again while Canisius had the man advantage, doubling the Griffs’ margin to 3-1 at the 11:51 mark of the second period when he deposited sophomore Matt Hoover’s backdoor feed in the back of the net.
Sabatini closed out the scoring with 9:38 elapsed in the third period, beating Pikul with a shot from the bottom of the right faceoff during a delayed penalty call.
Urbani made 23 saves in goal for Canisius as he recorded his first collegiate victory. Pikul turned aside 27 shots between the pipes for the Colonials.
Head Coach Trevor Large’s Postgame Comments
“It’s a special feeling. I know there were a lot of firsts that happened tonight. Daniel Urbani got his first win. That’s always a great thing for the program and obviously, it’s a pretty special night for me getting the first win (as head coach).
“I was able to celebrate with the guys after the game, so all my feelings and emotions go to that; a great team win.”
Game Notes
Canisius trimmed its deficit in the all-time series with Robert Morris to 9-17-3 with Saturday’s victory.
The Griffs improved to 15-0-0 since the start of the 2016-17 campaign when scoring four or more goals in a contest.
Canisius is now 18-0-0 since the start of the 2016-17 season when leading after 40 minutes.
Junior Dylan McLaughlin recorded multiple points in the second straight contest, finishing with a goal and an assist Saturday. The Griffs are now 15-1-0 when McLaughlin tallies two or more points in a game during his career.
Sophomore Nick Hutchison tallied a pair of power play goals as he recorded multiple goals in a game for the third time in his career and the first since a two-goal performance against RIT last January.
Hutchison, McLaughlin and junior Ian Edmondson and sophomore Matt Hoover each extended their active point scoring streaks to three games, dating back to the end of the 2016-17 season.
Up Next
Canisius continues its season-opening homestand Oct. 21 when it faces ECAC Hockey opponent Colgate in a 7:35 p.m. contest at KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER.
Canisius will “pink-out” KeyBank Rink in HARBORCENTER in support of the American Cancer Society’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign.
