By Abelson, Jarrett L <[email protected]> —
Sophomore Simon Gravel tallied two goals and sophomore goaltender Jacob Barczewski recorded 31 saves to pace Canisius in a 3-1 victory over Mercyhurst In Atlantic Hockey Association action Tuesday at the Mercyhurst Ice Center in Erie, Pa.
The Golden Griffins (4-2-0, 4-2-0 AHA) never trailed in the contest as Gravel found the back of the net in the first and second periods before fellow second-year forward Keaton Mastrodonato added an insurance marker in the final minute to secure the win.
Rylee St. Onge accounted for the lone goal for the Lakers (7-9-1, 6-6-1 AHA) while Kyle McClellan made a season-high 36 stops between the pipes for the home team.
Gravel opened the scoring at the 15:43 mark of the first period, sneaking a wrist shot past the left shoulder of Kyle McClellan from the right faceoff circle for his third of the campaign.
Mercyhurst responded a little more than two minutes later at St. Onge converted a breakaway opportunity for his first goal in a Laker uniform to knot the score at 1-1.
Gravel restored Canisius’ advantage near the midway point of the second as he was rewarded for his drive to the net as a rebound deflected off of him and past McClellan to make it a 2-1 contest.
Mastrodonato closed out the scoring with an empty-net goal in the final minute of regulation, hitting the vacant Laker net from center ice for his fourth goal of the season to make it a two-goal contest.
Head Coach Trevor Large’s Postgame Comments
“Tonight felt like a gritty character win on the road against a very good Mercyhurst team. Our guys were exhausted at the end of the game and it’s an understanding that we now have that it requires everything from everybody to win any game in Atlantic Hockey. There were individual performances that were that were required; there were little plays from lots of guys. Great discipline from us to not take a penalty and still play hard and tough. So, it’s a great win. Going home with three points is always the goal and now we’re excited to play some home games.
“It’s two teams that played a disciplined hockey game. It’s also the referees that are a piece of that. They did a nice job of understanding the tempo that the game was being played at. The disciplined moments for us happened after the first 10 minutes of the first period, where the team that has only played five games and have had a whole bunch of breaks between didn’t really understand what it’s like to play in a game and that’s fair. Would I have liked us to have started stronger? Yes, for sure. But the discipline also goes in those moments where Mercyhurst had control of play and we were scratching and clawing for our game. In doing so, we weren’t undisciplined and running around and taking penalties. So, it gave us a chance to play 5-on-5 and we got those bumps under our belt so everybody on our bench could understand, ‘oh this is what a game feels like again.’ That was very important. Discipline is one of the three most important things that we talk about all the time. So, discipline showed up tonight, obviously in not taking a penalty in the game, but also the discipline to find our game was really important for our team and I’m extremely proud of them for that.
“(Jacob) Barczewski was unbelievable night. We really needed him. The first 10 minutes he was spectacular. He was the most-ready to play wearing Blue & Gold tonight to start the game. So, that was great to see. He was spectacular during moments in the third period in a one-goal game where he had to make some really big saves. So, his performance puck drop to buzzer was phenomenal. He had a special night tonight.
“Simon (Gravel), he’s producing. That’s part of what he needs to do for our team. He’s working hard, he’s finding his game, and as he’s doing so, he’s putting the puck in the net. An unbelievable goal he scored in the first period and a great effort on the second goal. He’s beating guys in white jerseys up the ice and has an unbelievable effort that ends up going in. So, for him, he’s scratching and clawing for his game just like we all are and at the same time he’s producing, so that’s a great thing for our team.”
Game Notes
• Canisius extended its unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1) against Mercyhurst with Tuesday’s victory. The win was also the fourth straight for the Griffs over the Lakers at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
• Canisius out-shot Mercyhurst by a 39-32 margin for the contest, highlighted by a 16-10 advantage in the second period.
• The Griffs had the only power-play opportunity of the evening as Canisius was not called for a penalty for the first time this season.
• Canisius improved to 3-0-0 this season when leading after 40 minutes and when scoring the first goal of the contest.
• Mastrodonato tallied multiple points in a game for the first time this season and the fourth time in his career with a goal and an assist on Tuesday. The sophomore forward has now recorded a point in all five games he has played versus the Lakers during his career (5g, 4a).
• Gravel tallied multiple goals in a game for the first time in his career with his two-goal effort on Tuesday. The outing was also the first multi-point performance of his collegiate career.
• Junior Mitchell Martan extended his point-scoring streak to a career-long five game with his assist on Gravel’s second-period goal.
• Barczewski recorded 30 or more saves in a game for the third time this season and the ninth time in his career with his 31-save effort on Tuesday.
• Both starting goaltenders, Barczewski (O’Fallon) and McClellan (Manchester), hail from the state of Missouri.
Up Next
• Canisius is scheduled to welcome No. 19 Robert Morris to LECOM Harborcenter for a pair of Atlantic Hockey contests Feb. 12-13.
• Start time for both contests is set for 7 p.m.
