Do You Believe in Miracles? Yes!
How about that…twenty years to the day after the U.S. Olympic team upset the Soviets on their way to the Gold Medal in the 1980 Olympics, the Canisius College Ice Griffs pulled off a miracle of their own, knocking off NCAA tournament contender Niagara University, 2-1, in front of a packed house in Amherst, N.Y.
"I think [the win] is a big step for everyone," said Griffs coach Brian Cavanaugh. "I was talking before the game about how the league is trying to get to play games outside of the league. I hope a win like that helps to open some doors for all of us."
There may not have been an emotional, five-hole goal by Mike Eruzione, but there were plenty of unbelievable saves by rookie goaltender Sean Weaver. The freshman tender made 58 saves on the night as Niagara outshot Canisius 59-19.
The game-winning goal for the game came off some weird puck luck, when Niagara defenseman Chris MacKenzie had a pass deflect off his skate into the net. When asked if that was the type of break Canisius needed, Cavanaugh responded, "If they go in, they go in."
Cavanaugh continued, "We were outshot and outchanced all night long. But that’s not what people remember. The thing people remember down the road is it was a "W" for Canisius. And that’s what’s important."
Indeed it was, as the upset came in the only regular-season game played by a MAAC team on television.
It continues a string of games for Canisius in which they have performed well as underdogs.
"I was thinking last night that we played two against Mercyhurst, two against UConn and one against Niagara," Cavanaugh added. "If someone would’ve told me we’d go 4-0-1 over that span I thought they were crazy."
Weekly Awards
MAAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK Shawn Mansoff, Quinnipiac Jr. F, 6-0, 205 Edmonton, AB/University of Maine
Mansoff led Quinnipiac to two wins over Fairfield, scoring three goals and two assists on the weekend. Friday, Mansoff had two goals and an assist as the Braves won 8-0. Saturday he scored another goal and added an assist in Quinnipiac’s 6-1 win over the Stags. With the two multiple-point outings on the weekend, Mansoff raised his season total to 12 multiple-point games. On the season, Mansoff leads the MAAC in overall scoring with 24-19–43, including 22-17–39 in league games.
MAAC GOALIE OF THE WEEK Marc Senerchia, Connecticut Sr.,5-7, 165 Greenville, RI/Kimball Union Academy
Senerchia lifted UConn to two key wins over second-place Mercyhurst over the weekend, winning 4-2 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday. On the weekend, Senerchia stopped 73 of 77 shots including 40 on Friday night as the Huskies kept their home-ice hopes alive. On the season Senerchia is 12-13-1 with a 3.14 goals-against average and an .886 save percentage.
MAAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK John Gilbert, Iona Fr, F, 5-10, 175, St. Louis, MO/St. Louis Sting
Gilbert helped the sixth-place Gaels stay within striking distance of home ice advantage in the MAAC playoffs with a sweep of third-place Canisius. Friday the freshman registered a goal and an assist in the Gaels’ 3-1 win over Canisius. On Saturday he scored the game-winning goal as Iona knocked off the Ice Griffs 3-2. On the season the freshman forward has 6-4–10.
In Case of Ties
There’s a very good chance, somewhere in the league standings, that there easily could be a tie for a playoff position. According to MAAC hockey officials, the tiebreaker is NOT exactly what you’d expect it to be.
Many would expect ties to be broken by head-to-head record, but that is not the case in the MAAC. Head-to-head is the second criterion, while the first is number of league wins. And in case those two criteria don’t determine the positioning, the third is record against the top four teams in the league.
Maybe I’m missing something here, but what if there is a three-way tie for third place (which has great potential at this point). If that were the case, and if the top two criteria didn’t choose the winner, how would you know who the top four teams are?
And if all of this doesn’t settle it, it goes down to a coin toss as the final tiebreaker. Anyone have a three-sided quarter?
Playoff Hunting
All ten teams are still mathematically alive for the MAAC playoffs. Fairfield has to be considered on life-support, as the Stags are a loss or a tie or a Holy Cross win or tie away from playoff elimination.
So, as promised last week, here is a full preview of all five MAAC series this weekend:
American International vs. Quinnipiac College Friday at AIC, 7:00 E.T. Saturday at Quinnipiac, 7:00 E.T.
There probably couldn’t be a series featuring two teams so similar, yet so different. Among the similarities: this weekend’s series has major playoff implications for both. The differences stand in the implications themselves.
Quinnipiac is but a point away from clinching the MAAC regular-season championship for the second consecutive year. AIC, on the other hand, is two losses away from being eliminated from the playoffs.
AIC coach Gary Wright realizes the importance of the series, and is happy with how his team is playing entering the games.
"We’ve been a little more competitive over the last couple of weeks," said Wright. "I think we’ve improved throughout the year and the players have continued to compete."
Last weekend, in another crucial playoff series, the Yellow Jackets dropped three of four points to the Holy Cross Crusaders, the club they chase for the eighth and final playoff spot. Friday night, Wright explains, was a well-played game, but ended in a tie, which was disappointing for his club.
"We entered the third period down 2-1 and we stormed back to take a 4-2 lead," said Wright. "But they scored a power-play goal and then scored again with nine seconds left. That was a heartbreaker for us."
AIC, which is without leading goal scorer Oliver Gagnon, who broke his tibia, will also be without the services of Aaron Arnett, who also may be lost for the year.
"We’re not too proficient offensively, so having those guys out is significant," Wright said.
In regards to the Quinnipiac series this weekend, Wright remains optimistic.
"They’re the first-place team, and they have a lot of injuries too, but there’s an indication of depth," said Wright. "But we’ve competed pretty hard against them in the past which is nice. We’re going to need pretty solid goaltending and do all the little things right though, if we want to win."
Quinnipiac is possibly one of the more bruised teams in the league right now, a major concern for head coach Rand Pecknold.
"We didn’t dress a full contingent [last week against Fairfield], and we took our two wins and got out of there," Pecknold said. "We’re trying to stay focused on finishing out the regular season and staying healthy."
Pecknold recognizes that his club can clinch the league championship as early as Friday night, possibly allowing him to rest some of the injured players. But he also notes that may not help him entirely.
"We can rest the kids who are playing with the nagging injuries," said Pecknold. "But the losses of [Neil] Breen and [Ryan] Olsen for the season mean that we can’t get back to 100 percent. Resting players won’t bring those players back."
Pecknold says that he’ll have to change his team’s style a little bit, noting that the flowing offense that the Braves are noted for cannot really exist without his top guns. He hopes that this can work on Friday night, so that clinching the league title can become just a check mark on the "to do" list.
"We only need one win, but we want to go in a do it on Friday night. We do not want to let it linger around," Pecknold said.
AIC traditionally has been a thorn in the side of Quinnipiac. The Yellow Jackets were one of the few blemishes on the Braves schedule in the inaugural season of the MAAC, scoring a 5-4 win in January. Quinnipiac needed overtime in two wins against AIC late in the season.
"Every time we play AIC, they give us problems," Pecknold said. "This year we were down 2-1 going into the third with them. We just don’t match up well against them."
Picks: Quinnipiac can handle the sweep, but it won’t be easy. Friday night 3-2 in overtime, Saturday 4-2.
Sacred Heart at Mercyhurst Friday and Saturday, 7:30 P.M.
The swan song that looked to be a Cinderella season for the Mercyhurst Lakers came to a halt last weekend when, for all intents and purposes, the Lakers fell out of contention for the regular-season championship, losing to UConn twice.
Of course, it would be unlike coach Rick Gotkin to dwell on his team’s sorrows. Known for his wit and positive attitude, Gotkin looked for the positives.
"We lost so that makes it rough, but we played pretty good," said Gotkin. "UConn has a good club, so no one should be surprised. The three times we’ve played them they’ve been as good a team as we’ve seen."
Gotkin noted that his team generated plenty of offensive chances, outshooting the Huskies 42-20 in a 4-2 loss on Friday and then 35-29 in a 3-2 loss on Saturday.
Gotkin put it all quite simply, saying, "We played well, but we didn’t put the puck in the net.
"Goals are momentum. If you’re getting them, you gain, and give them up you lose. We’re not just getting the shots, we’re getting quality shots. The guys are working hard with a positive attitude. We’re just not putting the puck in."
Health is becoming a major factor for the Lakers. They lost right wing Chris Brotka for the season when he was cut in the back of the leg, requiring 40 stitches. High-scoring junior Eric Ellis is also out for two weeks, which will make offense a bit of a challenge against Sacred Heart this weekend.
Mercyhurst will face the Pioneers who are desperate for wins, trying to hold onto a home-ice spot. Gotkin realizes how desperate they may be, but doesn’t feel that is anything new.
"We’ve been in this boat the last couple of weeks but what we have to do is equal their desperation," said Gotkin. "We went to UConn and saw the exact same thing but [UConn] found a way to win. They needed one [win], they got two.
"We have to be up for the task. This is great for us, though, because it prepares us for the playoffs."
At the same time, though, Gotkin also realizes that the pressure is off his club. The Lakers have pretty much wrapped up the second position in the MAAC, needing just a tie in their last four games or a loss or tie by Canisius and Sacred Heart to clinch second place. Gotkin likes that scenario.
"I think it’s easier to play without pressure," Gotkin said. "You can be afraid to make a mistake when the pressure is on. But if we clinch the second spot, maybe we can rest a few a guys against Holy Cross.
"Guys know, though, that you can’t take a night off. We still have to play hard every night."
For Sacred Heart, it’s time to look forward not behind. That was evident when head coach Shaun Hannah was asked about his team’s split with seventh-place Bentley last weekend.
"Last not talk about last week, let’s talk about this week," joked Hannah.
It’s clear to him that this weekend is the biggest one of the year. His team has set goals in place already.
"We need at least two points, minimum," Hannah said. "We’re going there to get four [points] but we need two to get us [in position for] home ice."
Hannah’s Pioneers are currently tied with Canisius in third place with 27 points. That, though, is only two points ahead of fifth-place UConn, and three ahead of sixth-place Iona. Last weekend, in the split with Bentley, the club was able to show some positive signs, even though they stumbled at the wrong point in the season.
"We were down two goals and we got three quick ones on them [on Friday]," Hannah said. "Our guys showed a lot of heart and character in that game.
"But Bentley played like they were playing for their lives — which they were. They played us real tough both nights.
"Saturday we had some quality opportunities we didn’t score on. They hit us hard and played us real tough in front of their net."
Looking ahead to this weekend, Hannah said it’s "going to be a real tough battle. It’s a long road trip playing against the number-two team in the league. They may have had a tough stretch there, but they’re a tough hockey team."
One difference between the two clubs is injuries. Mercyhurst is filled with ’em, while Hannah reports his Pioneers are completely healthy.
Picks: This may be the series of the weekend. It’s very hard to call, so I’ll have to take a split. Sacred Heart wins on Friday, 4-2, before the Lakers do the deed Saturday by an identical score.
Connecticut vs. Fairfield Friday at Fairfield, 8:00 ET Saturday at UConn, 7:30 ET
"I don’t want to guys to get disillusioned. We’ve been battling inconsistency."
That was the proclamation of UConn head coach Bruce Marshall — and he pretty much sums up the first 18 weeks of the UConn season.
Last weekend, the Huskies knocked off second-place Mercyhurst, in what has to be considered a mild upset. Winning 4-2 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday, UConn rode the back of the MAAC Goalie of the Week, Marc Senerchia.
But that was last week. A week before that, the Huskies’ season was crumbling when they fell twice at home against Canisius, knocking them out of the final home ice playoff position into fifth place, where they stand today.
So every game, from this point forward, is a playoff game.
"The fact that we’re battling for home ice keeps the playoff feel," Marshall said. We try to just block everything else out. I don’t want to wait until the playoffs to have a new lease on life. We want to play like every game is our last game."
The fact that UConn faces Fairfield this weekend may look attractive. The Stags have not beaten the Huskies in two decades, with the last win coming in the 1979-80 season. That 15-game winning streak may look nice on paper, but in Marshall’s eyes, there’s always reasons to worry.
"Fairfield scored nine goals against Holy Cross and we don’t score nine on the weekend sometimes," said Marshall. "We’re good injury-wise. We have everyone to choose from this weekend. But they’ve got some younger freshmen that can put the puck on the net, and they’re playing to see if they can play until the end."
The Stags are coming off of a tough weekend sweep by Quinnipiac where they were outscored 14-1, and as was mentioned earlier, must win every game for the rest of the season to have a shot at the playoffs. With only one win in the last 14 contests, that looks bleak.
Picks: UConn will pull the plug on Fairfield’s life support system. UConn sweeps, 4-2 and 5-1.
Holy Cross vs. Iona Friday at Iona, 7:00 ET Saturday at Holy Cross, 7:00 ET
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Such is, or should be, the war cry of the Holy Cross Crusaders, who sit in the final playoff spot of the MAAC thanks to taking three out of four points from AIC last weekend.
The defending league champs, who may not even get a chance to defend their title if they fall over the next two weeks, know where the formula to success lies: goaltending.
Goaltending is a position that has been plagued by injury for the Crusaders dating all the way back to last season, when Tom Ormondroyd, who would have been the number-one goalie this season, ended his career with post-concussion syndrome.
But last year, Scott Simpson, a senior backup who hadn’t seen much time, was able to save the day — leading the Crusaders to the inaugural MAAC championship while collecting all-tournament team goaltending honors himself.
This season, a lot of the weight has fallen on rookie goaltending, and last weekend, that finally was a bright spot for the Crusaders.
"I thought we played our best weekend defensively that we have," said head coach Paul Pearl. "[Goaltender] Danny Bennett made some big saves for us."
When asked about goaltending Pearl said, "Danny doesn’t have a lot of experience but he’s learning on the job. I think he’s gone in and competed well. He’s in a tough situation."
The situation is made even tougher without the services of Matt Smith, a sophomore goaltender for Holy Cross who is out of the season with an injury.
One thing, though, that Pearl’s team does have that no one else can claim, is the title of defending champs. That’s something that he hopes can help his team make this playoff run.
"I think [experience] has helped us all season," Pearl said. "I’ve said to anyone who would listen that I have a great senior class.
"But because we’re defending champs, teams still get jacked up to play us."
Iona College is one team that hopes they can get "jacked up" this weekend when they face Holy Cross, as the Gaels are still three points out of the final home ice position, even though they were able to sweep third-place Canisius last weekend.
"Iona is scary and they’ve got kids that can score," said Pearl. "They are a very good team. The first time through [this year] we beat them and that’s in their minds."
Picks: Both teams are hot, but one is fighting for its life. Holy Cross COULD sweep, but it will be tough. I pick Iona on Friday, 3-2, and Holy Cross, 5-3, on Saturday. But that will probably be wrong.
Bentley at Canisius Friday, 7:00 P.M., and Saturday, 2:00 P.M.
As was mentioned earlier, Canisius is coming off of one of the biggest upsets in the program’s history, when they beat Greater Buffalo rival Niagara this past Tuesday. Though a great win for the program, not to mention the MAAC, head coach Brian Cavanaugh put it into perspective, saying, "I wish I could’ve gotten two points in the league for it."
Though Cavanaugh was as excited as anyone to knock off NCAA contender Niagara, the win comes after a frustrating weekend in Iona that ended a long road trip.
The Griffs fell to a hungry, and a bit healthier, Iona squad at the end of a three week span where five of six games were on the road. The losses were the only two on the road trip, which saw a sweep at UConn and a win/tie with Mercyhurst.
"I think we were road weary," said Cavanaugh. "We had been on the road for three straight weekend, and I left some players home who were sick and banged up or had academic responsibilities. But that shouldn’t take anything away from Iona. They did what they had to do to win.
Cavanaugh knows the one goal for his team — home ice in the first round — could come to fruition in the next two weeks, starting this week when they host seventh-place Bentley.
"We’re so close to [home ice] and our goal was to not have to get on the bus to play one game," Cavanaugh said. "We know that if we stay home we have better odds of getting to the final four."
And if Cavanaugh can get to the final four, two things ride on his side. One is experience — most of his players were part of the squad that last year lost in the championship game to Holy Cross.
The other is goaltending, an aspect that Cavanaugh admits was a question mark at the beginning of the year.
"Both of our goaltenders are playing well, Cavanaugh said. "Coming in to the season it was a question, as last year we used Bobby Janosz for most of the game. We were waiting to see who would come out as a number one.
"I consider [Stephen Fabiilli and Sean Weaver] a tandem. I’ve leaned a little bit more on Sean lately because he’s been hot. I’ve gone with the hot hand."
Hot he was when he made 58 saves against Niagara on Tuesday, earning a headline of "Dream Weaver" in a local newspaper.
Cavanaugh is very cautious as he enters the weekend series with Bentley, knowing that they have to play like their hockey lives depend on it.
"I haven’t underestimated Bentley at all," Cavanaugh said. "Last year they played Mercyhurst very tough. [Bentley coach Jim] McAdam has his kids fired up and they’re playing well.
For McAdam and his Falcons, there’s one thing that they don’t want to see this weekend, or for the rest of the season for that matter: overtime.
"It’s been so tough this season. We’ve had four overtime games and we can’t seem to win any," McAdam said. "I wish we could get a tie at the end of regulation and get a point [rather] than have a loss."
Bentley has gone to overtime six times, losing four of those contests, while tying the other two.
As the season comes to a close, McAdam admits that the move to the MAAC has been a learning experience for his club.
"It’s been a great year with great hockey," McAdam said. "But in the MAAC, if you’re not ready for every game, you’re going to lose. It was never like that at the Division II level."
McAdam is also happy to have captain Ryan Soderquist back in the lineup. The senior was suspended earlier this season for an incident involving abuse of an official.
"Soderquist is playing out of his mind," McAdam said. "When we lost him, the whole team was down in the dumps. Now that we have him back it’s like a new team."
McAdam doesn’t talk about the potential end to a season — if his club were not to make the playoffs — but tries to keep the hockey simple for the players.
"I’m telling these guys that we have to go out and play great defensive hockey. We’re playing better defensively. We’re holding the wings better coming out of their zone. That’s what’s going to make the difference in hockey games for us."
With four games left, that’s definitely the difference McAdam’s squad will need.
Picks: Buffalo is a long road trip for the Falcons, and if they’re going to get the wins they need, it won’t be this weekend. Canisius sweeps, 4-2 and 6-4.
Around the League
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL
AIC tied Holy Cross 4-4 on Friday and on Saturday feel to the Crusaders 4-3…The Yellow Jackets face Quinnipiac in a pair of MAAC Hockey League games Friday at home and Saturday at the Northford Ice Pavilion…AIC skated dropped a 4-2 decision to Quinnipiac on November 19 after holding a 2-1 lead after two periods.
BENTLEY
Bentley split a weekend series with Sacred Heart winning 2-1 on Saturday after dropping a 5-4 decision on Friday night…Bentley faces Canisius in a pair of league games Friday night and Saturday afternoon in Buffalo…Canisius defeated Bentley 6-4 on October 30…Defenseman Kevin Moglia (Sr., Lebanon, N.H. /Avon Old Farms [Conn.]) is approaching the all-time record for games played by a position player at Bentley. Currently he sits at 103 and is just two behind the record of 105, set by Scott Frerichs, who played from 1993-97…Ryan Soderquist (Stoneham, MA) had two goals and an assist this weekend. He had a goal and an assist in a 5-4 loss to Sacred Heart on Friday night and then assisted on the winning goal in the 2-1 victory over the Pioneers on Saturday. He is also Bentley’s all-time leading scorer (82-85-167)…Andy Peters (Saxtons River, VT) had a goal and two assists on the weekend. He had a goal and an assist vs. Sacred Heart on Friday and then assisted once in the 2-1 win over the Pioneers on Saturday. Peters has six goals and six assists for 12 points on the season.
CANISIUS
Canisius dropped a pair of close games to Iona losing 3-1 on Friday and 3-2 on Saturday, before upsetting Niagara on Tuesday, 2-1…The Ice Griffs host Bentley in a pair of games at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. Friday’s game is at 7:00 and Saturday’s is at 2:00…Stephen Fabiilli (Sudbury, Ont) made a career high 44 saves in Saturday’s loss, including 26 in the second period. .Senior defenseman Rob Othmann (Scarborough, Ont) went coast-to-coast to score his ninth goal of the year on Friday. Othmann leads all Ice Griffs’ blue liners with 9-13-22…Sophomore center David Deeves (Barrie, Ont) scored his team-leading 13th goal on Saturday against Iona. Deeves is tied with Othmann for second on the team in scoring with 22 points. Both trail sophomore forward Corey Lucas (Scarborough, Ont) who has 11-12-23… Friday’s loss at Iona snapped the Ice Griffs’ six game unbeaten streak.
CONNECTICUT
UConn swept second place Mercyhurst 4-2 on Friday on 3-2 on Saturday to maintain its chances at a MAAC playoff home-ice spot…UConn faces Fairfield in a pair of games this weekend Friday at the Wonderland of Ice and Saturday at home…UConn defeated the Stags 5-1 on January 11…Marc Senerchia (Greenville, RI) stopped 73 of 77 Laker shots on the weekend to earn MAAC Goalie of the Week honors…Ciro Longobardi (Wallingford, CT) leads the MAAC with seven power play goals overall. He leads the team with 13 goals overall…Eric Goclowski (Hamden, CT) scored one goal and an assist in Friday night’s game against Mercyhurst, including the eventual game-winner. He also recorded one goal in Saturday night’s win. His current stats stand at 6-7-13…Michael Goldkind (Silver Spring, MD) had 1-2-3 on the weekend. He leads the Huskies in scoring with 8-19-27…UConn held Mercyhurst’s high powered offense to just four goals in two games. The Lakers are second in the MAAC averaging 3.97 goals per game.
FAIRFIELD
The Stags dropped a pair of games to league-leading Quinnipiac 8-0 on Friday and 6-1 on Saturday… Fairfield meets UConn in a home and home series this weekend, Friday at home and Saturday away… Fairfield lost to UConn 5-1 on January 11. The Stags must win their four remaining games to have a chance at a MAAC playoff spot…Rae Metz (Kent, OH) has 16-20-36, the second most points for a Fairfield freshman in school history. He’s seven points away from the school rookie record of 43, set by Rich Bowler in 1974-75, the first year of varsity hockey. Metz is the only Stag to play in all 30 games this season…The Stags dressed just 13 skaters in both games against Quinnipiac last weekend. Fairfield hasn’t dressed of a full roster of skaters (18) since a 5-1 loss at UConn Jan. 11, 12 games ago…Freshman Joe Whelan (Island Park, NY) scored his first collegiate goal versus Quinnipiac Saturday night. He has 1-4-5 in 27 games this season…The Stags home game this Friday against UConn is senior night. Fairfield will honor its three seniors: forwards Michael Shaheen (Locust, NJ) and Bryan Cairns (Burlington, VT) and goaltender Rory Murray (Hingham, MA).
HOLY CROSS
Holy Cross took three points from AIC this weekend winning 4-3 on Saturday after tying 4-4 on Friday night…Holy Cross meets Iona in a home and home series this weekend Friday night at Iona and Saturday night at home…Holy Cross defeated Iona 6-2 on November 19. In that game, Chris Fattey (Hamburg, NY) set MAAC regular season records with five assists in one game and four points (0-4-4) in one period…Jim Whelan (Island Park, NY) chipped in three assists this weekend including a helper on the game-tying goal on Friday with nine seconds remaining. He is on a five game point scoring streak. and has scored one goal and 13 assists in the last 11 games…Senior forward Chris Fattey (Hamburg, NY) scored his first goal Saturday since returning from a broken wrist injury. He now has 6-15-21 on the season. Holy Cross is 2-1-1 since his return…Sophomore forward Pat Rissmiller (Belmont, MA) and Freshman forward Brandon Doria (Bayonne, NJ) are both on four game point scoring streaks. Rissmiller has scored four goals and eight assists in the last 11 games while Doria has scored six goals and five assists in his last 11 games. Doria leads the Crusaders in scoring with 10-14-24.
IONA
Iona kept its home ice playoff chances alive sweeping third place Canisius, 3-1 and 3-2…MAAC Rookie of the Week John Gilbert (St. Louis, MO) scored a goal in each game, including the game-winner on Saturday to lead the Gael attack…Iona meets Holy Cross in a pair of games, Friday at the Ice Hutch in Mt. Vernon, NY and Saturday at Holy Cross. The Gaels dropped a 6-2 decision to Holy Cross on November 19…Ryan Carter (Fort Nelson, BC) leads the team in scoring with 19-15-34. Carter’s five game-winning goals this season are the most in the MAAC and among the best in Division I hockey…Iona outshot Canisius 28-7 in the second period of Saturday night’s game…Co-captain Rob Kellogg (Ballwin, MO) reinjured his knee in Friday night’s game and may be lost for the rest of the season…The Iona defense shut down the Ice Griffs’ power play, stopping 7 of Canisius’ 8 power play attempts during the weekend series. The Gaels rank second overall in the MAAC in penalty killing (83.8%)…Iona goaltenders Ben Brady (Anchorage, AK) and Mike Fraser (Brandon, MB) each picked up a victory against Canisius. Fraser improved his record to 11-9 with a .917 save pct and a 2.63 GAA.
MERCYHURST
Mercyhurst lost two games to UConn 4-2 on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday…The Lakers host Sacred Heart for a pair of games Friday and Saturday at the Mercyhurst Ice Center…Mercyhurst defeated Sacred Heart 3-2 in overtime at the Milford Ice Pavilion on November 13. The Lakers erased a 2-0 third period deficit in the game. Senior forward Aaron Morrison (Uxbridge, Ont) won the game on a power play goal…With successive weekend losses at UConn, Mercyhurst suffered its first two-game losing streak since dropping three in a row to Colgate,(December 30), and Quinnipiac twice (Jan 7 and 8)…Counting the exhibition win over Windsor and four overtime ties, 22 of Mercyhurst’s 31 games have been decided by two goals or less or deadlocked (12-6-4)…In its last seven games (3-3-1), Mercyhurst has scored just 16 goals(2.3) but given up only 13 (1.9)…Mercyhurst needs just one win to clinch the second seed in the MAAC playoffs. The Lakers still have a mathematical shot catching first place Quinnipiac for the regular season championship.
QUINNIPIAC
The Braves swept Fairfield last week 8-0 on Friday and 6-1 on Saturday…Quinnipiac takes on American International in a home and home series Friday and Saturday night…Quinnipiac defeated AIC 4-2 on November 19 in Springfield, MA. The Braves erased a 2-1 third period deficit in the game…With a win this weekend, the Braves clinch their second straight MAAC regular season championship…Junior Jed Holtzman (Colorado Springs, CO) (34 goals, 69 assists) became the 14th player in Quinnipiac history to score 100 career points. Holtzman reached the century mark with an assist in Friday’s 8-0 win over Fairfield…With two wins at Fairfield, Quinnipiac improved to 11-2-1 on the road in 1999-2000, including a 10-1-1 mark in MAAC play…MAAC Player of the Week Shawn Mansoff (Edmonton, AB) had a five-point weekend (3-2-5) in the Braves’ two-game sweep of Fairfield…Chris Maniatis (Medford, Mass.) tallied four goals in the two wins over Fairfield, scoring two goals in each game. Maniatis improved his season scoring total to 10-10-20. He has scored at least one goal in each of his last four games, and has six multiple-point efforts on the season.
SACRED HEART
Sacred Heart split two games with Bentley. Friday the Pioneers rallied to defeat Bentley 5-4. Saturday the Falcons held off the Pioneers 2-1…Sacred Heart travels to Mercyhurst for a pair of games at the Mercyhurst Ice Center Friday and Saturday…The Pioneers lost 3-2 to Mercyhurst on November 13 in overtime…Martin Paquet (St. Catherine, PQ) tied a school single-season goal-scoring record on Friday with his 15th goal of the season. He now has 15-16-31 on the season…Alexis Jutras-Binet (Quebec, PQ) tied a school record for wins in a single season with 12. He 12-9-3 on the season…Lloyd Marks (Inverary, Ont), Derek Young (Whitby, Ont), and Paquet each scored a goal and two assists on Friday as the Pioneers erased a 4-2 deficit with 7:00 remaining in the third period to win 5-4.
