BUFFALO, N.Y. – Nick Bowman’s goal at 17:59 of the second period and Jacob Barczewski’s 24-save shutout were the difference as Canisius defeated Holy Cross 3-0 for its second Atlantic Hockey championship.
The Golden Griffins tacked on a pair of empty-net goals in the final minutes to seal the victory.
“Down the stretch, the second half of the year, (Canisius) was the best team in our league,” said Holy Cross coach Bill Riga. “Maybe not by a lot but enough.
“It was a great hockey game. We got down by one and hit a few posts. Just wasn’t able to find a way to get one past Barczewski.”
“It was an unbelievable hockey game,” said Canisius coach Trevor Large. “It took everybody; it took everything we had.”
The teams played almost forty minutes of scoreless hockey before Bowman’s goal, with Barczewski and Crusaders goaltender Json Grande coming up big when called upon.
“I felt both teams were coming off three-game series, now to play one game, we both did look a little tentative,” said Large.
“When Nick Bowman scored that goal, when that one finally went in, there was relief, excitement, and then clear focus.”
Bowman’s goal came with 2:01 left in the second. Defenseman Jackson Decker moved the puck to the slot area before finding Bowman low in the left face-off circle. Bowman’s shot went over the shoulder of Grande to make it 1-0.
“I had my head down,” said Bowman. “Just shot it as hard as I could. Once we got that 1-0 lead, we knew we could trust (Barczewski).”
Bowman’s goal was the only tally until late in the third when Holy Cross pulled Grande for the extra attacker with 2:01 left.
Canisius then scored a pair of empty-net goals to seal the win – Marcus Boguslavsky at 18:32 and Keaton Mastrodonato at 18:57, sending the sellout crowd of 1,807 home happy.
“So proud of our guys,” said Large. “Harborcenter was rocking, that helped us out for sure.
“The last 10 minutes were exactly what we needed to do in a 1-0 game. And when Barczewski’s dialed in like this, when he plays like this, he’s very difficult to score on.”
Barczewski, voted tournament MVP, made 24 saves for the shutout, his second of the postseason. In seven playoff games, he posted a .963 save percentage and a GAA of 1.14.
“We came out with kind of a chip on our shoulder,” said Barczewski. “When we lost to AIC (in the 2021 championship game), a lot of us kind of wore that one and we wanted to get to this spot again. We knew we were capable of it.
“I’m just a small part of that, to do my job which is to give these guys a chance.”
It was Holy Cross’ first time in the championship game since 2006. The Crusaders, picked to finish last in the preseason coaches poll, defeated top-seed Rochester Institute of Technology and second-seeded American International to get to the title game.
“To get here, to go from being picked for tenth, was a heck of a run,” said Riga. “We got some chances in front, shot it over the net, hit a few posts. It’s cruel. That’s hockey.”
Canisius will most likely travel to Fargo, N.D., to face top-seeded Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“Our destiny is in our hands,” said Bowman. “If we play the way we are capable of playing…there’s not a lot that can stop us.”
All-Tournament Team
F: Nick Bowman, Canisius
F: Liam McLinskey, Holy Cross
F: Keaton Mastrodonato, Canisius
D: Jackson Decker, Canisius
D: Jack Robilotti, Holy Cross
G: Jacob Barczewski, Canisius
MVP: Jacob Barczewski, Canisius
