NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Niagara University men’s hockey has paused team activities due to a positive COVID-19 test among the program’s Tier 1 personnel. Niagara’s games against St. Lawrence (January 13) and at Long Island (January 15-16) have been postponed. Makeup dates for those contests are still to be determined.

Niagara University is committed to the health and safety of the campus community during the pandemic and Niagara Athletics continues to follow all local, state, AHA and NCAA guidelines.

(NU Athletics Photo)

The Canisius athletic department announced yesterday that it is postponing the next three games for the Golden Griffins’ hockey team as the program remains on pause.

The games affected are home dates against RIT (Jan. 19) and Niagara (Jan. 22), as well as a road contest versus the Purple Eagles (Jan. 24).

Canisius went on pause on Jan. 8 after a positive coronavirus test result among the program’s Tier 1 personnel. Tier 1 individuals include student-athletes, coaches, managers and selected support staff.
 
The results were detected during regular coronavirus testing, which is being conducted three times a week in accordance with NCAA guidelines.
 
The men’s hockey program is following all institutional and Erie County COVID-19 protocols. The College, in cooperation with the Erie County Department of Health, are conducting contract tracing and will continue to take all appropriate measures in order to ensure the safety and well-being of all our student-athletes and coaches.

Canisius is scheduled to return to action Jan. 29 with a home contest versus LIU.

By Dan Ninham

By Aaron Todd <atodd@stlawu.edu> —

Philip Alftberg scored a power play goal in the second period, and Emil Zetterquist made 30 saves and stopped three out of five shots in the shootout to lead the St. Lawrence University men’s hockey team to a 3-2 shootout win following a 1-1 tie with Colgate in an ECAC Hockey contest at Appleton Arena on Sunday evening.

After falling behind 1-0 in the shootout, the Saints took control with goals  by Greg Lapointe and Cameron Buhl to extend the shootout after the teams were tied 2-2 after three shooters. Both Zetterquist and Colgate goaltender Carter Gylander made saves in the fourth round, but Nicholas Trela put the Saints ahead 3-2 with a shot through the five-hole in the fifth round. Zetterquist stopped the next shot to give the Saints the win in the shootout and two points in the ECAC standings.

The game was the third between the two teams in four games. St. Lawrence won the first game, 2-1 in Hamilton, and Colgate won the second game, 4-2, on Saturday at Appelton. With two points tonight, St. Lawrence earned five points in the series, while Colgate earned four.

The result moved the Saints, now 2-1-2 overall and in conference play, into sole possession of first place in the ECAC Hockey standings with nine points. Colgate moved to 2-3-3 overall and has six points in the standings with a 1-2-2 record in ECAC Hockey games.

After a scoreless first period, Alftberg gave the Saints a 1-0 lead on a blast from the blue line that ring off the crossbar and into the net halfway through the first period. The goal was the first of the season for Alftberg and St. Lawrence’s second power play goal of the year. Justin Paul and Cameron Buhl assisted on the play.

Colgate tied the score with a shorthanded goal less than five minutes into the third period, as Josh McKechney put away a rebound after Zetterquist made an incredible pad save on Nick Anderson’s shot.

St. Lawrence briefly thought it had taken the lead with just 3:15 to play in regulation, as Paul sent a loose puck on a rebound into the back of the net, but the officials ruled that there was goaltender interference on the play.

Lapointe had one of the best chances to score in the 3-on-3 overtime period, freeing himself up for an open shot from the slot, but he fired the puck off the crossbar and up into the rafters, stopping play.

Colgate had a 31-27 advantage in shots on goal; Gylander made 26 saves for the Raiders.

St. Lawrence was 1-for-3 on the power play and held Colgate scoreless on four power play opportunities, including 51 seconds of a 5-on-3 advantage in the first period.

St. Lawrence will go on the road on Wednesday to face Niagara in its first non-conference game of the year, then returns to the North Country for a home-and-home series with Clarkson, facing the Golden Knights at Cheel Arena on Friday at 5 p.m. before hosting their Route 11 Rivals on Saturday at 4 p.m.

(St. Lawrence athletic photo)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.  The Army West Point hockey team defeated AIC, 5-3, in what was a historic night for the program. The victory was the 1,000th win for the Riley family at the helm of the Army hockey program.

“Obviously this is a special night,” Head Coach Brian Riley said. “I know my dad and my brother would both say what an honor and a privilege it is to coach at West Point and be around these cadets. We will never forget this one and I am thinking about my dad and my brother after this win.”

The Riley era of Army hockey started in 1950, when a 30-year old John Patrick “Jack” Riley was named the 14th head coach in program history. One of the titans of American hockey, the International Hockey Hall of Famer led the United States Olympic Hockey team to its first Gold Medal in 1960. As the leader of the Black Knights, he claimed two Spenser Penrose Awards as the top coach in NCAA Division I hockey. 36 seasons and 542 victories later, he handed the keys to the program off to his son, Rob, who guided the Black Knights to 257 victories over 18 seasons. The two remain the winningest father-son duo in college hockey history. Brian Riley, the youngest son of Jack, was named head coach of the Black Knights in 2004 and has led the cadets to 201 victories over the course of his 16-year tenure. Brian himself has been no stranger to coaching accolades, as he boasts three Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year honors.

The Black Knights and Yellow Jackets met on Sunday for the third time in five days, with Army looking for a bounce-back effort after AIC fought back from a 3-1 deficit in the final three minutes on Thursday to win 4-3 in overtime.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first period, the Black Knights offense erupted for four goals in the second period. After Tucker DeYoung and Ricky Lyle gave Army the lead with goals in the first four minutes of the second, Colin Bilek scored two of his three goals on the night to extend the Army lead to 4-1. The junior completed his first-career hat trick with 3:33 remaining in the game to close out a 5-3 win for the Black Knights. Bilek has been red hot for the Black Knights, as he has now scored six goals over the team’s last three games.

“After the way we lost on Thursday, this is the kind of win you look back on when you think of the season as a whole,” Riley said. “This is a real character win for us. The guys were just looking to get back out there and get it done. We were in the same situation as we were on Thursday with a late lead and this is part of learning how to win. We got it done tonight and this is going to help give the guys some confidence.”

Trevin Kozlowski followed his 33-save performance on Thursday with a career-high 37 saves in this one. The senior netminder seemed to get stronger as the game went on, making 15 stops in the final period as AIC turned on the gas in the closing minutes of the game.

“Coming off a heartbreaker like we had on Thursday, we talked as a team about things we can improve on and Coach Riley said there is a lesson to be learned here where we can either teach or get taught. Next time we were in that scenario we needed to use what we learned and get the job done,” Kozlowski said. “As it turns out, we got that chance in the next game we played, and we got the job done against a top 20 team like AIC. This game was like a playoff game for us and we had to stand strong. This was a big deal for us.”

Kozlowski knows the Riley way as much as anyone, as he has spent time on teams with both Brian and Rob Riley.

“Having the opportunity to play under Coach the past three and a half years and having the privilege to be coached in high school and in tournaments under Coach Rob Riley, it’s an honor to be a part of a moment like this for Coach,” Kozlowski said. “It is a pretty surreal thing to be a part of and it is something we could all look back at and tell our families that we were here for this.”

HIGHLIGHTS AND NOTES

• The Riley family earned its 1,000th combined victory at Army.
• Colin Bilek continued his strong week, following his two-goal game on Thursday with his first career hat trick. The junior now has six goals (6-1-7) in the last three games. His four points (3-1-4) were also a career high.
• Trevin Kozlowski made a career-high 37 saves in the contest, with 15 coming in the third period.
• Ricky Lyle netted his first collegiate goal to give Army the lead early in the second period.
• Tucker DeYoung (1-1-2) posted his second multi-point performance of the season.
• After entering the game with just two power-play goals this season, Army’s power play unit erupted for four goals on five opportunities in the game. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
First Period

• AIC appeared poised to build off the momentum from its comeback victory on Thursday, opening the scoring with Tobias Fladeby’s AHA-leading ninth goal of the season at the 4:02 mark of the first period. 

Second Period

• The Black Knights turned the game around in the second period and caught fire, scoring a season-best four goals in the period.
• Tucker DeYoung tied the game just 42 seconds into the period. Colin Bilek rifled a puck off the post and DeYoung was right there to corral the rebound to even the score.
• Army would take the lead minutes later when John Keranen found freshman Ricky Lyle open in the slot. The rookie fired a wrister home for his first collegiate tally to give the cadets a 2-1 lead.
• A red hot Bilek made his first mark on the game just 40 seconds later, firing home a shot off the face-off to give Army its first power play goal of the night.
• He would find the back of the net for the second time later in the period, when he and Anthony Firriolo broke free on a two-on-one, giving Army a 4-1 lead.
• AIC would get one back on the power play on Zak Galambos’ third of the year.

Third Period

• AIC fought within one in the opening minutes of the third, when Eric Otto netted his first collegiate goal for the Yellow Jackets.
• With AIC threatening, Trevin Kozlowski made 15 of his career-high 37 saves in the final period.
• Bilek would once again convert on the power play, as he completed the hat trick with his third PPG, giving Army a 5-3 victory.

UP NEXT: Army will head on the road for two matchups with service academy rival Air Force on Jan. 15 and 16.

( West Point Hockey Photo and Story)

No. 20 Robert Morris Bests Niagara 

PITTSBURGH – A four-goal second period propelled the 20^th-ranked Colonials past Niagara in Atlantic Hockey Association action Sunday evening at Clearview Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa.

1st Period

•        Robert Morris got on the board first when Nick Jenny rifled one in from above the left-side face-off circle.

•        Sophomore Jason Pineo nearly found linemate Luke Edgerton for the one-timer to tie the game, but Edgerton’s shot went wide.

•        The Purple Eagle power play got an opportunity to tie the game late in the period; however, Robert Morris was able to kill the attempt successfully.

•        The frame came to a close with the Colonials leading 1-0. Niagara did register more shots (12-11) than RMU.

2nd Period

•        Robert Morris extended its lead to 3-0 in the early portion of the second period. The Colonials’ second goal came via the power play, and the third came from right in front. Justin Addamo scored both goals for the home team.

•        After a shorthanded goal from Robert Morris, Jack Billings tapped one home to get Niagara on the board. Walker Sommer and Ryan Naumovski got credit for the assist on the score.

•        Brian Wilson was replaced in net by Michael Corson following the game’s fourth goal by the Colonials.

•        Robert Morris added another tally to take a four-goal lead, 5-1, over Niagara heading into the final period.

3rd Period

•        Robert Morris scored its sixth and final goal of the game early in the third period.

•        The Niagara power play finished the game on a good note as Naumovski hammered home the Purple Eagle goal. The unit was 1-for-6 on the day.

•        Niagara finished the game with 54 shots, 27 of which were on goal. The Purple Eagles held the edge in face-offs, winning 35, compared to 28 for the Colonials. 

Game Notes

•        Junior Brian Wilson got the start between the pipes for Niagara, his second of the season.

•        Naumovski leads the Purple and White with eight helpers on the year. The sophomore also recorded his fourth multi-point game of the season.

•        Sommer has tallied 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) in the Purple Eagles last 10 games.

•        Brandon Stanley found his way onto the scorecard for the first time since Jan. 3 versus Air Force.

Up Next

·       The Purple Eagles will square-off with non-conference foe St. Lawrence Wednesday at Dwyer Arena. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m.