Canisius (4-4-2, 3-2-1 AHA) vs. RIT (2-6-1, 1-4-1 AHA)
Dates: Friday, November 14 / Saturday, November 15
Times: 7:35 p.m. / 7:35 p.m.
Location: Buffalo, N.Y. / HARBORCENTER
TV/Webcast: America One Network
Live Audio: GoGriffs.com
DI Series History: RIT leads, 18-9-0
After playing its first six conference games on the road, the Canisius College hockey team returns to HARBORCENTER to face Atlantic Hockey foe RIT. The teams are set to meet on Friday and Saturday at 7:35 p.m.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFS
• After earning one point in a weekend series at Sacred Heart, Canisius is 4-4-2 on the season and 3-2-1 in league play.
• Sophomore Shane Conacher leads the team with 11 points, four goals and seven assists this season. Junior Ralph Cuddemi also has four goals, while freshman Nolan Sheeran also has seven assists.
• Senior Keegan Asmundson owns a 3.13 goals against average and .894 save percentage in seven starts this season.
SPECIAL RETURNS
• Through 10 games this season, the Griffs are proving to be a threat when there is an uneven number of players on the ice.
• Canisius has scored 13 special teams goals this year, netting 10 on the power play and three short-handed. The team has scored 52 percent of its non-empty net goals this season on special teams (13-25).
• In six AHA games, Canisius has scored 10 times on special teams (of 17 non-empty-net goals) – three more than the next highest team.
CONACHER TAKES SCORING LEAD
• Sophomore Shane Conacher is now the team’s leader in points and is now one of the hottest players in the country once he got going.
• Conacher leads Canisius with 11 points, four goals and seven assists. He recorded a point on four of the team’s six goals last weekend, including a career-best three points on Saturday.
• After not recording a point in three of the first four games, Conacher has nine points (3g, 6a) in the last six contests. His nine points during the last three weeks are tied for the third-most nationally in that time.
TOP LINE OF SUCCESS
• No matter the combo, Canisius has relied on its top line for scoring.
• Of the team’s 28 goals this season, 16 have been scored with the team’s top unit on the ice (57.1 percent).
• Shane Conacher, Ralph Cuddemi, Mitch McCrank, Ryan Schmelzer and Nolan Sheeran have also seen time on the line this season.
CANISIUS – RIT SERIES HISTORY
• In a series that dates back to the Griffs’ inaugural season of 1980-81, RIT holds a 48-15-1 advantage in 64 all-time meetings between the two schools.
• Canisius has played only Mercyhurst more than the Tigers during the program’s history.
• Since RIT moved to Division I for the 2005-06 season, the Tigers own an 18-9-0 edge in the series.
• The series has been very competitive since the seniors first arrived on campus with Canisius holding a slight 5-4-0 edge in the previous three seasons.
• Last season, the Tigers won 2-of-3 meetings against the Griffs, including handing Canisius its only pointless weekend of the season.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
• RIT is winless in its last five games (all against conference foes) after opening the Atlantic Hockey schedule with a win. Overall, RIT is 2-6-1 on the year and 1-4-1 in league play.
• Josh Mitchell leads the Tigers with 11 points on two goals and nine assists. Matt Garbowsky is right behind with 10 points, including a team-best five goals.
• Jordan Ruby and Mike Rotolo have both started four games in net for RIT. Ruby owns a 1-2-1 record with a 2.73 goals against average and .911 save percentage, while Rotolo is 1-3-0 with a 4.29 goals against average and .845 save percentage.
