Men’s Hockey to Face RMU in Atlantic Hockey Semifinals at Blue Cross Arena on Friday

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – After defeating the third-seeded Air Force Falcons two games to one in the Atlantic Hockey Association Quarterfinals in Colorado Springs, Colo., the Niagara Purple Eagles advance to the AHA Semifinals in Rochester, N.Y. for the third consecutive season.  The Purple Eagles (15-19-5; 11-11-5 AHA) and fifth-seeded Robert Morris Colonials (17-17-5; 13-9-5 AHA) clash on Friday, March 21 at Blue Cross Arena one hour after the first matchup set to begin at 4:05 p.m.

Niagara earned a spot in the AHA semifinal round with a 2-1 series win over Air Force at the Cadet Ice Arena.  The Falcons squeaked by the Purple Eagles (2-1) in game one before Niagara stormed back with a pair of 4-3 victories, including a decisive game three win in overtime.  The Purple and White are 8-4-0 all-time in the AHA Tournament, including 2-3-0 away from Dwyer.  The first round series Niagara played against the AIC Yellow Jackets was the first since becoming a member of the AHA back in 2010-11 where the Purple and White dropped a 6-3 decision to cross-town rival Canisius in a single-elimination contest at Dwyer.

Robert Morris enters the weekend’s contests as the fifth seed, missing the first round by two points with a 13-9-5 conference record (17-17-5 overall).  The Colonials’ tournament journey put them past No. 12 Army in a trio of games during the opening round and a sweep over No. 4 UConn in series.  Niagara and RMU split the season series (1-1-1) as the teams battled to a 3-3 stalemate in game one at 84 Lumber Arena (Oct. 19) before trading wins in the home-and-home series (Feb. 13 and Feb. 15).

HOW TO CATCH THE GAMES

•   The semifinal matchup versus Robert Morris will be broadcasted live on 1340 WLVL and PurpleEagles.com, with Jeremy White on the call.

•   Live stats are available via www.purpleeagles.com and can be accessed from the main page under the event calendar section.

•   The contest can also be seen live on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.

NIAGARA IN THE AHA HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

•   Niagara is 8-4-0 all-time in the AHA Tournament, including 2-3-0 away from Dwyer and 6-1-0 at home.  The pair of wins at Air Force last weekend marked the first two road wins in AHA playoffs since becoming a member of the league in 2010-11.

•   This will be the Purple and White’s third consecutive trip to the league tournament semifinals.  Last year, Niagara knocked off the RIT Tigers in two games to advance to the Blue Cross Arena.  During the 2011-12 campaign, the Purple Eagles swept Robert Morris in the quarterfinal series.

HOW THEY GOT HERE – QUARTERFINAL RECAP

•  Niagara hockey earned a spot into the Atlantic Hockey Semifinals after taking two of three games against the Air Force Falcons in the quarterfinals series.  The Purple Eagles dropped the first game, 2-1 before storming back with a pair of 4-3 victories in the second and third game for the team’s first win at AFA since Feb. 12, 2011.

•  Game three saw senior Matt Williams score the game-winning overtime goal 4:49 into extra time, the team’s second OT victory of this season’s playoffs.

•  Hugo Turcotte had a three-point game in Saturday’s win off two goals and an assist, Patrick Conte pocketed a three-point series (2-1-3) which included a two-point evening during Sunday’s win and Matt Williams also secured three points (1-2-3).

•  Jackson Teichroeb earned the start all three nights, making a combined 89 saves, including 31 in the OT game for a 2.62 goals against average and a .918 save percentage to improve his record to 9-13-3.

NIAGARA LEADERS

•   Hugo Turcotte leads the team in scoring with 27 points.  Isaac Kohls is at the top of the statistical board in goals (12), while Turcotte, Ryan Rashid and TJ Sarcona are one behind with 11 goals each.  Turcotte has 16 assists to his name to lead the squad and Vince Muto is a close second with 14 helpers.

•   Matt Williams is first with a +17 plus/minus rating.

•   Turcotte leads the squad with 136 shots on goal. Patrick Divjak is close behind with 129 looks on net.

•  Freshmen goaltenders Jackson Teichroeb (9-13-3) and Adrian Ignagni (6-6-2) have split time, although Teichroeb has started the previous 10 games. Teichroeb owns a .910 save percentage and a 2.65 goals-against average.  

NOT FEELING THE PRESSURE

•   The newcomers have been vital to the Purple Eagles’ offense all season, and the pressure of playoffs have had no effect on the newbies who have scored 14 points (4-10-14).

•   Defenseman Vince Muto has a goal and two assists to his name, in five games, while freshman Patrick Conte has a pair of goals and an assist in that span.  Stephen Pietrobon and TJ Sarcona had added two points each, while Tyler Akeson, Kevin Patterson, Mike Conderman and Phil Nasca have added a point in five games.

SERIES HISTORY

•  The Purple Eagles and Colonials have played 50 times since first meeting in the 2004-05 season, and NU holds a 28-13-9 advantage.

•  Niagara was 2-1 against RMU in its three meetings last season, and went 1-1-1 this campaign.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

•  Robert Morris will take part in the AHA Final Four for the first time in program history after sweeping Connecticut in the quarterfinals.

•  The sweep came on the heels of 3-0 and 3-2  victories on UConn’s home ice.

SCOUTING THE COLONIALS

•  Robert Morris finished the regular season with a 13-9-5 AHA mark which earned them the fifth seed.  After the Colonials’ quarterfinal win over UConn, the team pushed its overall mark to 17-17-5.

•  The Colonials are averaging 3.33 goals a game and are allowing 2.95, placing them 10th and 41st in the nation, respectively.

•  The power play has gone 30-for-169 while the penalty kill is 129-for-171, ranking them 31st and 56th in the NCAA, respectively.

•  Robert Morris have a pair of players that have cracked the 40-point mark in Cody Wydo and Zac Lynch.  Wydo leads the team in scoring with 47 points on a team-leading 26 goals and is second on the squad with 21 assists.  Zac Lynch  leads the squad in helpers (23) and has added 18 goals for 41 points.  Scott Jacklin has also contributed offensively for RMU with 33 points (14-19-33).

•  Terry Shafer has been the go to netminder for the Colonials, playing in 35 of 39 games.  Shafer has made 971 saves for a 3.02 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.

NOT THE FIRST TIME

•  This will be the seventh time the Colonials and Purple Eagles will meet in postseason play.

•  They met in their second year in the AHA together with Niagara sweeping Robert Morris in a best-of-three quarterfinal series during the 2011-12 season.

•  The pair of wins were the fourth and fifth times the Purple Eagles beat the Colonials in postseason play overall, having eliminated them in single-elimination games in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Robert Morris’ only playoff win against Niagara came in 2009.

LOOKING FORWARD

•  No. 1 Mercyhurst will face No. 7 Canisius in the first semifinal at 4:05 p.m. on Friday. Canisius will look to repeat as the AHA Champion, while Mercyhurst is making the program’s third consecutive trip to the AHA Final Four.

•  Should the Purple Eagles advance from their semifinal game against Robert Morris, Niagara would play in the title game on March 22against the winner of the Mercyhurst-Canisius game.  The victor of the AHA Championship on Saturday will earn the automatic berth into the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

Murphy Earns Player of the Week Honors
Sophomore Forward Tallies Hat Trick in Quarterfinals

HAMILTON – Darcy Murphy took home his first weekly honor of the season as he was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Week on Wednesday.

Murphy recorded Colgate’s fourth hat trick of the season in the second game against St. Lawrence in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinals. He scored a goal in each period and had the gamewinner in the third period. Two of the three goals came on the power play.

The sophomore forward leads the team with 18 goals on the year. He joined Kyle Baun, Spiro Goulakos and Tyson Spink, as skaters with hat tricks this season. Colgate is tied with New Hampshire for the most hat tricks in the nation in 2013-14. Murphy has scored at least one point in six of the last eight games with seven goals and four assists for 11 points.

The Raiders are in Lake Placid getting set for the ECAC Hockey Semifinals on Friday night against Quinnipiac.The teams are set for the 7:30 p.m. faceoff and Union and Cornell with play prior to Colgate’s matchup at 4 p.m. at Herb Brooks Arena at the Olympic Center.

ECAC Hockey has partnered with Fox College Sports (FCS) to televise the 2014 semifinals and championship game March 21-22 at the 1980 Rink – Herb Brooks Arena. Eric Frede will be the play-by-play announcer with Cap Raeder providing color commentary and Sonny Waltrous on the sideline. Games will be on DirecTV as well. The channel location will be released the week of the championship. FCS Atlantic on all other cable subscribers.

ECAC Hockey tournament games will be available for viewing by a global audience and be aired through www.ecachockey.com. Fans can watch all games from the ECAC Hockey tournaments on mobile devices as well as standard PCs and Macs. The games will be available on iOS devices as well as Androids. Fans can either purchase a game for $9 (US) for viewing directly on a mobile device or purchase for viewing on a standard computer and add the mobile option for an extra dollar.

Canisius (16-20-3, 11-13-3 AHA) vs. Mercyhurst (21-12-7, 17-4-6 AHA)
Date: Friday, March 21
Time: 4:05 p.m.
Location: Rochester, N.Y.  |  Blue Cross Arena
TV/Webcast: Time Warner SportsChannel / America One Network
Live Audio: GoGriffs.com
DI Series History: Mercyhurst leads, 27-21-8

In a rematch of the 2013 Atlantic Hockey Championship, the Canisius College hockey team faces top-seeded Mercyhurst in the league’s semifinals. The teams are set to meet in Rochester on Friday at 4:05 p.m.

SCOUTING THE GRIFFS
• Canisius earned the seven seed for the AHA Tournament with an 11-13-3 league record (16-20-3 overall).
• Senior Kyle Gibbons leads Canisius with 37 points, 15 goals, 22 assists and eight power-play tallies this season.
• Senior Tony Capobianco has anchored the defense with a 2.75 goals against average and .916 save percentage.

DÉJÀ VU ALL OVER AGAIN?
• The Griffs have taken a very similar path to Rochester.
• Just like last season, Canisius earned the seven seed for the AHA Tournament and opened with a sweep against the 10 seed behind a strong defensive effort (Bentley in 2013, Sacred Heart in 2014).
• The Griffs then earned two one-goal victories against the second seed, including one in overtime (Air Force in 2013, Bentley in 2014).
• Canisius is now looking to finish it the same way. In 2013, the Griffs beat top-seeded Niagara and No. 6 Mercyhurst to win their first title.

CRANKING IT UP A NOTCH
• Junior Mitch McCrank has upped his game as of late and capped his strong run with the best game of his career.
• In the last 15 games, McCrank has totaled 14 points (6g, 8a) after recording just seven (1g, 6a) in his first 21 games of the season.
• The junior had the biggest game of his career in the Griffs’ 3-2 win on Sunday. He scored all three Canisius goals and netted the first hat trick of his career to lead the Griffs in the elimination-game victory.

MR. MARCH
• Senior netminder Tony Capobianco has saved his best for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament during his career.
• In 11 career Atlantic Hockey Tournament contests, Capobianco owns a 10-1-0 record (only loss came in overtime last weekend).
• The senior has registered a 1.92 goals against average, .948 save percentage and three shutouts during the 11 contests.

CANISIUS – MERCYHURST SERIES HISTORY
• Two-long time rivals, the Griffs have played the Lakers more than any other school in the program’s history. In 77 all-time meetings, Mercyhurst holds a 40-28-9 advantage against the Griffs, including a 27-21-8 edge in 56 Division I meetings.
• Friday’s matchup is a rematch of the 2013 Atlantic Hockey Championship Game – a 7-2 Canisius victory. Kyle Gibbons led the Griffs with a career-high four points (2g, 2a) in the win and earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honors.
• The schools are meeting for the sixth time overall in the postseason at the Division I level. Mercyhurst defeated Canisius in the 2001 semifinals, 2006 quarterfinals and 2008 quarterfinals, while the Griffs claimed the 2010 quarterfinals and 2013 championship.
• Canisius also won 2-of-3 meetings against the Lakers during the 2013-14 regular season, handing Mercyhurst half of its four conference losses this year.

ABOUT THE LAKERS
• Mercyhurst won the Atlantic Hockey regular-season title with a 17-4-6 conference record. Overall, the Lakers are 21-12-7 this season.
• The Lakers lead Atlantic Hockey and rank fifth nationally with 3.60 goals per game.
• Mercyhurst features five players with at least 30 points. Matthew Zay leads the team with 42 points and 17 goals. Daniel O’Donoghue is second with 41 points, including a team-best 27 assists.
• Jimmy Sarjeant has posted a 2.42 goals against average and .932 save percentage to anchor the defense. He has not lost a game to an Atlantic Hockey opponent with a 16-0-5 record.

AHA TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN
• Three road teams won last weekend and Mercyhurst was the only top-four seed to advance to Rochester for the tournament’s semifinals.
• Canisius became the lowest-seeded team to win the championship last year at seventh and are looking to repeat that feat again this year.
• The winner of Friday’s matchup between the Griffs and Lakers advances to Saturday’s title game against Robert Morris or Niagara. Canisius went 1-2-0 versus the Colonials this season and 0-2-1 against the Purple Eagles.

#14 Raiders Eyeing Whitelaw Cup
Men’s Hockey Heads to Lake Placid for ECAC Hockey Championship Weekend

HAMILTON – For the third time in the last four seasons, the 14th-ranked Raiders are heading to ECAC Hockey Championship weekend.

HAMILTON – Sophomore Darcy Murphy netted a hat trick as the Raiders eliminated St. Lawrence with a 4-3 win on Saturdaynight to move on to Lake Placid.

Murphy had initially assisted on the fourth Colgate goal, but it was determined that the puck went off a Saints defenseman and into the net. It was announced a goal for Joe Wilson. Murphy became the fourth Raider to score a hat trick this season.

The Raiders (19-12-5) got multi-point games from three other skaters with Wilson tallying three points on a goal and two helpers. Andrew Black and Ryan Johnston added two assists each in the win.

Charlie Finn kept the Raiders in the game multiple times as he stop two shorthanded breakaways for the Saints. Both came on tough turnovers at the offensive blueline. He made 23 stops with 10 in the second period.

St. Lawrence (15-19-4) saw Greg Carey get a great send off in his final game as a Saint with two goals with one coming on the power play. He finishes his senior season with 57 points on 18 goals and 39 assists. Matt Weninger also ended his Saints career with 20 saves. He played in 132 games for St. Lawrence with 51 career victories.

The Saints returned the favor to the Raiders from last night with a goal coming 1:40 into the game with Woody Hudson tapping in a loose puck in the crease. Brian Ward put a shot on net that Finn slowed down, but Hudson was there for the clean up at the far post and the visitors had a 1-0 lead.

Murphy answered for Colgate 48 seconds later to tie the game with his team-leading 16th of the season and first of three. He got a pass from Mike Borkowski and fired a shot from between the circles. Daniel Gentzler added the second assist.

St. Lawrence regained the lead with 4:47 left in the opening frame on a power play laser from Carey. Colgate committed its second penalty of the period and the Saints made them pay. Gavin Bayreuther slid a pass along the blueline and Carey loaded up for the shot. He connected on a snipe shot that Finn tried to stop but couldn’t as the puck went top shelf to give the Saints a 2-1 lead at the end of one.

The Raiders tied it up for the second time in the game with Murphy scoring again. The goal came on the power play as Wilson took shot through traffic from the point. The puck was blocked down to the stick of Murphy and from a difficult angle, he hit the open net to tie the game at 2-2.

Colgate blew it open in the first 10 minutes of the third period with a great tip in from Wilson and a power play goal from Murphy to give him the hat trick. Ryan Johnston fired a shot on net from the right side and Wilson tipped it home for his eight of the season to give Colgate its first lead at 3-2.

Murphy then got the hat trick. He took a shot from the point through traffic and it looked to have deflected off Wilson’s stick. However, after looking at video it was determined that the puck went off a Saint defender and into the net for the 4-2 lead.

Carey and St. Lawrence didn’t go away, however, the senior tucked a rebound between the pads of Finn to cut the lead to 4-3. The Saints earned an offensive zone faceoff with 31 seconds remaining and had the extra attacker on the ice. The Raiders were able to win the faceoff and captain Spiro Goulakos took the puck to the corner and fought off two Saint players for a good 20 seconds and St. Lawrence couldn’t get a shot on net and the Raiders took home the 4-3 win.

Colgate heads to Lake Placid this coming weekend and will face Quinnipiac in the semifinals on Friday with the time to be determined. Tickets will go on sale at the Colgate Ticket Office on Monday at 8 a.m. or by calling 315-228-7600.

Colgate Alumni Relations will be hosting a pregame reception at the Lake Placid Conference Center that is open to any alums, parents and friends of Colgate. To view all the information visit the Colgate.edu website.

Niagara Sends AHA Quarterfinals to a Third Game after 4-3 Win Over Air Force

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Behind a pair of goals from Hugo Turcotte, the sixth-seed Niagara Purple Eagles downed third-seeded Air Force, 4-3, on Saturday evening at the Cadet Ice Arena to send the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinal series to a decisive game three.

The Purple Eagles (14-19-5) also received goals from Vince Muto and Patrick Conte, while starting Niagara goaltender Jackson Teichroeb was a brick wall in between the pipes, making 23 stops.

The Falcons were able to battle back from a two-goal deficit midway through the contest, but Turcotte and Conte scored the next pair of Niagara goals to regain the advantage 1:44 into the third period.  Air Force cut the Purple Eagles’ lead in half with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation and had three power play opportunities, but Teichroeb and the NU defense locked down for the remainder of the contest to prevent a second Falcon comeback and make it a three-game series.

“It was a perfect time for a complete game from our team from start to finish,” head coach Dave Burkholder said.  “I thought we played with composure and kept up the intensity the full 60 minutes.  As the game wore on we definitely out chanced Air Force with some quality grade As. But their goalie kept it close.  Obviously they’re a very good team and threw everything they had at us in the third, but we preserved and we live another night.”

From the opening faceoff both teams looked sharp as they traded opportunities in the opening minutes of the contest.  The scoring chances began to tilt towards the Purple Eagles as the period wore on, with the team’s best ones coming inside 10 minutes of the first period.

NU came inches from grabbing the lead as Turcotte swung a pass across the slot to Matt Williams whose wrist shot from the point clanged off the outside of the right post.  Minutes later, Stephen Pietrobon had a golden chance robbed by Air Force goalie Jason Torf as the freshman whacked at a loose puck right outside the blue paint, but the AF goaltender foiled his attempt.

The Purple Eagles’ pressure finally paid off at 13:43 of the frame as Turcotte pocketed his 10th of the season via assists from Ryan and Conderman.  Ryan faked a shot at the point to put down an AF defenseman before firing the puck through traffic that was redirected into the back of the net by Turcotte.

The Falcons ran into solid goaltending for the remainder of the frame as Teichroeb made several quality stops including a point blank save on Cole Gunner to send the Purple Eagles into the first intermission with the lead.

The Purple Eagles’ strong play continued into the second, extending their lead to two goal at 2:43 off the stick of Muto.  The freshman took a pass from Williams at the top of the right faceoff circle and fired a shot that went untouched through a mass of bodies.

Less than two minutes after NU’s second goal, Chad Demers was able to cut the Purple Eagles’ lead in half with his 15th of the season at 4:14.  A Scott Holm backhand pass towards the front of the cage bounced off the stick of Demers and floated over the shoulder of Teichroeb.

Despite giving up the goal Niagara did not falter, continuing to pepper Torf with looks on net, but the senior pushed aside all attempts, giving the Falcons to eventually score the game-tying goal.  With 7:35 remaining in the frame Air Force pulled level at two with a goal from Ben Carey.  George Michalke raced into the offensive zone with Tony Thomas and Carey on a 3-on-1.  Michalke pushed the puck towards the top of the slot that Thomas backhanded towards Teichroeb.  The NU netminder made the initial stop, but the rebound went straight to Carey who banged it home for his seventh of the year.

Turcotte scored his second of the evening with just over five minutes remaining in the frame to regain the lead and give NU a 3-2 advantage heading into the second break.  Kolenda made a highlight reel pass off a spinning toe drag and dealt the puck across the crease to the waiting Turcotte who banged it home.

After going a majority of the game without a power play, Air Force was rewarded with two consecutive man-advantage opportunities with a little over 10 minutes remaining in the contest.  The NU penalty killing unit did not allow the Falcons to get on the scoreboard, however seconds after killing off the second penalty, Air Force’s Ryan Timer cashed in on a Michalke feed to make it a 4-3 game with 8:20 remaining in regulation.

The game wrapped up with the Purple Eagles holding a 33-26 advantage in shots.  Niagara went 0-for-2 on the man-advantage, while Air Force was scoreless on 0-for-3 opportunities.

The two teams will play in a decisive game three tomorrow at 9:05 p.m. ET with the winner advancing to the AHA semifinals The game on March 21 at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.

Watertown, Mass. – The Canisius College hockey team rallied from a three-goal third-period deficit to earn a 5-4 double-overtime victory over second-seeded Bentley on Saturday night, extending its season and forcing a game three for a best 2-of-3 Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinal series on Sunday. The Griffs improved to 15-20-3 on the season with the win, while the Falcons drop to 19-13-4.

Senior Kyle Gibbons (Westlake, Ohio) scored 6:59 into the second overtime to give the Griffs the victory in a must-win game. Junior Tyler Wiseman (Burlington, Ontario) back-handed the puck to Gibbons in the right face-off circle from behind the net and Gibbons one-timed it in for the game-winning tally. Sophomore Mathew Backhouse (Thompson, Manitoba) also recorded an assist to force a deciding game three.

“As the game went on, we played more and more as a team,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “It took a total team effort to get it done with our back against the wall and I’m proud of how we responded in the third period.”

Sophomore Ralph Cuddemi (Concord, Ontario) led the Griffs with two goals on the night, while senior Ben Danford (Stillwater, Minn.) and freshman Shane Conacher (Burlington, Onario) also scored for Canisius in the win.

Senior Tony Capobianco (Mississauga, Ontario) finished with a season-high 42 saves to earn the victory in goal.

For the second-straight night, Bentley opened the game with two first-period goals to seize the early momentum. Brett Gensler scored 9:46 into the game from the low slot for the 1-0 lead before Tyler Deresky knocked a rebound in with 53.3 seconds remaining in the period.

Canisius cut its deficit in half when Cuddemi netted his 12th goal of the season. The Bentley defense lost Cuddemi in their defensive zone and after a pass from Conacher at the blue line, the sophomore skated in 1-on-1 and his shot trickled past the goal line for the 2-1 game. Junior Mitch McCrank (Haileybury, Ontario) also added an assist on the goal just 94 seconds into the period.

Bentley, however, answered back with two more goals in the second frame. After a Canisius turnover in its own zone, Brett Switzer knocked a rebound in with 12:52 remaining in the period for the 3-1 lead. Alex Grieve then scored off a rush with just1:30 left for the 4-1 advantage through 40 minutes.

Canisius began its rally and pulled to within two when Danford netted a goal with 14:55 remaining in regulation. The senior fired a shot in from the high slot off passes from Backhouse and Gibbons for his fifth goal of the season.

Cuddemi then cut the deficit to one with 8:41 remaining, scoring his second of the day and 13th of the season. On the power play, Danford faked a shot from the slot and fed the puck to Cuddemi, who buried his chance down low to the left of the goalie for the 4-3 score. Conacher added an assist on the tally for the only power-play score of the game.

Canisius then pulled even when Conacher netted his fifth goal of the season with just 4:05 left in regulation. Junior defenderDoug Jessey (Langdon, Alberta) made a spin move to get by his defender and then found Conacher open on the other side. The rookie buried his chance high to bring Canisius even at four. McCrank added his second assist of the night on the goal.

The rally led to Gibbons’ late heroics but not before Capobianco made a pair of saves to rob Bentley of the sweep. Just over 30 seconds into the first overtime, Steve Weinstein fired a shot on net off a rush but the senior netminder made a kick save to keep the game tied at four. Capobianco was then called upon again early in the second overtime but stopped Grieve on a rush, setting up Gibbons late game-winning goal.

Bentley finished the contest with a slight edge in shots, 46-45. Canisius was 1-for-2 with the extra-man advantage, while killing both of Bentley’s power-play chances.

The schools now face a deciding game three tomorrow night. Faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m.

Game Notes: The game was 86:59 long and one second short of the longest game in the program’s history … Canisius played 87:00 in game two of the 2010 Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals, also rallying from a 4-1 deficit for a 5-4 double overtime victory … That was also the last time that Canisius rallied from a three-goal deficit to earn a win … Gibbons’ goal was the third overtime goal of his career and his second in the postseason (also scored in game two of the 2011 Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals against Holy Cross) … Conacher had a career-high three points, while Backhouse registered two assists in a game for the first time in his career.