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USA Today/USA Hockey Mag Rankings for March 3

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USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine
19th Annual Men’s College Hockey Poll – #21

(First-place votes in parentheses)
Rank
School
Last Week’s Ranking
2013-14
Record
Weeks in
Top 15
1 University of Minnesota, 503 (27)
2
23-4-5
21
2 Boston College, 480 (7)
1
25-5-4
21
3 Union College, 427
3
24-6-4
15
4 St. Cloud State University, 391
5
19-8-5
21
5 University of Wisconsin, 376
6
19-9-2
20
6 Quinnipiac University, 307
7
22-8-6
21
7 Ferris State University, 304
4
23-9-3
15
8 UMass Lowell, 278
8
21-9-4
20
9 University of North Dakota, 235
10
19-10-3
11
10 Providence College, 210
12
19-9-6
21
11 University of Michigan, 148
13
16-10-4
21
12 University of Notre Dame, 144
RV
20-12-2
17
13 Cornell University, 119
11
15-8-5
15
14 Northeastern University, 92
9
18-12-4
8
15 Yale University, 27
14
15-9-5
21
Others receiving votes: Minnesota State University, 14; University of Vermont, 13; Colgate University, 10; University of Alaska, 2.
Notes: To view past polls, click here … The University of Minnesota is the No. 1-ranked team in the nation after being bumped out of the top-spot by Boston College three weeks ago … The Hockey East Association leads all conferences with five ranked teams, while ECAC Hockey boasts four ranked programs, the Big Ten Conference has three teams in the rankings, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference has two ranked teams and the Western Collegiate Hockey Association is represented with one team in the poll … A total of 19 teams received votes.
About the poll: The 19th annual USA Today/USA Hockey MagazineMen’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey.

Ticket Information For Canisius Playoffs

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It’s Time for Playoff Hockey!  The Canisius hockey team has secured home ice for the opening round of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs.

We had some tremendous success this year. We knocked off Denver, who has been in and out of the top 20 all year, we defeated conference champion Mercyhurst twice and we own at least a win or a tie against every other team in the conference. More importantly, we continue to get better each weekend and I am optimistic that we will have a successful play-off run as we look to defend our conference title and trip to the NCAA tournament.

We are looking for your support this weekend. Tickets, as established by the conference office, are priced at $12.00 for adults and $5.00 for children and students. We have been able to secure a favorable group rate. All youth hockey players will be admitted at $5.00, while accompanying adults can receive a ticket discounted at $10.00. The minimum number of fans in a group is 10.They can be purchased either in advance or the night of each game. CALL IN ADVANCE To avoid the lines at the ticket table. Call 888-2885 this week to get your tickets.

All games will be played at the Buffalo State Sports Arena :
7 pm Friday
7 pm Saturday
7 pm Sunday – If necessary

Colgate Sits 18th in USCHO National Poll

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Raiders Out of Action This Week; ECAC Hockey Starts Postseason

HAMILTON – After a 1-1 weekend, the Raiders dropped two spots in the USCHO National Poll and now sits at No. 18 entering an off week.

Colgate is ranked for the third-straight week and finished the regular season with a 17-12-5 overall record. The Raiders clinched second place in ECAC Hockey with 29 points. They concluded the conference year with a 2-1 win over Dartmouth on senior to finish 13-6-3 in ECAC Hockey. Colgate earned a first-round bye for the second time in the last three seasons.

The Raiders won 13 games in conference play for the fifth time under head coach Don Vaughan and it is the most since Colgate won 14 in 2005-06.

Joining the Raiders in the poll are league teams Union, Quinnipiac, Cornell and Yale. The 16th-ranked Bulldogs are the only team out of the five that will be playing in the first round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament. Union is the top team going into the tournament and is ranked third overall. Quinnipiac jumped up two spots to No. 6, while Cornell fell two positions to No. 13.

The Raiders are still receiving votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine National Poll, which ranks the top-15 teams.

The upcoming Tournament features four first-round series conducted at on-campus sites Friday-Sunday, March 7-9; four quarterfinals series at on-campus sites Friday-Sunday, March 14-16; and the championship semifinals and championship game March 21-22 at the 1980 Rink-Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York.

Buffalo Regals Undefeated!

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MISSION COMPLETED-BUFFALO REGALS ARE UNDEFEATED!!

 

The Buffalo Regals Squirt-Minor Team capped off its enormously successful 2013-2014 season this weekend by winning the WNYAHL Squirt-Minor AA Championship.

In this record breaking season, the Buffalo Regals went undefeated in league play by posting a 16-0 regular season record and 2-0 in the playoffs, to finish the year with an astonishing 18-0 record!

 

The Buffalo Regals are currently one of the top AA teams in the country as they are currently ranked 5th overall with a 34-10-3 record with 215GF and 104GA.

Leading the way for the Buffalo Regals forwards this season was team MVP, Carson Schlager with (54-48-102), Team Captain Nathan Stachowiak(40-47-87), Assistant Captain Miles Brown(37-26-63), Colton Clendening(24-17-41), Kameron Lopez(18-12-30), Matthew Bajer(12-13-25), Grady O’Hara(8-17-25), Mason Besant(9-9-18), and Aaron Johnson(3-9-12).

 

Leading the way for the Buffalo Regals Defensemen this season was Assistant Captain Trevor Ward with (4-22-26), Brendan Cox(4-13-17), Jordan Osmanski(2-12-14), Trevor Hasley(2-6-8) and Ethan Iozzia(2-6-8).

 

Backstopping the Buffalo Regals was first year goalie, Christian Kohr with a league leading 2.22 GGA and Michael Georger with a 3.96 GAA.

 

The Regals season highlights were:

  • ·       2013-2014 WNYAHL Squrit-Minor AA Champions
  • ·       2013 Wayne Gretzky Tournament Champions
  • ·       2013 Rock N Roll Runner-Ups
  • ·       2014 Syracuse Blazers Presidents Day Squirt Showdown Skills Competition        Champions.

Congratulations to all the Regal players, coaches and parents for all their hard work and dedication that made this into such a successful year!

RIT Upends Canisius in Regular Season Play

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The Canisius College hockey team fell in its regular-season finale at RIT on Saturday night, losing 3-1 in Rochester. The Griffs finish the regular season with a 12-19-3 record and 11-13-3 mark in Atlantic Hockey play, while the Tigers improve to 11-18-5 and 10-14-3 against league foes.

 

The Griffs earned the seven seed for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, which begins next week. Canisius will square off with 10th-seeded Sacred Heart in Buffalo for a best 2-of-3 first-round series, starting on Friday.

 

“Our attention now turns toward the postseason and a strong Sacred Heart team,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “We need to build on the many positives that are there for us and just hit the reset button to get ready for the playoffs.”

 

Senior captain Ryan Bohrer (West St. Paul, Minn.) scored the lone goal for the Griffs in the defeat.

 

Junior Keegan Asmundson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) stopped 31 shots between the pipes.

 

The Tigers grabbed the early lead in the contest when Adam Mitchell scored with 11:39 remaining in the first. Mitchell finished from the slot off a pass from behind the net for the 1-0 advantage.

 

The Griffs finally solved the RIT defense midway through the second period, scoring their first goal in four-plus periods during the weekend. Freshman Jack Hidi (Toronto, Ontario) fired a pass to an open Bohrer on the back door the senior redirected the puck into the net for his second tally of the season. Junior defender Logan Roe (Fort Myers, Fla.)also registered an assist on the goal with 8:39 remaining in the second, knotting the contest at one.

 

RIT would answer back, however, when Thompson scored for the Tigers with 5:12 left in the second. A shot by RIT was deflected in front and went right to Thompson with an open look. He then buried his chance on the open net for the 2-1 RIT lead.

 

The Tigers extended their lead to two with 13:31 remaining in regulation when Dan Schuler scored on a breakaway for the 3-1 lead. The Griffs were unable to pull any closer in the final 13-plus minutes as RIT finished the regular season with the two-goal victory.

 

RIT outshot the Griffs, 34-27, on the night. Canisius was 0-for-5 on the power play, while the Tigers went scoreless in two extra-man chances.

 

Mike Rotolo recorded 26 saves for the Tigers in net.

 

The Griffs open the first-round series on Friday at the Buffalo State Sports. Canisius and Sacred Heart begin the best-of-three series at 7:05 p.m.

 

Game Notes: Canisius won the Atlantic Hockey title last season as the seven seed … The Griffs and Pioneers split a two-game series during the 2013-14 regular season … Canisius was swept in an Atlantic Hockey series for the first time this season.

Potsdam Upset by Utica; Utica Moves On

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UTICA, N.Y.-Fourth-seeded Utica College (17-8-1) built an early lead and held off the SUNY Potsdam women’s hockey team (12-10-4) 4-1 in the ECAC West Quarterfinals at the Utica Auditorium on Sunday afternoon. Bears All-Rookie goaltender Abby Tardelli(Potsdam, N.Y./North Country Ice Storm) was strong in goal with 28 saves and senior captain Brittany Lucky (Kanata, Ontario/Ottawa Senators) scored for the Bears. Sophomore forward Morgan Reed had a hat trick for the Pioneers.

After a wild opening stanza a week ago, this afternoon’s contest saw just one goal scored. The first period featured end-to-end rushes, but very little sustained pressure. The Pioneers jumped out 1-0 at the 2:56 mark as Morgan Reed fired a rebound past Bears All-Rookie goaltender Abby Tardelli (Potsdam, N.Y./North Country Ice Storm). Potsdam senior forward Jessica Silveira(Brampton, Ontario/Brampton Thunder) had the Bears first strong scoring chance of the period seconds later, but Utica goalie Jennifer Hamel handled the shot confidently. Overlapping penalties in the middle of the period resulted in abbreviated power plays for both teams and some grade A scoring chances, but Hamel and Tardelli kept the offenses frustrated. Potsdam’s best chance of the period came at the 9:56 mark as freshman forwardAmanda Peterson (West Chazy, N.Y./Chazy Flyers) centered a pass to junior captain Izzy Fayerman (Calgary, Alberta/The Edge). Hamel took the slapshot in the gut and held on. With 3:35left, Pioneer forward Vanessa Maines knocked down a pass went in all alone, only to be stuffed by Tardelli. The score remained 1-0 after 20 minutes with a slightly deceptive 13-3 Utica advantage in shots.

Pioneer assistant captain Megan Myers made it a 2-0 contest just 38 into the second period, shooting from the side of the net. The Bears went on their first power play just 25 seconds later. At1:53, senior captain Brittany Lucky (Kanata, Ontario/Ottawa Senators) fired a shot from the right point. The puck was tipped up on top of the net. It then dropped into the crease and slid across the goal line to make it 2-1. Silveira and senior assistant captain Jenn Crawford (Burlington, Ontario/Stony Creek Sabres) assisted on the goal. Just over three minutes later, a Potsdam turnover resulted in Reed’s second goal of the game. The Bears were back on the power play a minute after the goal. The power-play unit moved the puck well in the Pioneers zone and created several strong chances. However, Utica flooded the front of the net with bodies and Hamel continued to lock down the pucks that did get through. The rest of the period was more end-to-end action with great goaltending in both nets. Potsdam outshot Utica 11-8 in the middle stanza.

Myers opened the third period by making a move around a Bears defender, but was robbed on the backhand by Tardelli. The defense tightened up after save and the Bears slowly built momentum in the Pioneer zone. Hamel stopped a flurry of Potsdam shots at the 13-minute mark, the best coming on a Peterson chance point-blank. Utica responded with a two-on-one break but was stonewalled by Tardelli. Fayerman and Peterson hooked up for another chance three minutes later, but Hamel stopped the initial shot and the rebound bounced harmlessly wide. With 7:39 remaining, Reed buried a rebound at the left side of the net to complete her hat trick. The Bears controlled much of the play territorially for the remainder of the game, but couldn’t get any closer, falling 4-1.

Hamel made the difference for the Pioneers with 23 saves, many of them difficult and at crucial times. Utica finished with a 32-24 advantage in shots. Potsdam was 1-3 on the man advantage, while the Pioneers were just 0-1.

The loss brings to a close the careers of Potsdam seniors Brittany and Amanda Lucky, Crawford and Silveira. The Bears won a program-best 44 games during their four seasons. Silveira finishes her career as Potsdam’s third-leading scorer all-time with 35 goals and 48 assists for 83 points. Brittany Lucky is fourth with 16 goals and 44 assists for 60 points. Crawford is fifth with 27 goals and 26 assists for 53 points. Amanda Lucky, after just two short seasons, finishes sixth with 18 goals and 30 assists for 48 points.

 

Colgate’s Mahalik Takes Colgate To Win; Playoffs Begin March 14

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Mihalik Shines in Senior Night Win

Senior netminder Stops 34; Raiders Clinch Second in ECAC Hockey

 

HAMILTON – Colgate turned to its senior goalie on Senior Night and Eric Mihalik came up with his best start of the season against Dartmouth.

 

The Raiders (17-12-5, 13-6-3 ECAC) scored two goals in the third period and held off a late charge from the Big Green and earned a 2-1 win. With the victory, Colgate clinched second place in ECAC Hockey with 29 points. The Raiders will await its opponent in the league quarterfinals, starting on March 14.

 

“This group has really matured during the season,” head coach Don Vaughan said when asked about his team’s second place finish after being picked ninth. “We knew it would be a process, but the guys bought in early in what we wanted to do and how we were going to do it and we stayed at it.”

 

Mihalik stoned Dartmouth 34 times on the night, but his best period was in the third when he made 15 saves. None were bigger than the final four after the Big Green pulled the goalie and had a pair of offensive zone faceoffs.

 

The first chance was a shot off the post and Mihalik was able to recover on the rebound with a right pad save and then he stretched out to stop the potential gamewinner from Eric Neiley.

 

Vaughan was very proud his two seniors tonight and Mihalik specifically on the role his has played this year.

 

“Eric hasn’t played a lot, but has taken on a great leadership role,” Vaughan added. “He has really helped our rookie goalie Charlie Finn, so for him to go out and perform the way he did as the best player on ice, we are very happy for him and also Mike McCann.”

 

Tylor Spink and Joe Wilson were the goal scorers for Colgate. Tylor’s tally was the results of great passing between the topline of Tyson Spink and Kyle Baun. Wilson’s was the eventually winner and gave Colgate a 2-0 lead.

 

Dartmouth (8-17-4, 7-13-2 ECAC) was one of the hottest teams in the league coming into tonight with a five-game winning streak, which included a 1-0 win at Cornell on Friday. Goalie Charles Grant was a major reason for the recent success and he made some big stops for the visitors. He had a total of 26 saves with 10 coming in the second period.

 

The first period featured a lot of defense with Colgate holding a 9-7 shot advantage, but there was no score. Colgate best chance came on a 3-on-2 and Wilson tried to hit a streaking Andrew Black in the slot. However, the puck hopped over his stick. The Raiders had two chances on the power play and ended up with a couple of chances, but shot them wide.

 

The two teams combined for 22 shots in the second period, but neither netminder gave ground and the game went into the third scoreless.

 

Colgate took the first lead of the game, 1:50 into the final stanza with Tylor Spink recording his 14th of the season. Baun did the grunt work behind the net on a great shift and spotted Tyson Spink at the faceoff dot. The pair connected and then before Grant could react the puck was on Tylor Spink’s stick. He buried it to give the Raiders the important first goal.

 

Wilson gave the Raiders a much-needed insurance goal with 6:35 left in the game. Spiro Goulakos cleared the puck out of the defensive zone and Mike Borkowski tipped it up to Wilson. The junior forward charged in all alone on Grant and beat the Dartmouth goaltender five-hole for the 2-0 lead. It was Wilson’s third goal in the last five games and he has six points in those games.

 

The Raiders couldn’t rest, however, as Dartmouth answered 20 seconds later with Neiley scoring on a rebound off a blocked shot. Josh Hartley intercepted a Colgate pass in the offensive zone and fired a shot that deflected off a defender in front. Neiley picked up the rebound and scooped a backhand over the out-stretched blocker of Mihalik. The goal put the Big Green back in the game with 6:15 left in the third.

 

Dartmouth kept coming at the Raiders and Mihalik stepped up with eight saves after the Big Green got back to within one. Two of the biggest saves of the year came late in the game. Hartley hit the post off a faceoff and Mihalik scrambled to find the puck and he stoned Tyler Sikura and Neiley on a pair of rebounds. He then made two stops on Brandon McNally to secure the win and second place in the league.

 

“Anytime you have a one or two goal lead on a team, they are going to continue to come at you,” Mihalik said. “We just had to weather the storm and we did.

 

“I just try and go out there and give the boys the best chance to win and I was able to do that. It was a good night for the boys to secure second place.”

 

Colgate has next week off and will open the ECAC Hockey playoffs on March 14 in a best-of-three series. The opponent has yet to be determined.
Tickets for the upcoming quarterfinals are on sale now and can be purchased three ways. Fans can log on tobleedcolgatemaroon.com, call the Colgate Ticket Office at 315-228-7600 or stop by the ticket office in Reid Athletic Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Elmira Men Advance to ECAC W Championship

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PINE VALLEY, N.Y.—The Elmira College men’s hockey team advanced to the ECAC West championship with a 5-3 win over Hobart College in a tournament semifinal game played tonight at the Murray Athletic Center. The Statesmen finished the year with a 14-9-4 overall record.

 

Seven different Statesmen earned a point in the game that included a total of 23 penalties. Junior Ryan Michel (Camillus, N.Y.) led Hobart with a goal and an assist. Sophomore Lino Chimienti (Montreal, Quebec) played 59:14 in goal and finished with 30 saves. It was the fourth meeting between the Statesmen and the Soaring Eagles this year. Hobart topped Elmira twice in Pine Valley in overtime last weekend. The season series now stands a 2-2-0.

 

The Soaring Eagles scored three third period goals, tying the game up at 3-3, taking the lead and adding an empty net goal for the final. Brian Depp logged three goals for Elmira. Jesper Strale and Josh Burnell added two assists. Ryan de Melo played all 60 minutes in goal and made 38 saves.

 

The Soaring Eagles scored first 11:58 in. In a flurry of action in front of the goal, Depp pushed a shot across the line from right out in front. At 4:05 into the second, Jarryd ten Vaanholt gave Elmira a 2-0 advantage off passes from Greg Whittle and Burnell.

 

Hobart controlled the remainder of the second period, scoring three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead. First-year Jon Neal (Encinitas, Calif.) put the Statesmen on the board at 4:38 off a feed from junior Tommaso Traversa (Torino, Italy). With6:59 left in the middle period, Michel tied the game up at 2-2 with a power-play goal off quick passes from juniors Brad McBride (Lone Tree, Colo.) and Robert Sovik (Prague, Czech Republic). Just over two minutes later, first-year Mitch Beyer (Clifton Park, N.Y.) gave Hobart the lead on another power-play tally after passes from first-year Carl Belizario (Dorval, Quebec) and Michel.

 

Rob Simpson tied the game up at 3-3 just 2:22 into the third period. It wasn’t until 6:24 left in the third that Depp put the Soaring Eagles back on top. With just under six minutes left in the game, Hobart came inches away from trying things up again, but the Statesmen rattled a shot off the left post. Hobart pulled Chimienti with just over a minute left in regulation, but took a penalty shortly after. The Statesmen went 5-on-5 with the extra skater, but could not get the game-tying goal. Instead Depp logged an empty net goal for the final.

 

The Statesmen finished with a 41-25 advantage in shots. Hobart went 2-for-7 on the power play, while Elmira went 2-for-6.

 

Senior captain Tommy Fioretino (New Hartford, N.Y.) played in 102 career games in his four-year career on the Hobart hockey team. He posted 27 goals and 25 assists for 52 career points. Fiorentino, along with his classmates Brett Riley, Tom Rush and Keith Clarke, helped the Statesmen to a 64-34-9 four-year record.

 

The Soaring Eagles advance to the ECAC West tournament championship, where they will face the winner of the No. 1 seed Utica versus the No. 4 seed Manhattanville semifinal, which will be played tomorrow in Utica, N.Y.

Canisius Falls to RIT; Hosts First Round AHC This Weekend (3/7)

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Rochester, N.Y. – The Canisius College hockey team fell in its regular-season finale at RIT on Saturday night, losing 3-1 in Rochester. The Griffs finish the regular season with a 12-19-3 record and 11-13-3 mark in Atlantic Hockey play, while the Tigers improve to 11-18-5 and 10-14-3 against league foes.

 

The Griffs earned the seven seed for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, which begins next week. Canisius will square off with 10th-seeded Sacred Heart in Buffalo for a best 2-of-3 first-round series, starting on Friday.

 

“Our attention now turns toward the postseason and a strong Sacred Heart team,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “We need to build on the many positives that are there for us and just hit the reset button to get ready for the playoffs.”

 

Senior captain Ryan Bohrer (West St. Paul, Minn.) scored the lone goal for the Griffs in the defeat.

 

Junior Keegan Asmundson (Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) stopped 31 shots between the pipes.

 

The Tigers grabbed the early lead in the contest when Adam Mitchell scored with 11:39 remaining in the first. Mitchell finished from the slot off a pass from behind the net for the 1-0 advantage.

 

The Griffs finally solved the RIT defense midway through the second period, scoring their first goal in four-plus periods during the weekend. Freshman Jack Hidi (Toronto, Ontario) fired a pass to an open Bohrer on the back door the senior redirected the puck into the net for his second tally of the season. Junior defender Logan Roe (Fort Myers, Fla.)also registered an assist on the goal with 8:39 remaining in the second, knotting the contest at one.

 

RIT would answer back, however, when Thompson scored for the Tigers with 5:12 left in the second. A shot by RIT was deflected in front and went right to Thompson with an open look. He then buried his chance on the open net for the 2-1 RIT lead.

 

The Tigers extended their lead to two with 13:31 remaining in regulation when Dan Schuler scored on a breakaway for the 3-1 lead. The Griffs were unable to pull any closer in the final 13-plus minutes as RIT finished the regular season with the two-goal victory.

 

RIT outshot the Griffs, 34-27, on the night. Canisius was 0-for-5 on the power play, while the Tigers went scoreless in two extra-man chances.

 

Mike Rotolo recorded 26 saves for the Tigers in net.

 

The Griffs open the first-round series on Friday at the Buffalo State Sports. Canisius and Sacred Heart begin the best-of-three series at 7:05 p.m.

 

Game Notes: Canisius won the Atlantic Hockey title last season as the seven seed … The Griffs and Pioneers split a two-game series during the 2013-14 regular season … Canisius was swept in an Atlantic Hockey series for the first time this season.

NU Falls to Air Force; Hosts First Round AHC March 7-9

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Niagara Drops Final Regular Season Game, 4-1 Against Air Force

 

 

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Niagara hockey team lost to Air Force Saturday evening, falling to the Falcons 4-1 at Dwyer Arena in the season’s final game of the regular season.

Chris Lochner was the only Purple Eagle to find the back of the net for Niagara, who honored the four graduating seniors in Patrick DivjakKevin RyanRyan Rashid and Matt Williams. The loss dropped Niagara to 11-18-5 on the season and 11-11-5 in Atlantic Hockey play.  The win pushes Air Force to 20-12-4 overall and 15-9-3 in league play.

Starting Niagara goaltender Jackson Teichroeb made his fifth straight start in between the pipes, pushing aside 19 Air Force shots, while at the other end Jason Torf made 34 stops on the evening.

“The only thing I can say is that I couldn’t be more proud of how hard the guys who finished this game worked with the short bench we had,” head coach Dave Burkholder said.  “The guys that stuck with it made a pretty gutsy effort. To outshoot and outplay Air Force the way we did and have nothing to show for it is unfortunate.”

The teams traded goals in the opening four minutes of the contest with Air Force’s Ben Carey striking first just two minutes into the frame, handcuffing Teichroeb with a wraparound attempt for his fifth of the season.

It didn’t take long for Niagara to answer as Lochner found the back of the net for the sixth time this season via assists from Patrick Conte and Hugo Turcotte at 4:20.  Conte had the initial shot from the point that was saved by Torf, but the rebound was picked up by Lochner just outside the blue paint.

Air Force would score the period’s final goal as Carey found the back of the net for the second time to give the Falcons’ their second lead of the game.  Just six seconds into a man-advantage opportunity, Carey’s slap shot from the top of the circle beat Teichroeb over the shoulder.

Niagara came out firing in the second period with three quick shots in the opening minute that were snuffed by Torf.  Turcotte came close to evening the game three minutes in when he attempted to stuff the puck five-hole while on the partial breakaway, but Torf waffled it away.

Despite NU having the 15-7 advantage in shots in the second frame it was AFA who found the back of the net.  Adam McKenzie raced down the near boards and ripped a laser that sailed over the shoulder, stick-side of Teichroeb to make it a 3-1 game heading into the final period of regulation.

Jason Fabian would score the game’s final tally and put the game out of reach for the Purple and White with a power play goal in the final minutes of the contest.

Niagara went 0-6 on the man-advantage, while Air Force went 2-for-6 while on the power play.

The sixth-seeded Purple Eagles begin their quest for their first Atlantic Hockey Tournament title when Niagara hosts AIC in a best-of-three first round series on Friday, March 7, Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9 (if necessary) at Dwyer Arena.  Each game will begin at 7:05 p.m.

Ho

Binnington Scores Shutout; Moves to Semi-finals vs Robert Morris

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ROCHESTER, NY – Ali Binnington (Oakville, Ontario/Mississauga Chiefs) stopped all 31 shots she faced to record her sixth shutout of the season, leading the third-seeded RIT women’s hockey team (18-15-3) past six-seed, visiting Penn State University (4-29-3) 3-0 in game two of the College Hockey America First Round series at Ritter Arena on Saturday afternoon. RIT wins the series 2-0 and advances to face Second-seeded Robert Morris in the CHA Semifinal from Mercyhurst next Friday at a time to be determined.

Leading 1-0 in the third period, RIT broke the game open with a pair of goals 8:07 apart to put the game away. Melissa Bromley (Aurora, Ontario/Aurora Panthers), Erin Zach (Elmira, Ontario/Cambridge Fury), and Emilee Bulleid (Waterdown, Ontario/Stoney Creek Sabres) scored for the Tigers. Binnington stopped eight shots in the first period, 15 in the second, and eight in the third for her 14th career shutout. She is now 14-9-2 with a 1.82 goals against average and .940 save percentage this season.

Nicole Paniccia made 39 saves for the Nittany Lions. Jill Holdcroft led the way with nine shots on goal.

RIT out-shot Penn State, 42-31. The Tigers were 1-for-4 with the man-advantage, while Penn State was 0-for-3.

Today’s game was the final contest at Ritter Arena for the women. RIT will move into the 4,200-seat Gene Polisseni Center in time for the 2014-15 season.

“It’s a great feeling to finish (Penn State) off in two games and play for a league championship next weekend, which is the ultimate goal,” said RIT head coach Scott McDonald. “I thought we controlled play for much of the first period and (Melissa) Bromley’s goal really sparked us for the third period.”

Neither team scored over the opening 20 minutes, with RIT holding a 17-8 edge in shots. The Tigers held the majority of play in the period, but were unable to get on the board.

Penn State out-played RIT for several stretches during the second period, but Binnington was the best player on the ice, keeping the Nittany Lions off the board. She made a great save on a hard shot by Yoxheimer early in the frame and then moments later, robbed Holdcroft on a tip-in from point-blank range.

Bromley would get RIT on the board with 37.8 seconds left in the second period, circling the net and centering a pass attempt that went off a Penn State defender and through the legs of Paniccia for her fourth goal of the season. Kourtney Kunichika (Fullerton, CA/LA Selects) and Celeste Brown (Great Falls, MT/National Sports Academy) assisted on the goal.

RIT pulled away with two third period goals. Zach made it 2-0 Tigers on a 4-on-3 power-play, taking the puck deep in her own zone, rocketing up the ice and cutting to the outside. Zach fired a shot from in close on the left side that snuck through the pads of Paniccia for her seventh goal of the year.

Bulleid tallied her first goal of the season with 3:46 to put the game away, taking a drop feed from Mackenzie Stone (Kars, Ontario/South Carleton) in the slot and fired a shot that Paniccia got a piece of but trickled past into the goal. Cassie Clayton (Pickering, Ontario/PEAC School) also assisted on the goal.

RIT is 19-12 all-time in postseason contests at the Division I and III levels, since women’s hockey was recognized as a NCAA Championship sport in 2001. Since McDonald took over as head coach in 2006, RIT is 15-7 in the postseason, including a 15-3 mark at Ritter Arena. The Tigers are 14-1 at home in the postseason over the last four seasons, including a 5-0 mark en route to winning the 2012 NCAA Division III National Championship. Last season, the Tigers advanced to the CHA Semifinals, defeating Penn State in a two-game sweep in the first round, both by one-goal outcomes, before falling to Syracuse in overtime of the semifinals.

Today was the sixth meeting between the two schools this season, as RIT won the series 5-0-1 edge this far. RIT won a pair of one-goal games against Penn State at Ritter Arena on Nov. 15-16. The two teams skated to a 2-2 tie at Penn State on Jan. 31, while the Tigers skated to a 3-1 win the next day. RIT is 10-0-2 all-time against the Nittany Lions. Six of the last seven meetings between the two schools have been decided by one goal or less.

Last night, Brown scored 10:15 into overtime to give RIT a 3-2 win over the Nittany Lions in game one.

RIT went 1-3-0 against Robert Morris, who is ranked No. 10 nationally, RIT defeated Robert Morris in the last meeting between the two schools, 1-0 on Feb. 15 at Ritter Arena.

Oswego Advances; Faces Elmira

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Oswego, N.Y. – The Oswego State women’s ice hockey team advanced to the semifinals of the ECAC West Championship with a 3-1 victory over Buffalo State on Saturday afternoon in the Campus Center Ice Arena. With the win, Oswego improves to 17-8-1 on the year and more importantly earn the opportunity to play No. 2 Elmira next Saturday. The contest will be played on neutral ice as the No. 1-seeded Plattsburgh Cardinals will host both semifinals contest as well as Sunday’s championship.

Buffalo State netted a goal at the 7:25 mark of the first period and held that lead for almost two periods but Oswego State would not be rattled. Early in the third period, Emma Smetaniuk evened the game at 1-1 with a goal from captainOlivia Boersen and Leslie Jarvis.

The Lakers would take its first lead of the contest with the eventual game-winner from Melissa Seamont at 7:51. Oswego was operating with an extra attacker on a delayed penalty as Tori Trovato headed to the bench. Seamont took advantage, netting a goal from Jarvis and Erika Truschke.

Less than 20 seconds later, Oswego was at it again, this time as senior Mady Paul added an insurance goal on the power-play at8:10. An assist was credited to freshman Ashley Lyman.

Trovato earned the start and victory in net for the Lakers, making eight saves on the afternoon.

Oswego absolutely dominated action throughout the contest, outshooting the Bengals 40-9. The penalty kill unit continued to be effective as it has all year, holding Buffalo State scoreless on four power-play chances.

Syracuse Women Head Off to Semi-Finals vs Mercyhurst

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SYRACUSE, N.Y.—The Orange (20-13-3) was strong on both sides of the puck to skate past Lindenwood (5-26-3), 6-0 and advance to the conference semifinals on Saturday afternoon in Tennity Ice Pavilion. Syracuse will take on No. 8 Mercyhurst in the CHA semifinal matchup on Friday in Erie, Pa.

With this win, SU has matched the program’s record of 20 wins in a season and has the opportunity to beat the record next weekend. Regardless of the outcome against Mercyhurst, Syracuse will have the best winning percentage in program history this season.

“Once we got up 3-0, we came out in the second period and started to play a bit more individually. We needed to keep our head in the game because, although we took that lead after the first period and set the table nicely for ourselves, it wasn’t over yet. After the fourth goal, though, it seemed like Lindenwood started to sag a bit.”

Five different Orange scored goals in the contest and Melissa Piacentini and Margot Scharfe each had a three-point game with Piacentini notching two goals and an assists and Scharfe recording two assists and a goal. SU’s six goals is the most scored by one team in any of Syracuse’s contests this season.

Julie Knerr scored the third game-winning goal of her career just 1:01 into the game. Freshman Heather Schwarz picked up her second career postseason goal and has three total points in the CHA Tournament so far.

Jenesica Drinkwater recorded her fourth shutout of the season and eighth of her career, making 22 saves along the way including 12 in the final period. Alexis Molotky stopped 34 of SU’s 41 attempts on net.

Syracuse opened the game with a well-orchestrated team goal. Each skater touched the puck en route to Knerr’s stick, which was waiting on the back doorstep to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead one minute into the game that would never be answered by the Lions.

The Orange continued its offensive pressure throughout the first period, scoring two more goals to take a 3-0 lead that would set the tone for the remainder of the game. Scharfe scored her goal with 13:16 to go in the period when she snuck one past Molotky in net that was given to her by Piacentini from behind the net.

Schwarz scored next to deflate Lindenwood’s hopes of a comeback, giving the Orange a 3-0 lead with more than two periods left to play.

The next two goals were scored in similar fashion, both by Piacentini in front of the net off a pass by Scharfe from the left corner. After Piacentini’s second goal, the Orange commanded a 5-0 lead with 7:28 to go in the game.

Cara Johnson scored the cherry on top with 2:08 remaining in the game when she scored on a fast break. She gathered the puck at center ice, carried it into the Lindenwood zone and wristed it top-shelf to end scoring with a 6-0 SU advantage.

Syracuse Women Beat Lindenwod in Round 1 of CHA Tourney

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SYRACUSE, N.Y.—Allie LaCombe scored her fifth game-winning goal of the season in the Orange ice hockey team’s (19-13-3) 4-1 rout of Lindenwood (5-25-3) on Friday night at Tennity Ice Pavilion in the first round of the College Hockey America Tournament.

Syracuse is just one win away from moving on to the semifinal round against Mercyhurst, the host of the final rounds of the CHA Tournament. SU and Lindenwood rematch tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in Tennity in the second contest of the best-of-three series.

“We had to frustrate them in the third period by getting our feet moving and making plays,” head coach Paul Flanagan said. “We needed to play at our level and in our style. I give our team credit for a good third period not only on the scoreboard but in a lot of little areas on the ice.”

Four different Orange scored a goal in the contest and seven SU skaters notched a point in the win. Jessica Sibley and Nicole Renault each had a goal and an assist in the game.

Jenesica Drinkwater made 20 stops throughout the game to shut out the Lady Lions for 56:27. Nicole Hensley saved 36 of the Syracuse’s 40 attempts on net.

Neither team was able to get on the board in the first period despite three total power play opportunities. The Orange put nine tries on target and held Lindenwood to just four but some exceptional saves on both ends kept the score at 0-0 going into the second stanza.

Freshman Heather Schwarz was the first to score, shooting one top shelf from the left side to open scoring near the end of the second period. Renault passed the puck from the top of the faceoff circle to Schwarz, who was able to get it past Hensley to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead 17:23 into the second stanza.

The Orange didn’t waste much time getting its second tally on the scoreboard at the beginning of the third period. LaCombe stole the puck at center ice and worked it up the left side to the faceoff circle. She passed to Caitlin Roach and skated to the goalies far side to receive the puck and easily shoot it past the Lion net minder to give SU a 2-0 lead 3:06 into the period.

Syracuse scored again just 27 seconds later, winning the faceoff at center ice and getting the puck to Renault in the left circle, who fired a shot at Hensley and increased the Orange advantage to 3-0 with 16:27 left in the game. Sibley scored with 5:32 remaining to pad the Syracuse lead, now at 4-0.

Lindenwood ended the shutout with just 3:33 left on the clock when Alyssa West tipped in a shot on Drinkwater’s far side, bringing the score to 4-1 but it wasn’t enough to keep up with the Orange.

Overall, Syracuse outshot Lindenwood 65-40, monopolizing the puck in the final 20 minutes. The Orange also edged the Lions in the faceoff circle 21-18.