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.

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.

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 Divjak, Kevin Ryan, Ryan 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

One goal was all the offense needed on Friday night at RIT earned a 1-0 victory against the Canisius College hockey team on Senior Night at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. The loss drops the Griffs to 12-18-3 on the season and 11-12-3 in Atlantic Hockey play, while the Tigers improve to 10-18-5 and 9-14-3 against league foes.

“RIT played very well defensively and we couldn’t get one past them tonight,” said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. “They kept us to the outside more than we would have liked. We had a lengthy 5-on-3 power play in the second and we need to find a way to score there. We need to get more traffic at the net and find a way to get more shots to be successful.”

Senior Tony Capobianco (Mississauga, Ontario) played strong for the Griffs in the defeat, recording 29 saves on 30 shots. The senior is now just 17 saves shy of the program’s all-time record entering the regular-season finale on Saturday.

Canisius had a number of chances to grab the lead in the contest during the first two periods but couldn’t capitalize. SeniorKyle Gibbons (Westlake, Ohio) just missed on a 2-1 break, sending his shot wide with five minutes remaining in the first period. The Griffs also had 1:24 of 5-on-3 early in the second but couldn’t convert, while junior Tyler Wiseman’s (Burlington, Ontario) shot in the closing seconds of the second frame deflected past the RIT netminder but hit the post to keep the game scoreless through 40 minutes.

The Tigers took advantage in the third frame, scoring just 2:19 into the stanza. Danny Smith joined a rush for RIT and just got a piece of a one-timer, which fluttered into net for the game’s only goal. Canisius was unable to find the equalizer in the final 17-plus minutes as the Tigers hung on for the 1-0 victory.

RIT finished the game with a slight advantage in shots, 30-27. The Griffs were scoreless in four power-play chances, while the Tigers went 0-for-1 with the extra-man advantage.

Mike Rotolo stopped all 27 shots he saw to earn the shutout victory for the Tigers.

The same two schools wrap up the regular season tomorrow night in Rochester. Game time is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Game Notes: The Griffs are now locked into the seven seed for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, which begins next weekend … Canisius won the 2013 Atlantic Hockey Championship last season with the seven seed … Capobianco now has 2,812 saves during his career, just 17 shy of the school record held by Dan Morrison (2,829 saves) … The Griffs have not won a game this season when failing to score three goals (now 0-16-2) … The game marked the final regular-season contest for the Griffs at the Buffalo State Sports Arena … Canisius honored its seven seniors – Capobianco, Gibbons, Ryan Bohrer, Ben Danford, Taylor Law, Duncan McKellar and Patrick Sullivan – prior to Friday’s game for playing in their final home regular-season contest … The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Canisius in the series.

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Niagara hockey used four third-period goals to down visiting Air Force, 4-1, Saturday evening at Dwyer Arena.

Chris Lochner scored with 16:16 left in the third period to level the game at one apiece and trigger the four-goal period.   Kevin Ryan and Matt Chartrain also scored in the third for the Purple Eagles while Patrick Divjak added an empty netter.  Starting NU goaltender Jackson Teichroeb pushed aside 26 shots, including 15 in the second period.

“It was a good win.  It may not have been a pretty game on either end, but I thought we got through the penalty trouble in the second period and then had fight in the third period which led to a big two points for us,” head coach Dave Burkholder said.  “Air Force is a championship program so for us to get it gone like we did is huge.  Playoff hockey for us started three weeks ago.  We challenged the guys at the start of the Canisius series and I’ve been happy with how we’ve played since then.”

After a scoreless first period, Air Force (19-12-4; 14-9-3 AHA) put Teichroeb to the test by peppering him with 16 second-period shots while at the other end Air Force goalie Jason Torf only had four shot to push aside.  The Colonials were able to draw first blood with five minutes left in the frame off the stick of A.J. Reid.  Jason Fabian took a low shot from the left faceoff circle that Reid deflected on the backhand under the pads of Teichroeb for his fifth of the season.

The Niagara (11-17-5; 11-10-5 AHA) comeback started at 3:44 of the final period as the Purple Eagles leveled the game off Lochner’s fifth goal of the season.  With 39 seconds remaining on the man-advantage, Tyler Akeson had the initial shot to the right of Torf which was blocked in front and eventually cashed in on at the top of blue paint by Lochner to level the game.

Niagara then brought its fans to its feet twice in a 25 second span to grab a lead it would not relinquish. Ryan scored what would stand as the game-winning tally at 7:35 off a blast from the point for his fifth of the season.  Chartrain followed that with his own tally, scoring his third of the season off a wrist shot that beat Torf far side over the shoulder.

Divjak would add the empty net goal in the final two minutes of the game to secure the victory.

The Purple Eagles went 1-for-2 on the power play, while shutting down all five man-up opportunities for Air Force.  The shot count was in favor of the Falcons, 27-20.

Niagara and Air Force finish off the regular season tomorrow at Dwyer Arena with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop.

Goaltending Duel On Display at Starr

Men’s Hockey Drops Decision to Harvard; Murphy Scores 15th

HAMILTON – Colgate outshot the Crimson, 34-24, but couldn’t get one by the Harvard goaltender in the final two periods and dropped a tough 2-1 decision.

The Raiders (16-12-3, 12-6-3 ECAC Hockey) didn’t drop in the conference standings and remained second as Cornell lost to Dartmouth on Friday night. Colgate cannot fall lower than third with one game to go.

Darcy Murphy had the lone goal for Colgate in the first period with assists to Joe Wilson and Ryan Johnston. Charlie Finn made 22 saves in net with 12 coming in the first period.

Harvard (10-14-4, 6-11-4 ECAC Hockey) saw Steve Michalek stand on his head with 33 saves and 24 of them came in the first and second periods. Danny Fick scored his first collegiate goal as a senior. His goal tied the game at 1-1 in the opening frame. Phil Zielonka tallied the gamewinner in the third off a pass from Greg Guzzo.

The Raiders struck first on the power play with 12:21 left in the opening period. Johnston gained the zone and flicked the puck to Wilson. He charged in below the dots and dropped a pass to Murphy. The team leader in goals added to his total with a blast that rang off the post and in. For Murphy, it was his 15th of the season and his fifth on the power play, which is a career high.

Harvard answered with just over two minutes left in the frame with Fick scoring his first collegiate goal with quick swat off a Luke Esposito pass. The Crimson rushed up ice as a Colgate power play expired, which resulted in a 3-on-2. Esposito gained the zone and made short pass to Fick in front of the net and he jammed it home to tie the game at 1-1.

The two teams combined for 28 shots in the first 20 minutes, but the goalies were on their game. Michalek made back-to-back glove stops prior to the Crimson goal, while Finn had a sprawling stop and a toe save to keep Harvard off the board early in the contest.

The second period belonged to the netminders. Michalek had 10 stops, but easily made four or five highlight stops on pucks in front of the net. Kyle Baun had a golden chance late in the frame. He was at the side of the net and got a cross-ice pass from Tyson Spink. He couldn’t get a lot of wood on the shot and Michalek made a great stop coming across the crease. Finn had nine stops in the stanza with a couple of impressive glove stops.

Harvard took the lead with 13:32 left in the game with Zielonka scoring off a Colgate a turnover in its own zone. The Raiders tried a cross-ice pass that Guzzo knocked down at the blueline. He found Zielonka in front and he put it home for the 2-1 lead.

The Crimson packed it in and ran the trap in the neutral zone to hang on. Colgate had a few chances to tie the game, including a power play late in the game, but Michalek continued to keep the Raiders out of the net to earn the 2-1 win.

The Raiders scored once on the power play in five chances and kept the Crimson off the board on four opportunities. Colgate was able to killed off a 5-on-3 power play as well.

Senior night is up next for the Raiders tomorrow night at Starr Rink as Colgate honors Eric Mihalik and Mike McCann prior to the game. Tickets are still available and can be purchased one hour before game time.

The Hobart College hockey team earned a spot in the ECAC West semifinals by way of a 2-1 victory over Nazareth on Wednesday night. The Statesmen will face Elmira on Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m. in Pine Valley, N.Y., for a spot in the conference championship game.

Hobart brings a 14-8-4 record into Saturday’s game as the tournament’s No. 3 seed. Elmira is 14-10-1 overall and is the No. 2 seed, which earned the Soaring Eagles a bye into the semifinals.

Saturday’s game will mark the fourth meeting this season, and the third in the last nine days, between Hobart and Elmira. The Statesmen lead the season series 2-1-0 thanks to two overtime wins at the Soaring Eagles’ Murray Athletic Center last weekend. Elmira came out on top in the first meeting, scoring three third period goals for a 5-3 win on Feb. 8, in The Cooler.

Hobart is led in scoring by sophomore Mac Olson (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) who has posted 27 points on 15 goals and 12 assists. Sophomore Ben Gamache (Longlac, Ontario) is right behind him with 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists. Sophomore Bo Webster (Aurora, Ontario) and junior Ryan Michel (Camillus, N.Y.) have each dished out a team-high 17 assists. Sophomore goalie Lino Chimienti (Montreal/Quebec) has played the majority of minutes in goal and is sporting a 2.51 goals against average and a .914 save percentage to go along with a 13-5-3 record.

Josh Burnell leads the Soaring Eagles with 32 points on 15 goals and 17 assists. Michael Collins has added 28 points on 12 goals and 16 assists. Jesper Strale has registered a team-high 18 assists this year. Ryan deMelo has played in goal in the last six games in a row. He is sporting a 3.50 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. deMelo is 3-4-1 in goal this season.

Hobart and Elmira will faceoff at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students with valid ID. Fans unable to make it to the Soaring Eagles’ Murray Athletic Center can follow the action online with Live Stats, Audio and Video.

The Colgate Ticket Office has announced that tickets for the upcoming ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series for men’s hockey are on sale now.

The Raiders earned a first-round bye in the tournament as they cannot finish lower than fourth with one weekend to go. The opponent has yet to be determined as the league re-seeds after the first round.

Tickets are $12 for a reserved seat and $10 for general admission. Colgate students can get in free by showing their Gate Card at the entrance.

Tickets can be purchased three ways. Fans can log on to bleedcolgatemaroon.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.

The Raiders wrap up the regular season this weekend with visits from Harvard and Dartmouth. Colgate will honor its seniors on Saturday night against the Big Green. Tickets are still available and can be purchased during the day at the ticket office or one hour prior to game time.