Game 19: Colgate (11-4-1, 6-2-0 ECAC) vs. Canisius (4-10-3, 4-5-2 Atlantic Hockey)
Dates: Fri., Dec. 30, 2011
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Site: Starr Rink; Hamilton, N.Y.
Radio: 93.9 FM WKXZ
Internet Broadcast: TEAMLINE (http://www.teamline.cc), 94 KXZ (http://www.wkxzfm.com)
Internet Video: http://www.gocolgateraiders.com/showcase
Live Stats: http://www.gocolgateraiders.com
Opponent: Canisius College
Nickname: Golden Griffins
Location: Buffalo, N.Y.
Conference: Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA)
2010-2011 Record: 13-19-6 (10-12-5 AHA)
League Finish: Eighth of 12 teams in Atlantic Hockey
Playoffs: Defeated Niagara, 6-3, in the first round of the AHA playoffs and then fell to Holy Cross, two games to one, in the Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals.
2011-2012 Preseason Rank: Ninth of 12 teams
Head Coach: Dave Smith (Ohio State 1992)
Experience: Seventh season at Canisius
Record: 79-126-31 through seven seasons
Assistant Coaches: B.J. Adams, John Daigneau and David Smith
**Did You Know: Dave Smith worked as an assistant coach at Miami University under Enrico Blasi. Smith spent two years in Oxford; his second season was Blasi’s first (1999-2000). Smith left Miami (Ohio) after two seasons and went on to work at Bowling Green and Mercyhurst before taking over at Canisius in 2005.
All-Time Series: 4-1-0 Colgate (Five games)
Home: 4-0-0 Colgate
Road: 1-0-0 Canisius
Neutral: N/A
First Meeting: Colgate 9 Canisius 1 (Nov. 3, 1987; Starr Rink; Hamilton, N.Y.)
Last Meeting: Canisius 7 Colgate 6 OT (Dec. 20, 2009; Buffalo State Ice Arena; Buffalo, N.Y.)
Last Colgate Win: Oct. 24, 2006 (Colgate 9-0; Starr Rink; Hamilton, N.Y.)
Last Canisius Win: Dec. 20, 2009 (Canisius 7-6 OT; Buffalo State Ice Arena; Buffalo, N.Y.)
SERIES NOTES
*Friday night will mark the fourth meeting between the Raiders and the Griffs in the last 10 years. It will be the first game between the two schools since 2009. The home team has never lost in the series.
*Colgate and Canisius played two games in the late 1980s (1987, 1988) and then did not meet again for another 14 years – 2002. At the time of the first two games, Canisius was playing as a member of Division III.
*All but one game in the all-time series has been played at Starr Rink. Colgate has visited Canisius at the Buffalo State Ice Arena just once and that was in 2009.
*The Raiders have outscored the Golden Griffins 45-11 in five all-time meetings. Colgate has scored at least six goals in all five games with a high of 14 in a 14-1 romp over Canisius on Nov. 1, 1988. Prior to a 7-6 Canisius victory in 2009, the Griffs had not scored more than two goals in a single game against Colgate.
*In the last two meetings combined, Colgate has scored 10 power play goals.
*Canisius is making its first trip to Starr Rink since the 2006-2007 season. On Oct. 24, 2006, Colgate scored a school-record six power play goals in a 9-0 thrashing of Canisius. The game featured 32-combined power plays, 16 for each team. Referee Frank Murphy (this was before the two-referee system) called a total of 35 penalties for 70 penalty minutes. Twenty-six (that’s correct) penalties were called over the final two periods. The game shockingly just lasted two hours and 15 minutes.
Last Game – Canisius 7 Colgate 6 OT – (Dec. 20, 2009; Buffalo State Ice Arena; Buffalo, N.Y.)
Colgate Goals: Jeremy Price (Matt Firman, Brian Day), Francois Brisebois (Robbie Bourdon, Thomas Larkin), Matt Firman (Wade Poplawski, Austin Smith), Jeremy Price (Austin Smith, Brian Day), Matt Firman (Austin Smith, Brian Day),
Scoring By Period: Colgate 1-2-3-0, Canisius 2-1-3-1
Shots: Colgate 31-23, Colgate 16-4 in the third period
Power Play: Colgate 4-for-6, Canisius 0-for-5
Goalies: Bryan Bessette (Colgate) 16 saves on 23 shots, Dan Morrison (Canisius) 25 saves on 31 shots
*SCORING AGAINST OPPONENT
Colgate
Austin Smith (Sr. F) 0-4-4
Matt Firman (Sr. F) 2-1-3
Jeremy Price (Jr. D) 2-0-2
Corbin McPherson (Sr. D) 0-1-1
Thomas Larkin (Jr. D) 0-1-1
Robbie Bourdon (Jr. F) 0-1-1
Bryan Bessette (Sr. G) 0-1-0, 6.62 GAA, .696 SV % (16/23, 63:47)
Canisius
Scott Moser (Sr. F) 0-2-2
Preston Shupe (Jr. F) 0-1-1
Torrey Lindsay (Jr. F) 0-1-1
Dan Morrison (Sr. G) 1-0-0, 5.62 GAA, .806 SV % (25/31, 64:02)
Canisius – Leading Scorers (Current)
Kyle Gibbons (So. F) 6-9-15
Taylor Law (So. F) 5-7-12
Ben Danford (So. D) 1-6-7
Torrey Lindsay (Jr. F) 3-2-5
Preston Shupe (Jr. F) 2-3-5
Scott Moser (Sr. F) 3-1-4
Matthew Grazen (Fr. F) 2-2-4
*Dan Morrison (Sr. G) 2-6-1, 2.67, .917 SV %
*Tony Capobianco (So. G) 2-4-2, 2.82 GAA, .925 SV %
Canisius – Top Returning Players (2010-11 Numbers*)
Ben Danford (So. D) 2-24-26
Preston Shupe (Jr. F) 10-14-24
Kyle Gibbons (So. F) 10-13-23
Scott Moser (Sr. F) 9-12-21, Career: 98 games
Torrey Lindsay (Jr. F) 3-11-14
Dan Morrison (Sr. G) 10-16-4, 3.57 GAA, .904 SV %, Career: 28-36-9, 3.28 GAA, .905 SV %
Canisius – Key Losses
Corey Conacher (F) 23-19-42, Career: 147 points, 129 games
Vincent Scarsella (F) 14-21-35, Career: 133 points, 144 games
Eric Rex (F) 9-18-27, Career: 103 games
Phil Rauch (D) 1-6-7, Career: 132 games
Chris Forsman (D) 4-3-7, Career: 111 games
Scott Jenks (D) 3-3-6, Career: 117 games
Pat Kenney (F) 1-2-3, Career: 111 games
Canisius - Key Additions
Mitch McCrank (F) 2011 GOJHL Rookie of the Year, GOJHL Stratford
Doug Jessey (D) 2011 MJAHL Top Defenseman
Cody Freeman (F) NAHL All-Star
Logan Roe (D) All-New England, Kent School
Stephen Farrell (D) 2010-2011 RBC Cup champion with CJHL Pembroke
Carl Larsson (F) Super Elit Sweden Linkoping
Connections
*Colgate’s Jeremy Price and Cody Freeman of Canisius were teammates on the Central Junior Hockey League’s Nepean Raiders in 2008-2009.
*Kyle Gibbons of Canisius and Colgate’s Eric Mihalik, both of Ohio, were teammates on the Cleveland Jr. Barons 16U team. Gibbons is from Westlake which is around a 20-minute drive from Mihalik’s Avon.
Loose Pucks – Canisius
*The Golden Griffins are coming off of a 19-day break. Canisius last played on Dec. 12 at Robert Morris and the Griffs were dealt a 2-1 loss by the Colonials at the Island Sports Complex.
*Friday night marks the final non-conference game of the season for Canisius. The rest of the schedule for the Buffalo, N.Y., school is comprised of games against Atlantic Hockey competition. The Griffs are 0-5-1 against non-AHA opponents this season. The 2006-07 season was the last time Canisius went winless in non-conference play. Overall, the school has not won a non-conference game since the 2010-2011 season opener against Western Michigan.
*All-time, Canisius has just two victories over ECAC Hockey schools, Clarkson (2008-09) and Colgate (2009-10). Against nationally-ranked teams, Canisius has three victories and an overall record against ranked opponents of 3-17-2.
*While Colgate enters on a six-game unbeaten streak, Canisius comes into Starr Rink on a four-game losing streak that includes losses to Holy Cross (x2), Mercyhurst and Robert Morris.
*Why are the Griffs 4-10-3? Well, Canisius is averaging 1.65 goals per game and the Griffs have scored only 28 times in 17 tilts. Special teams have also been poor – Canisius is 6-for-64 (9.4%) on the power play and 64-for-85 (75.3%) on the penalty kill. Both special teams units are ranked among the bottom 10 in the country.
*Canisius is a Roman Catholic institution and some nights, the Griffs have treated shooting the puck as if it’s a sin. Overall, Canisius is averaging 22.8 shots per game. The Golden Griffins have had two games this season with fewer than 10 shots and they have been held below 20 shots already six times this season. In non-conference road games, Canisius had 23 combined shots in two contests at Quinnipiac and 20 combined shots in a two-game series at Bowling Green. Their season low for shots on goal in a game is eight which came at Bowling Green.
*Surprisingly, Canisius is not that bad defensively. The Griffs are allowing just 2.88 goals per game and senior backstop Dan Morrison is, statistically speaking, having one of the best seasons of his career as a four-year starter. Morrison and running mate Tony Capobianco have a combined .918 save percentage which is .004 higher than the school single-season record (.914).
*Nationally speaking, Canisius is tied with Ohio State and Mercyhurst for having the most freshmen on a roster. Overall, the Griffs have 20 total underclassmen and just six upperclassmen.
*While Canisius isn’t nationally known, the Golden Griffs have been very willing to play anyone. Earlier this season, Canisius hosted nationally-ranked Lake Superior State for a two-game series. Last year, Canisius traveled to Western Michigan, Wisconsin and Notre Dame.
*Although Canisius is a Division I hockey program, the Griffs do not have an on-campus ice arena. The school, located in Buffalo, N.Y., plays its home games at the Buffalo State Ice Arena on the campus of Buffalo State College which is part of the SUNY system. However, in the fall, there were rumors that Canisius and the Buffalo Sabres would combine to build a new rink on the Canisius campus however those plans are still in the early stages.
*Canisius is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for all other sports. The school did have football, at the Division III level, however it was dropped in 2002.
Loose Pucks – Colgate
*It’s time for the second half of the season….ready or not, here we go!
*The Raiders are coming off of their longest lay-off, nearly three weeks, since the 2008-2009 season. That year, Colgate had a 21-day break in between games. The Raiders hosted the North Country schools on Dec. 5 and 6 and then did not play against until the Florida College Classic against Maine on Dec. 27.
*Colgate’s six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1) is tied for the third-longest in the country. Only Minnesota-Duluth (14 games, 11-0-3) and Robert Morris (8 games, 6-0-2) have longer unbeaten streaks.
*The Hamiltonians can notch their 20th victory of 2011 with a win over Canisius on Friday. In the 2011 calendar year, Colgate is 19-18-4. The Raiders have not won 20 games in a year since 2005 and that was also the last time CU finished with a calendar year with a winning record.
*In the national polls…USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine – 11, USCHO.com – 12. Following Thursday night’s games, Colgate stands at no. 15 in the PairWise rankings though at one point on Thursday night, Colgate jumped up to no. 11. In the national statistics, Colgate’s winning percentage (.706) is among the top five and the Raiders’ 11 wins are just three fewer than Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are first nationally (in the win department) with 14 triumphs.
*A bit of a head-scratcher yesterday at the Catamount Cup in Vermont as nationally-ranked Ferris State, next week’s opponent, was blanked, 3-0, by RIT. Meanwhile, ECAC Hockey had a nightmarish Thursday as Cornell, RPI and Clarkson all lost by three goals or more to Hockey East opponents.
*On this date, Dec. 30, last year, Colgate fell to Boston College, 6-5, in the first round of the Ledyard Bank Tournament at Dartmouth College. The Raiders, fighting a big bout of the flu, sprinted out to a 3-1 lead but could not hold on against the high-flying Eagles. Incidentally, this was also the last game that senior Corbin McPherson scored in.
*Starr Rink has been Home Sweet Home for the Raiders since the start of November. CU is riding a five-game home unbeaten streak (4-0-1) after a 1-1 OT tie with Merrimack on Dec. 11. The Raiders have outscored opponents 18-7 in that stretch. Against ECAC Hockey opponents, that number is 17-6. No opponent has scored more than two goals in a game while the Raiders have lit the lamp at least three times in all but one of the five contests.
*Should senior Austin Mayer play against Canisius on Friday night, it would be his 100th career game. Mayer spent two seasons at Providence College before transferring to Colgate. He sat out 2009-2010 and he is currently in his second year as a Raider. Senior tri-captain Kevin McNamara is the current team leader with 135 career games – he’s on pace to finish in the top three at Colgate in all-time games played. Outside of missing all of 2008-09, Kevin has been scratched just twice in his career.
*One other quick games played note, the next time senior Mark Nasca suits up, it will be his 50th game in a Raider uniform.
*CU is 2-1-1 against Atlantic Hockey this season. The Raiders have wins over Robert Morris and Niagara, a tie with Army and a loss to Niagara. Remember, Colgate has beaten at least one team from every Division I conference (HEA, AHA, ECAC, CCHA, WCHA) this season.
*The 1-0 deficit to Merrimack after the first period on Dec. 11 marked the first time this season that Colgate has trailed at Starr Rink at the end of 20 minutes.
*In Colgate’s current six-game unbeaten streak, the Raiders are 22-for-24 (91.7%) on the penalty kill. Saint Lawrence is the only team to score a power play goal against Colgate in that time – in fact, SLU’s Jacob Drewiske scored two power play goals.
*So that Austin Smith fellow is pretty good. Smith enters the second half as the national leader in overall goals (18), points per game (1.65) and short-handed goals (five). He is also tied for the national lead in game-winning goals (five) and he is second in goals per game (1.06) and total points (28).In addition, Smith is averaging one point per game in his career with 131 points in 131 games.
*On the all-time scoring list, Smith is tied with former line mate David McIntyre for 24th place. Smith can pass McIntyre with a point against Canisius. One slot about McIntyre in 23rd place is Joey Cyr ’77 with 133 career points. After Cyr, there is a considerable gap in points to Ron Fogarty ’95 who is in 22nd place with 141 points.
*When Chris Wagner does not dress, Colgate is winless. Wagner did not play against Brown at home last season and the Raiders were defeated 5-2 by the Bears. Wagner did not play versus Merrimack on Dec. 11 and Colgate skated to a 1-1 overtime tie with the Warriors.
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