Canisius Hockey wins Atlantic hockey name, heads to NCAA event

However amid the frenzied craziness at LECOM HarborCenter on Saturday evening, Golden Griffins trainer Trevor Massive heard one in every of his assistant coaches say one thing that mirrored the thrill, disbelief and seriousness of the 3-0 win towards Holy Pass.

“Only one playoff to get via and achieve a championship recreation, however let by myself win is a fantastic feeling,” mentioned Massive. “I heard Max Mobley say it later. He mentioned, ‘You recognize, it is higher than I assumed.

“It in reality does. It is a particular feeling and I am so pleased with everybody who’s within the blue and gold.”

That feeling — and all of the emotions that got here with profitable a convention championship and incomes a berth within the NCAA event — was once 10 years previous for the Griffs, for his or her gamers and for the 1,805 spectators packed inside of HarborCenter.

The Griffs (20–18–3) head into the NCAA Match via distinctive feature of profitable the Atlantic Hockey Championship for the primary time since 2013.

The Griffs made the NCAA Match after suffering throughout the first 3 months of the season, wherein they began 5–12–2. Then, they have been some of the backside runners of Atlantic Hockey via the top of the season.

“Originally of February, I feel we have been sitting in 8th position,” mentioned Massive. “I feel the arena of Atlantic hockey, it is a very tricky convention, and we have been proper there. However our teammates felt we have been higher than our file.

“And our guys constructed numerous self assurance via profitable the hockey recreation, however while you glance again, in early February, it was once very other. However it sort of feels to me that our group was once in a position for this.

They made it via after a tentative first length play towards the Crusaders (17-21-3), prior to Nick Bowman’s objective with 3:01 final in the second one length broke the stress of a win-or-go-home recreation.

“It is incredible,” mentioned Canisius goalkeeper Jakub Barzewski. “All our alumni, all of the previous gamers I have performed with, we percentage this championship in combination. It hasn’t set in but, somewhat, however it is simply a fantastic feeling.

Massive additionally recalled the ultimate time Griffes performed in a championship recreation in March of 2021. That yr in Springfield, Mass., AIC defeated Canisius 5–2 for the Atlantic hockey name and a berth within the NCAA event.

Massive mentioned, “The image that is still in our minds is one in every of our senior captains, David Mellaragni, status by myself at the blue line, looking at the AIC have a good time.” “I’m going to by no means omit that second. I knew what he was once going via. It was once very honorable. However he was once taking all of it in. You’ll inform that if he ever comes again right here, he will be amongst the ones other people.” will probably be a kind of that may propel us to the highest, and I have regularly considered that second. I am so proud to percentage with them that we have been on track as of late.”

Transient first length, extra competitive 2d for Griffs: Griffeys and the Crusaders fired 13 photographs on objective in a scoreless first part – six for Holy Pass and 7 for Kenisius – however there was once an evident hesitation between the 2 groups.

“We are coming off an all 3 recreation sequence and it took each groups a protracted sequence to get right here,” Massive mentioned, including that Canisius wanted 3 video games to overcome Niagara and Holy Pass wanted RIT. wanted 3 video games to overcome in separate Atlantic hockey semi-finals. Spherical sequence. “Now, you might be enjoying a recreation. We have been looking to perceive the sport, possibly, a little bit tentatively. I did not suppose both group was once essentially at the assault. It was once a excellent, forged hockey recreation, the place systematic Naturally no person sought after to screw up.

Eric Urbanc will have had Canisius’ highest scoring probability of the primary part with about 7 1/2 mins left in the second one when his shot from the slot went huge and prime previous Crusaders goaltender Jason Grande (21 saves). Then, lower than two mins later, on Alex Peterson’s shot from the slot, Bowman gave the Griffs a 1–0 lead, on a one-timer from the left circle with 2:01 left in the second one, off a go via defenseman Chris Peterson. Jackson Decker.

“The primary length was once a little tentative however a credit score to the leaders,” Bowman mentioned, including, ‘Take a deep breath, if we do our task, we are going to pop out on best.’ We were given the objective and it inspired everybody. We now have a pronouncing, ‘Once we’re up, simply breathe the existence out of them,’ and we wish to do what we will be able to to do our task at the ice.

Bowman’s objective introduced reduction, after which pleasure, for Griffeys.

“After which some very transparent focal point,” Massive mentioned. “We knew, if we stand on a group, we’re very unhealthy.”

Match milestones for Barczewski: Barczewski recorded his two hundredth save of the Atlantic Hockey Match throughout the second one length. He’s the 5th goaltender to succeed in the milestone, and is the 6th time an Atlantic hockey goaltender has reached the mark.

Barczewski completed with 24 saves towards Holy Pass, and completed with 208 saves throughout the Atlantic Hockey Match.

Canisius’s Tony Capobianco set a event file of 249 saves within the Atlantic Hockey Match in 2014; Capobianco additionally had a 235 within the 2013 event.

“I am in reality a small a part of it,” Barzewski mentioned of profitable the Atlantic hockey name. “I do know my task each evening is to present those guys a possibility, and I’m going in the market, and on every occasion guys are blocking off photographs and they are giving me transparent lanes, it makes my task so much more straightforward.” Is.”

All-Match Workforce: Barczewski, Bowman, Decker and ahead Keaton Mastrodonato have been named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Match Workforce. Barczewski was once named Maximum Remarkable Participant of the event.

What’s going to occur subsequent: Canisius will play within the NCAA event, which starts with first-round video games Thursday and Friday at 4 regional websites: Allentown, Pa.; Manchester, NH; Fargo, ND and Bridgeport, Conn. The 16-team box will probably be introduced on Sunday at 6:30 pm.