In Atlantic Hockey conference action, Sacred Heart visited Canisius for a weekend series. The teams tied on Friday before the Griffs pulled off a win Saturday.

Jason Cotton opened the scoring early for the Pioneers Friday, but Canisius scored three straight goals to put themselves in a winning position. Kevin Obssuth, Dylan McLaughlin and Nick Hutchison all scored for the Griffs. But a pair of quick goals in the second period – just 39 seconds apart – tied the game. Zach De Concilys and Todd Goehring had the additional goals.

The teams remained locked and ended the game in a 3-3 tie. Josh Benson had 24 saves, while Blake Weyrick had 23. The teams rematched on Saturday, but this time, a very late shorthanded goal gave Canisius the edge.

Jordan Kaplan and Marcel Godbout scored in the first period for Sacred Heart, but the Pioneers’ effort fell apart from there. Grant Meyer got the Griffs on the board late in the first, and McLaughlin tied the game early in the third. Casey Jerry then scored shorthanded with just 1:46 remaining to win the game.

Brett Magnus had 21 saves, while Weyrick registered 25 saves in the win.

Elsewhere, Robert Morris topped Mercyhurst twice this weekend. Powered by goals from Aidan Spellacy, Jacob Coleman and Eric Israel, the Colonials pulled off a 3-1 win Friday over the Lakers. Joshua Lammon had the lone goal for Mercyhurst, while Stefano Cantali made 22 saves in the loss. Francis Marotte had 31 saves in the victory.

The Colonials then won Saturday’s game by an impressive six-goal margin, defeating the Lakers 7-1. Special teams were especially effective, as the Colonials had three power-play goals and two shorthanded tallies.

Justin Addamo led the team with a pair of goals; Daniel Mantenuto, Nick Prkusic, Kip Hoffmann, Kyle Horsman and Michael Coyne also scored for the Colonials. Joshua Lammon had the lone goal for the Lakers once again.

This time, Marotte made 24 saves. Cantali played the first twenty minutes of the game for the Lakers, allowing four goals on 20 shots. Colin DeAugustine played the final 20 minutes in goal, allowing three goals on 12 shots faced in the loss.

Niagara and Army also split their weekend series. The Purple Eagles captured a 3-1 win Friday. Ryan Cox, Dylan Mills and Niko Kovachis all scored for Niagara, while Mason Krueger had the only goal for Army in the loss. Jared Dempsey made 27 saves, while Brian Wilson had 26 saves.

The Black Knights beat Niagara 5-1 Saturday, powered by a hat trick from Dominic Franco. Colin Bilek had the other two goals for Army, while Zach Evancho registered three assists. Army had three of their five goals on the man advantage. Jared Brandt had the lone goal for the Purple Eagles in Saturday’s loss.

Dempsey made 16 saves, while Wilson had 24 saves.

Bentley also topped Holy Cross 4-2. Michael Zuffante, Luke Orysiuk, Alexey Solovyev and Ryner Gorowsky all scored for the Falcons. Jack Surowiec and Mitch Collett potted goals for the Crusaders.

Aidan Pelino stopped 23 of 25 shots faced for the Falcons, while Erik Gordon had 13 saves.

In non-conference action, the Crusaders tied Merrimack 2-2. Michael Laffin and Johnny Coughlin had the goals for Holy Cross, while Mitch Collett assisted on both goals. The Crusaders went 1-for-3 on the man advantage, and Gordon had 26 saves.

The Falcons also beat Boston College. Tanner Jago, Will Garin, Matt Lombardozzi and Jake Kauppila all scored for Bentley in the 4-2 win, and the Falcons went 2-for-6 on the man advantage.

Pelino had 22 saves.

Finally, the RIT Tigers fell 4-3 to non-conference opponent Northeastern.

Brody Valette, Adam Brubacher and Alden Dupuis scored for RIT. Logan Drackett stopped 23 of 27 shots faced in the loss.

Here are the current Atlantic Hockey standings:

1. Niagara
2. Army
3. Air Force
4. AIC
5. RIT
6. Robert Morris
7. Bentley
8. Canisius
9. Mercyhurst
10. Sacred Heart
11. Holy Cross

Sunday, November 25th, 2018 - 3:15 pm | Atlantic Hockey, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings