Ice Hockey Wins Second in a Row over Canisius
West Springfield, Mass. - Sophomore Mike
McMillan (Sault Ste Marie, Ont.) scored two goals as the Yellow
Jackets downed Canisius College 4-2 in an Atlantic Hockey match-up
Saturday afternoon at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield,
Mass. With the win, the Jackets move 2-5-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the
conference while the Golden Griffins fall to 2-7-2 overall and
2-5-1 in the AHA.
The Jackets kept up the tempo following their win Friday night, storming out of the gates for two first-period goals. McMillan finished off a barrage of AIC shot attempts on Canisius goalie Bryce Luker, flinging home a rebound shot following a blast from freshman Steve McLeod (Atikokan, Ont.). McLeod and senior Jereme Tendler (Viceroy, Sk.) registered an assist on the goal at the 8:03 marker.
AIC out shot the Golden Griffins 9-2 in the first-stanza.
Freshman T.J. Smith pounded home his first collegiate goal with less than eight minutes on the clock in the first-frame. The Jackets peppered Luker with three shots before Smith gathered a rebound and banged the puck into the net. Frankie DeAngelis (Woodbridge, Ont.) and Mark Pavli (Sarnia, Ont.) were given assists following the contests second score.
A rough second-period saw a goal scored by each squad. DeAngelis skated out of the penalty-box, received a pass from Pavli leading him on the breakaway, and scored a goal after firing the puck through the legs of Andrew Leowen. Leowen replaced Luker a little over half way through the period turning away three shots in the frame.
Canisius got on the board at the 5:08 mark in the second when Derek Danowski tipped in a rebound after Kyle Bushee ripped a shot on net from just outside the circle, making the score 3-1.
Canisius played a strong second-period earning a 12-5 shot advantage over the Yellow Jackets.
The Golden Griffins made it interesting in the third-frame. Josh Heidinger ripped a slap-shot past Ramirez at the 11:38 mark, making the score 3-2.
Canisius pressed the Jackets for the entire-period before eventually pulling their goalie with 44 ticks on the clock. With the net empty, McMillan tossed home his second score of the period after intercepting a pass across the blue-line.
Ramirez stopped 26 shots in net, earning his second victory of the season. Luker stopped eight shots in net for the Griffins.
AIC will take a short break before skating in the Rensselaer Holiday Tournament this weekend. On Friday they will take on RPI and will either face Alabama Huntsville or Notre Dame Saturday evening.