Atlantic Hockey Weekly Award Winners for Games Through February 22

Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week

Atlantic Hockey Goalie of the Week

Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week

Atlantic Hockey Honor Roll

Matt Fairchild - Air Force (Jr., F, Ashburn, Va.) - Three points (1-2-3) in the series...Scored the game-winning goal on Friday in the 4-3 win...Two assists on Saturday in the 3-2 win...Assisted on the game-winning on Saturday. Drove the length of the ice past a defenseman and took a shot that was saved. Michael Mayra cleaned up the rebound with 2:25 left in the third for a 3-2 lead and eventual victory.

Andrew Volkening - Air Force (Jr., G, Genoa, Ill.) - 2.50 GAA and a .907 saves percentage in the series...Led Air Force to a series sweep of Holy Cross...Stopped 49 of the 54 shots he faced in the series...25 saves on Friday and 24 on Saturday...On Friday, made three saves after Holy Cross pulled the goalie in an extra attacker situation...On Saturday, made three again in the extra attacker situation, including one with three seconds left after a faceoff.

Chris Campanale - American International (Jr., F, Chester Springs, Pa.) - Netted two goals in the first game of AIC’s weekend series with Sacred Heart. Scored the Yellow Jackets first goal in the opening period of play, and then tallied his seventh goal of the season early in the second period.

Steve McLeod - American International (So., F, Atikokan, ONT) - Recorded two goals and an assist in the Yellow Jackets weekend home-and-home series with Sacred Heart. McLeod dished out an assist in the first game, then found the back of the net twice in the second game, including one goal on the power-play, to propel AIC to its first victory of 2009.

David Turco - American International (Sr., F, Sault Ste. Marie, ONT) - Tallied a goal and an assist in the Yellow Jackets home-and-home with Sacred Heart this past weekend. Netted a power-play goal in the weekend opener, then handed out an assist on the game winning goal in the back end of the series.

Dustin Cloutier - Bentley (So., F, Berkley, Mich.) - Cloutier had a team high four points in Bentley’s series with Mercyhurst, all of which came in Friday’s game. He had two power play goals and assisted on Bentley’s other two scores.

Dain Prewitt - Bentley (Sr., F, Wesminster, Colo.) - Prewitt scored what would be the game-winning goal 2:31 into the third period of Saturday night’s 3-1 win over Mercyhurst. His goal broke a 1-1 tie and sent Bentley to the win. It was his team leading fifth game-winner of the season. He also assisted on Jeff Gumaer’s insurance goal.

Jason Weeks - Canisius (Jr., F, Seattle, Wash.) - Weeks tallied three goals and an assist against the Huskies. He scored a goal late in each game to send the game into overtime. He tallied the game-tying goal with just 3:21 left in the opener and then scored with 1:05 left in the finale to send the game into overtime. Weeks currently ranks third in Atlantic Hockey and 19th nationally with 1.16 points per game.

Beau Erickson - Connecticut (Jr., G, Hinton, Iowa) - Erickson posted a 2-1 record during the week allowing nine goals in three games and recording a 2.99 GAA. In 180:35 minutes in goal, Erickson made 79 saves which boosted him over the 2,300 mark for career saves made at UConn. His career save total now sits at 2,375 and he is first on the UConn Division I All-Time Save List and third on the UConn All-Time Save List (UConn was also a Division III school).

Daniel Naurato - Connecticut (Fr., F, Northville, Mich.) - Naurato recorded three points this week (1 goal, 2 assists) with a two assist effort in the game against American International recording assists on the game’s first and fifth goal. Naurato scored the go-ahead goal in the third period for the Huskies at 16:53 before Canisius was able to tie the score up at three-all.

Matt Clune - Holy Cross (Fr., D, Toronto, ONT) - Clune had two assists in the game with Air Force on Feb. 20. He assisted on Holy Cross’ first two goals of the contest. He has two goals and four assists for six points on the season.

Jordan Cyr - Holy Cross (So., F, Winnipeg, MAN) - Cyr recorded one goal and one assist for two points in the series with Air Force. On Feb. 20, he scored Holy Cross’ first goal of the game, while on Feb. 21 he had an assist. Cyr leads the team in goals with 15 and points with 24. His nine assists are ranked fourth.

Scott Pitt - Mercyhurst (So., F, Ottawa, ONT) - Pitt¹s four-point peformance on Friday helped the Lakers earn a split against Bentley at the Ryan Skating Arena in Waltham, Mass. Pitt scored two goals and added two assists as Mercyhurst unleashed six power-play goals in a 6-4 win over the Falcons. He scored the game¹s first tally before adding an insurance marker later in the second period. Pitt currently ranks second on the team with 37 points.

Louis Menard - RIT (Sr., G, Chicoutimi, QUE) - Menard improved to 8-1-2 in AHA play, stopping 35 shots in a 1-1 draw against Army. He has a 2.22 goals against average and .917 save percentage in conference play this season.

Dave Jarman - Sacred Heart (Jr., F, Toronto, ONT) - Jarman had four points in SHU”s weekend split with AIC, ringing up two goals and two assists. The junior scored two goals in Friday’s win, bookending the game by scoring the first goal and then capping the game with an empty-netter. It was the first multi-goal game of the year for Jarman. Jarman now has 20 points on the year, eight goals and 12 assists.

Evan Mladenoff - Sacred Heart (So., F, Leawood, Kan.) - Mladenoff had his most productive weekend of the year, tallying three points against AIC. The sophomore had two goals and an assist in the split. Friday night he scored SHU’s third goal, a shorthanded tally late in the first period. Saturday Mladenoff scored the Pioneers only goal.

Atlantic Hockey Team Notes

Atlantic Hockey: Here is the tiebreaker that will be used to determine seeding for the 2009 Atlantic Hockey Tournament:
1. Points head-to-head; 2. Goal differential head-to-head; 3. Conference wins; 4. Goal differential - conference games; 5. Goals allowed - conference games and 6. Goals scored - conference games.

Here is the possible seedings for Atlantic Hockey members:

Air Force: AFA swept Holy Cross to improve to 22-8-2 overall...The 22 wins are a new school record for Division I victories...The 22 wins are the third-most in school history against all teams...AFA has recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in school history...The 20-win season is the fifth in school history...AFA extended its unbeaten streak against Holy Cross to nine games (5-0-4) since joining the AHA...Eight of the last nine games have been decided by one goal (not including empty-net). AFA is 6-1-1 in those games...Andrew Volkening earned both wins over Holy Cross and has played every minute of every game for Air Force, one of only two goalies in the nation to do so (Brad Thiessen, Northeastern)...Jacques Lamoureux scored his 26th goal of the season on Friday. His 26 goals are the most at Air Force since Frank Daldine had 28 in 1984-85...Lamoureux leads the nation in goals and has four more than any other player...Lamoureux’s 21 goals in league play tie as the second most in AHA history...Greg Flynn had one assist in the series and now has 23 points in league games this season which ties as the fifth most by a defenseman in AHA history...AFA had two sellouts last weekend and now has sold out the Cadet Ice Arena eight straight times which ties the school record for any sport...The 11 sellouts this season are a new school record for any sport...Saturday’s crowd of 3,421 is the second largest in school history...AFA travels to RIT for a league championship showdown. The teams split the two-game series earlier this season at Air Force as the Falcons won the first night, 2-0, and RIT won the second night, 3-2 in overtime.

American International: The Yellow Jackets went 1-1-0 in their weekend home-and-home series with Sacred Heart, claiming their first victory of 2009. AIC lost 6-3 in the series opener against the Pioneers. Sacred Heart jumped out to an early 2-0 lead scoring twice in the games first four-minutes. Junior Chris Campanale put the Yellow Jackets on the board when he found the back of the net with assists from freshmen Michael Penny and Luciano Primiani. The Pioneers added one more goal in the first period taking a 3-1 lead in to the first intermission. Campanale tallied his second goal of the game at 4:05 of the second period cutting the Sacred Heart lead to 3-2. Sophomores Steve McLeod and Dan Ramirez handed out the assists on the goal. After the Pioneers scored to make the game 4-2, senior David Turco netted a goal in the third period, attempting to spark a comeback, but Sacred Heart added two more goals to cap off the 6-3 victory. Ramirez stopped 19 shots on the night. In the back end of the series, the Yellow Jackets claimed a 2-1 victory, snapping an 18-game winless streak. After the Pioneers took an early 1-0 lead, McLeod found the back of the net on the power-play with assists from senior Matt Woodard and junior Dean Yakura, to tie the score at 1-1. Then with less than five-seconds remaining in the first period, McLeod tallied, what would prove to be, the game wining goal with assists from Turco and freshman Nielsson Arcibal. Senior Tom Fenton made 14 saves in the victory for AIC. Next up, the Yellow Jackets take on Army in their final series of the regular season beginning on Friday at 7:05 p.m. in West Point N.Y.

Army: The Black Knights held RIT to just four goals over the weekend and earned a point with a tie on Saturday. RIT scored late in the second period for a 3-2 win on Friday and Army tied the game in the third period during a 1-1 overtime draw on Saturday … Army is now 10-17-5 overall and 9-12-5 in conference games. With the tie, Army is in sixth place with two games remaining. Army cannot finish any higher than sixth in the final regular season standings … Goalie Jay Clark continued his stellar play, making 63 saves over the weekend, including 42 in Saturday’s tie. In that game, Clark made double-digit saves in each period with 11 in the first, 14 in the second and 16 in the third. He preserved the tie with one save in overtime … Army scored its 25th power play goal of the season on Friday … Mark Dube scored his fourth goal of the season Saturday … Owen Meyer scored his team-leading 16th goal on Friday. The tally was the 50th of the junior’s career. Meyer now has 98 career points … Eric Sefchik handed out his team-best 18th assist on Friday … Army will conclude the regular season with a home-and-home series against American International. Friday’s game will honor Army’s seniors at Tate Rink at 7:05 p.m. while the Black Knights’ final game of the regular season is scheduled for Saturday at 7:05 p.m. in Springfield, Mass.

Bentley: Bentley spilt with Mercyhurst over the weekend, the second consecutive weekend Bentley has spilt and the second straight weekend they’ve lost Friday’s game but rebounded with a win on Saturday. In Friday’s 6-4 loss, the Falcons yielded six power play goals, four of which came in a span of 3:39 in the second period which ultimately decided the game. Bentley scored three power play goals of their own, but it wasn’t enough. On Saturday, goalies Kyle Rank and Ryan Zapolski were the stars as Bentley emerged with a 3-1 win. Rank made 35 saves while Zapolski stopped 37 shots. With the score knotted at one early in the third period, Dain Prewitt scored what would be the game-winning goal, his fifth game-winner of the season. Jeff Gumaer added an insurance goal at the 6:50 mark. Rank has now won eight games in a row, and he’s played to a minuscule 1.88 GAA and a .938 saves percentage during the streak. He’s now third in Atlantic Hockey in both GAA (2.39) and saves percentage (.921). With 10 wins on the year, he’s one of just four AHA goalies to have double digit wins. He’s also on pace to break the program record for lowest GAA and best save percentage in a single season. With the spilt, Bentley went 2-1-1 against Mercyhurst this year, which is only the second time the program has posted a winning record against the Lakers in the season series. The team’s 17 overall wins is the program’s most ever at the Division I level and the most since the 1996-97 season. Gumaer now has 59 career goals, which is fourth all-time in the program’s history. Bentley will look to lock up home ice advantage in the conference quarterfinals this weekend with a home-and-home series with UConn. The teams have spilt their first two games this season. Bentley won at Ryan Skating Arena 1-0 on Nov. 7, while the Huskies took a 2-1 overtime win at home on Jan. 14. Friday’s game is at Freitas Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn., while Saturday’s game takes place at in Watertown, Mass.

Canisius: The Griffs split a pair of overtime games during the weekend against Connecticut. Canisius is now 14-12-6 on the season and 12-10-4 in Atlantic Hockey play. The Griffs have clinched at least the five seed for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament and are three points behind Bentley for fourth in the standings. Canisius will play either Bentley or Mercyhurst in the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals. With the two overtime games against Connecticut, Canisius has played 11 overtime contests this season, the second-most in school history. The 2004-05 team played in 13 overtime games. Canisius is 4-1-6 in the extra frame this season. The Griffs’ four overtime victories are tied with Colgate for the most in the NCAA this season. In the opener, the Griffs rallied from down two goals in the third period to send the game into overtime, where they eventually won. It was the second time this season that Canisius won a game when trailing by two in the third period. Both games were against Connecticut. Junior Carl Hudson scored the game-winning goal 15 seconds into the extra frame. It was the second overtime goal of the season and the third of his career. He also scored in overtime against the Huskies during his rookie season. Hudson’s goal came on the power play, the 19th extra-man goal of his career. He has scored 19 of his 29 career goals on the power play (65.5 percent). Hudson also added an assist on the night to raise his season total to 21 points, tying his own school record for points in a year by a defender. The junior currently ranks first nationally among blue liners with 0.42 goals per game. Junior Jason Weeks also played a big role in the Griffs’ weekend. Weeks tallied three goals and an assist against the Huskies. He scored a goal late in each game to send the game into overtime. He tallied the game-tying goal with just 3:21 left in the opener and then scored with 1:05 left in the finale to send the game into overtime. Weeks has not recorded 36 points (13g, 23a) on the season, the second-most in the program’s Division I history. Only Chris Duggan recorded more points in a season when he posted 48 (22g, 26a) during the 1998-99 campaign. Weeks currently ranks third in Atlantic Hockey and 19th nationally with 1.16 points per game. Canisius’ power play was strong during the weekend, scoring on 5-of-13 extra-man opportunities. The Griffs scored on their last three power play chances on Friday, leading to the 4-3 overtime victory. In its last 15 games, Canisius is converting on 22.3 percent of its extra-man opportunities after converting just 10.9 percent of its chances to start the season. Hudson, Weeks and freshman Dave Kostuch are tied for the team lead with seven power play goals, two shy of the program’s Division I record (David Deeves scored nine in 1998-99). Junior Andrew Loewen started both games in goal for Canisius, recording 55 saves during the weekend. Loewen now has 2,047 saves during his career, becoming the fourth Griff and the second in the program’s Division I history to record 2,000 career saves. Canisius concludes the regular season with a home-and-home series against Mercyhurst. Canisius took three points earlier in the season, skating to a 2-2 draw and winning 3-2 in overtime.

Connecticut: The Huskies finished the week 2-1 after defeating AIC on Tuesday and Canisius on Saturday. In game one of the week against AIC, the Huskies came out strong scoring early into the game. They fell behind for 2:36 during the first period when AIC scored two goals in a matter of 45 seconds. But once the Huskies were able to score the tying goal with just six seconds remaining in the first, the momentum shifted in the Huskies favor for the rest of the game. UConn went on to score five-straight goals, their longest goal scoring streak of the season, for the 6-2 victory, which was the largest margin of victory this season. During the game, five Huskies recorded two or more points and goaltender Beau Erickson eclipsed the 2,300 mark for career saves made. In their weekend series with Canisius, UConn had a 2-0 lead until the third period when Canisius came out firing scoring three goals during the period. UConn was able to tie the game up and send it into overtime, but just 15 seconds in, on the first shot of the overtime period, Canisius scored the winning goal for the 4-3 victory. In Saturday night’s meeting, Canisius got out to an early 1-0 lead but UConn would tie the game up before the end of the first. The action was back and forth for the rest of the game and just like Friday’s meeting the game would be sent to overtime tied at 3-3. This time the Huskies would emerge victorious on Sean Erickson’s game-winning goal. Jason Krispel recorded three assists for the Huskies in their game against AIC. 5 Huskies recorded a multi-point game against AIC. UConn goaltender Beau Erickson ecliped the 2300 save mark in career saves. With his three assists this weekend, Sean Erickson moved into fourth place on the UConn All-time Career Assists list. With his four points this weekend, Sean Erickson moved into 10th place on the UConn All-time Career Points List. With his five assists this week, Jason Krispel moved into second for assists recorded in one season which now stands at 25.

Holy Cross: Junior co-captain Ryan Driscoll (Dorchester, Mass.) has now played in 101 career games. He has six goals and 11 assists for 17 points this year. This ties his career-best in all three categories as he had six goals and 11 assists for 17 points in each of his first two seasons. Driscoll is tied for first on the team in assists, is tied for fourth in points and is tied for fifth in goals. He has 18 goals and 33 assists for 51 points in his career. Two other Holy Cross players have played over 100 career games as senior co-captain Marty Dams (Manotick, Ontario) has played in 119 games and senior Dewey Thomson (Northbridge, Mass.) has played in 102 games. Freshman Kyle Atkins (Brockville, Ontario) scored his first collegiate goal on Feb. 20. He has one goal and four assists for five points on the season. The Crusaders are only averaging 11.9 penalty minutes per game.

Mercyhurst: The Mercyhurst College men’s hockey team splits its two-game series against Bentley this past weekend at the Ryan Skating Arena in Waltham, Mass. The Lakers defeated the Falcons 6-4 on Friday before falling 3-1 on Saturday. Mercyhurst exploded with six power-play goals in Friday’s match. Sophomore Scott Pitt led the way with two goals and two assists while sophomore Ryan Zapolski made 15 of his 31 saves in the third period to hold the Falcons scoreless and preserve the win. Freshman Phil Ginand tallied a goal in each game, inlcuding the game-winner in the first game. The Lakers return to action this weekend with a home-and-home series against Canisius. Mercyhurst will play in Buffalo on Friday before returning home on Saturday for Senior Day.

Rochester Institute of Technology: RIT has now has a five-game unbeaten streak and is 15-1-1 over its last 17 games after winning and tying at Army over the weekend. RIT will host Air Force in the final regular season contests this weekend in what will decide the AHA regular season title. Both teams come in with identical 19-5-2 records and 40 points in conference play. The two teams split a two-game series in Colorado Springs on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6. The Tigers have clinched home ice for the AHA Quarterfinals, on March 13-15. The Tigers did not win when leading after two periods for the first time on Saturday. They are now 12-0-1 when leading after two periods, 12-1-1 in the second game of a weekend series and 13-0-0 when scoring at least five goals in a game this season. RIT is now tied for second in Division I in scoring, averaging 3.72 goals per game (three of the top four scoring teams are from Atlantic Hockey). The Tigers have incredibly balanced scoring, with eight players scoring at least 20 points and 14 in double digits. Dan Ringwald is tied for second among all Division I defensemen with 26 assists and eighth with 28 points. Senior goaltender Louis Menard is 8-1-2 in AHA play this season and 33-7-7 all-time in AHA regular season play. The Tiger power-play is 25-for-87 (28.8 percent) in 14 2009 contests. They have moved up to fifth in the nation at 20.9 percent. Brennan Sarazin has 18 points over his last 12 games. The Tigers have now have a nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1) on the road. RIT players are a combined plus-117 in AHA games this season. RIT is 10-3-0 at home this season and has scored 66 goals (5.1 per game) in 13 home games this season. The Tigers need one more win to tie the Division I team record with 21 wins.

Sacred Heart: The Pioneers split a weekend series with American International, winning at home by a 6-3 score before falling in Springfield, 2-1. Junior Dave Jarman led the Pioneers with two goals and two assists on the weekend while sophomore Evan Mladenoff rang up two goals and one assist. Jarman scored two goals Friday night to record his first multi-goal game of the year. The Pioneers went 2-2 against AIC this year, the first time the Pioneers failed to win the season series from the Yellow Jackets since 1998-99. Friday night’s win guaranteed the Pioneers a home game in the opening round of the AHA playoffs. This will be the fourth straight year the Pioneers will host a playoff game. In the final weekend of the regular season the Pioneers will take-on Holy Cross in a home-and-home series. SHU will celebrate senior night on Saturday in Milford.