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Sean Bertsch - Air Force (Junior, Forward, Woodland Park, Colo.)
- Matched his combined totals on the season in the Army
series...Came into series with four points (3-1-4) in 34
games...Four points (3-1-4) in Army series...Career high two goals,
including the game winner on Friday...One goal and one assist on
Saturday...Scored AFA’s first goal of game on Saturday to tie
game at 1-1 in second period...Assisted on Derrick Burnett’s
empty-net goal to seal the win.
Dan Morrison - Canisius (Sophomore, Goaltender, London, Ontario) -
Morrison anchored the Canisius defense during the weekend, helping
the Griffs to a weekend sweep against Mercyhurst. Morrison posted a
goals against average of 2.04 and a save percentage of .944 in the
two wins, while recording the top two single-game saves marks in
the program’s Division I history. He matched the record with
41 stops in the opener, including 24 in the third period, while
yielding just one goal in a 5-1 victory. In the finale, he set the
record outright with 44 saves in a 5-4 overtime victory over the
Lakers. Morrison did not allow a single even-strength goal during
the weekend, with four of the Mercyhurst goals coming with a
two-man advantage.
Ben Parker - Canisius (Freshman, Defenseman, Port Perry, Ontario)
- Parker helped the Griffs advance to the conference semifinals for
the first time since the 2004 season, scoring the series-clinching
goal in double overtime in game two. The freshman defender scored
his third goal of the season seven minutes into the extra frame to
lift the Griffs to a weekend sweep. The game-winning score was the
first of Parker’s career. He also added an assist in
Friday’s 5-1 victory.
Jared DeMichiel - RIT (Senior, Goaltender, Avon, Conn.) -
DeMichiel stopped 32 shots as RIT advanced to the AHA Semifinals
after sweeping Connecticut, 4-3 and 4-1 in the quarterfinals.
DeMichiel stopped 15 shots in Friday’s win, and 17 on
Saturday. DeMichiel is now 23-9-1 this season. He is
seventh nationally with a 2.10 goals against average, .712 save
percentage, and is 10th with a .919 save percentage.
Chris Halitgin - RIT (Sophomore, Defenseman, Oakville, Ontario) -
Haltigin scored the game-winning goal, 9:54 into overtime on Friday
to lead the Tigers to a 4-3 win over Connecticut in game one of the
AHA quarterfinals. Haltigin’s hard slapshot from the
right point got through a screen and past Garrett Bartus.
Haltigin also had an assist in that win. The following night,
Haltigin scored has 10th goal of the season in RIT’s 4-1
win. Haltigin is on a five-game goal scoring streak. He
now has 21 points (10-11-21) this season.
Eric Delong - Sacred Heart (Freshman, Forward, Oakville, Manitoba)
- Contributed three points, one goal and two assists, in a pair of
SHU playoff victories…Netted an empty net goal at the end of
Friday night’s contest to bring the score to its 4-0
final…Earned an assist on Ryan Miniaci’s first goal of
the season to make it a 2-0 game in the third period Friday
night…Also earned an assist in the first period Saturday
night that gave the Pioneers a 2-0 lead…Leads all Atlantic
Hockey rookies and sixth in the NCAA with 31 points.
Nick Johnson - Sacred Heart (Senior, Forward, Windsor, Conn.) -
Posted two goals and two assists in the Pioneers sweep of Holy
Cross in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Hockey
tournament…Scored the series first goal Friday night, which
would prove to be the game winner…Assisted on Dave
Jarman’s marker to make it a 3-0 game Friday night in the
third period…Also netted the game’s first goal
Saturday night…Also had the primary assist on the goal that
tied the game at three in the third period to eventually force
overtime…Tied for the NCAA lead with 27 goals and ranks
first in the nation with eight game winners.
Steven Legatto - Sacred Heart (Freshman, Goaltender, Kelowna,
British Columbia) - Allowed just three goals in two victories,
leading Sacred Heart to a series sweep over Holy Cross in the
quarterfinals of the AHA tournament…Posted his second career
shutout in his postseason debut with 36 saves Friday
night…Made a spectacular diving save in the opening moments
of overtime Saturday night to keep the game alive for
SHU…Finished the weekend with a .945 save percentage and
1.44 goals against average.
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Air Force: AFA advances to the AHA Final Four for the
fourth straight year, the only league team to reach Rochester each
of the last four seasons...AFA is 13-1 all-time in the AHA
Tournament...The Falcons have out-scored their opponents 21-6 in
the last four games...AFA’s current four-game winning streak
is the longest of the season...AFA’s shutout win on Friday
was the fourth shutout of the season and the first time Air Force
ever shutout Army at the Cadet Ice Arena...AFA killed all eight of
nine Army power plays and moved back to No. 1 in the nation in
penalty kill at 88.0 percent...Andrew Volkening posted a 1.00 GAA
and .968 saves percentage to lift Air Force to two wins over
Army...He stopped 60 of the 62 shots he faced...Volkening recorded
his third straight AHA Tournament shutout with a 3-0 win over Army
on Friday with 29 saves...Volkening extended his league-record AHA
Tournament shutout streak to 236 consecutive minutes dating back to
the quarterfinals in 2009...Gave up two goals and made 31 saves in
the 4-2 win on Saturday...In 12 tournament games, Volkening is 11-1
with a 1.47 goals-against average and a .931 saves percentage...In
12 tourney games, has held his opponents to two goals of less nine
times, including four shutouts...Sean Bertsch had a career high two
goals on Friday. He has four goals in his last three games...He
entered the Army series with four points in 34 games (3-1-4). He
had four points (3-1-4) in the two games vs. Army...Eric Artman had
a career high two assists on Friday...Blake Page tied his career
high with two assists on Friday...Senior Brandon Johnson, who had
played 36 career games on defense, was moved to right wing prior to
the Sacred Heart series. He scored his second career goal on
Saturday vs. Army...Jacques Lamoureux scored his team-leading 21st
goal, 12th power play goal and fourth game winner with his goal
with 1:25 remaining in the third period to beat Army...Derrick
Burnett scored one goal each night and has 10 on the season. He
scored the empty-netter on Saturday to seal the win...Air Force
will face Sacred Heart in the AHA semifinals on Friday...Each team
swept the series at home this season. SHU outscored Air Force, 9-2,
in Connecticut. AFA outscored SHU, 14-6, at the Academy...AFA is
6-0 all-time at the Blue Cross Arena with three straight
championships...AFA and Sacred Heart met in the AHA semifinals in
2007. Air Force pulled the goaltender in the final minute and
scored to tie the game. AFA forward Josh Print scored the
game-winner in overtime to send the Falcons to the championship
game en route to AFA’s first ever championship.
Canisius: Canisius swept a best-of-three series at
fourth-seeded Mercyhurst during the weekend, winning the opener,
5-1, and rallying for a 5-4 double overtime victory in the finale.
Canisius improves to 17-14-5 on the season and will face top-seeded
RIT on Friday in the Atlantic Hockey semifinals. The Griffs
advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time since
2004, ending a six-year drought. Canisius last advanced to the
championship game in 1999 (falling to Holy Cross) and the Griffs
have never won a league championship. Canisius enjoyed
unparallel success this season against its rival in Mercyhurst. The
Griffs defeated the Lakers in 5-of-6 meetings, which includes its
first two weekend sweeps against its rival. Canisius also defeated
the Lakers four times at the Mercyhurst Ice Center this season, the
most in a single season. Prior to this year, Canisius was just
8-23-4 all-time at Mercyhurst. The Griffs also exacted some revenge
against the Lakers, who was 4-0 against Canisius in Division I
postseason games, eliminating the Griffs in 2001, 2006 and
2008. The Griffs are also the first team to win a
best-of-three series as the lower seed in Atlantic Hockey
Tournament history. During the first three years of the
best-of-three series, the higher-seeded team has now advanced
12-of-13 times. Canisius rallied from a 4-1 deficit to earn
the victory on Saturday, marking the first time in the
program’s Division I history that the Griffs won when
trailing by three goals. Canisius had twice tied a game when
trailing by three or more goals (vs. Holy Cross – Nov. 7,
1998; vs. St. Cloud State – Oct. 13, 2007) but never won one.
It also marked the first time this season won a game when trailing
heading into the second period. Canisius was 0-13-1 this season
when trailing after two periods of play. Freshman Ben Parker
scored the game-winning goal in double overtime against the Lakers,
sending the Griffs into the Atlantic Hockey semifinals. The goal
was just the third of the season for Parker and his first career
game-winning score. His goal ended the longest game in the
Griffs’ Division I history. The 87-minute contest surpassed
the previous record of 70:31 against Sacred Heart on March 9,
2002. During the weekend, senior Josh Heidinger once again
led the Griffs offense, recording six points on two goals and four
assists. In his last 11 games, Heidinger has recorded 22 points on
three goals and 19 assists. He recorded three points on two goals
and an assist in the opener. His two goals tied the program’s
Division I postseason record. Heidinger then recorded three assists
in the finale to lead the Griffs. The senior, who is the
program’s all-time leader in points and assists, now has
totaled 132 points, 37 goals and 95 assists during his
career. Junior Cory Conacher totaled four assists during the
weekend, raising his season total to 53 points (20 goals, 33
assists). He is the first player in the program’s Division I
history to record 50 points in a single season. He currently ranks
second in the country with 1.56 points per game. Junior
Vincent Scarsella added five helpers for the weekend. Scarsella now
has 41 points during the season, scoring 11 goals and adding 30
assists. He is just the third player in school history to record 40
points in a single season, joining Conacher this season and Chris
Duggan in 1998-99 (48 points). Scarsella also raised his career
totals to 98 points and 72 assists. He is just two points shy of
becoming the seventh Griff and fourth this season to reach 100
career points at the Division I level. He also moved into second in
the program’s Division I record book with his 72 career
assists, trailing only Heidinger’s 95 career helpers.
The Canisius power play once again had a lot of success during the
weekend, going 5-for-15 with the extra-man advantage (33.3
percent). Five different players scored the Griffs’
power-play goals during the weekend. Senior Carl Hudson scored his
11th extra-man goal of the season, extending his school record.
Hudson, who also owns the program’s career power play goal
record, has scored 31 of his 44 career goals with the extra-man
advantage (70.5 percent). With his goal and assist this weekend,
Hudson now has totaled 14 goals and 20 assists as a senior, tying
each of the program’s single-season record by a defender. He
matches his own goals record set last season, while his 20 helpers
tie the mark set by Derek Gilham during the 1998-99 season.
Hudson’s 34 points are nine more than any other Canisius
defender in a single season. Sophomore goaltender Dan
Morrison anchored the Canisius defense in net, posting a goals
against average of 2.04 and a save percentage of .944. Morrison,
who did not allow an even-strength goal the entire weekend, posted
the two best single-game saves record in the program’s
Division I postseason history. He matched the record in the opener
with 41 stops in the opener before setting it outright in game two
with 44 saves. Canisius will now play top-seeded RIT on
Friday at the Blue Cross Arena. The Tigers swept a pair of games at
Ritter Arena earlier in the season, defeating the Griffs 8-0 and
5-4. Overall, Canisius has lost the last four games to the
Tigers.
Connecticut: The Huskies took part in the Atlantic Hockey
Quarterfinal best of three series for the second time in the last
three years this time at No. 1 seeded RIT. The Huskies
battled in the first game of the series coming back from three
goals down, for the first time this season, to tie things up at
three-all and force an overtime. After RIT got out to a 3-0 lead
halfway into the second, the Huskies capitalized on a power play
opportunity, then racked up an even strength goal and finished with
a shorthanded goal to tie things up at three heading into the third
and overtime periods. About 10 minutes into overtime, RIT blasted a
shot past Garrett Bartus for the victory. Bartus was
outstanding in goal for the Huskies earning first star honors on
the night after making 51 gamechanging saves. He was in the zone
after giving up the third goal to RIT making 33 straight saves
before allowing the overtime goal helping to keep the Huskies in
the running. On night two, RIT got out to another 3-0 lead
after one and a half periods, but unlike the night before, the
fourth goal was also scored by the Tigers to give them a four goal
lead heading in to the third period. The Huskies wouldnt back down
and recorded a goal on a five on three opportunity to erase the
shutout but couldn’t get any closer as they ended their
season with a 7-27-3 record. After playing in these
quarterfinal games, Michael Coppola became the Husky with the most
game experience as he played in his 139th and 140th game as a
Husky, the most by any hockey player to play at Connecticut in the
50 year history.
Holy Cross: With the two losses versus Sacred Heart and with
the victory over AIC, the Crusaders have a 10-8 (.556) all-time
record in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament as they have won two
titles (2004 & 2006). Freshman goalie Thomas Tysowsky
concluded the season with a 2.43 goals against average which ranks
second in Atlantic Hockey and his .910 save percentage is fourth.
Tysowsky’s 839 saves rank second on the all-time Holy Cross
Division I single-season saves list just missing the record of 840
set by Tony Quesada in the 2005-2006 season. His 2.43 goals against
average is fourth on the school’s Division I single-season
list and his 11 wins are sixth. Junior Jordan Cyr led the
team with 14 goals and a career-best 16 assists for 30 points. Last
year he also led the team in goals (19) and points (32), while he
was third in assists (13). Senior Ryan Driscoll played 142
career games which are tied for third all-time at Holy Cross. He
had 21 goals and 37 assists for 58 points, while his 13 career
power play goals are tied for 10th on the all-time Holy Cross
Division I list. Junior Everett Sheen finished second on the
team with 20 points with nine goals and 11 assists. Freshman
Rob Linsmayer posted 15 assists this season which were second on
the team and his 19 points were third. His 15 assists are the most
by a Holy Cross freshman since James Sixsmith recorded 18 in the
2003-2004 season. The game on March 13 versus Sacred Heart was his
fifth game of the season with two points. Senior Ian Dams is
all over the all-time Holy Cross Division I career records list. He
is tied for second all-time with 18 victories and is third with
1,201 saves, while he is fourth with a 3.08 goals against
average. Senior Brodie Sheahan has 23 career power play goals
which are third on the all-time Holy Cross Division I list. This
season his 10 goals were tied for second on the team and his 14
points were tied for fourth. Sheahan had the most career goals with
40, assists with 51 and points with 91 of any current Crusader. His
40 goals are ninth on the all-time Holy Cross Division I list and
his 91 points are 10th. The Crusaders have the third ranked
defense in Atlantic Hockey by allowing only 2.76 goals per contest.
HC allowed 102 goals in 37 games. Last season, Holy Cross was sixth
in the conference with 3.42 goals allowed per contest. The
Crusaders went 6-6-5 (.500) at home this season. Last season Holy
Cross went 7-8-2 (.471) at the HartCenter. Holy Cross has a
300-189-33 (.606) all-time record at the HartCenter since it
started playing there in 1975-1976. The Crusaders played in
nine overtime games this season with a 0-3-6 (.333) record in those
games. The six ties are tied for the second most ties in a season
at the school as the record is seven set in the 2007-2008 season.
The nine overtime games tied for the second most in school history.
The most overtime games played in a single-season at Holy Cross was
last season when the Crusaders played 10 and went 2-3-5 (.450) in
those games. Since the 2006-2007 season and 146 total games, the
Crusaders have played 35 overtime contests with a 2-10-23 (.386)
record as .240 percent of their games have gone to overtime.
The Crusaders went 6-12-1 (.342) on its opponent’s home ice
this season. Last season, HC compiled a 5-12-3 (.325) record in
away games. Holy Cross will host the 2010 NCAA Men’s
Hockey Division I Northeast Regional. The dates are Saturday and
Sunday, March 27-28 at the DCUCenter in Worcester. The semifinals
will be at 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on March. 27, while the finals
will be at 5:30 p.m. on March 28. All three games will be on ESPNU.
HC held the event for the first time in 2008.
Mercyhurst: Mercyhurst saw its season end this past weekend
as Canisius swept the Lakers by the scores of 5-1 and 5-4 2OT in
the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals...The Lakers finish the season
with a 15-20-3 record while the Golden Griffins improve to
17-14-5...The two losses marked the first time Canisius knocked the
Lakers out of the postseason since a 6-2 setback in the ECAC
Semifinals on March 1, 1996. It was also the first time MC lost in
the quarterfinal since UConn prevailed 5-4 over the Lakers in
2007...Mercyhurst is now 4-2 against Canisius in the playoffs as a
Division I member and 34-21-9 overall...Senior Matt Fennell led the
Lakers with two goals and an assist, while sophomore Derek Elliott
and junior Jeff Terminesi posted two assists each...Junior Ryan
Zapolski posted 21 saves in the 5-1 defeat and 63 in the 2OT
defeat. His 63 stops marked a career-high and a Mercyhurst Division
I record...Head coach Rick Gotkin concluded the season one win shy
of 400, standing at 399-272-52.
Rochester Institute of Technology: The top-seeded Tigers
(24-11-1, 22-5-1 AHA) advanced to the 2010 Atlantic Hockey Final
Four after sweeping Connecticut, 4-3 and 4-1 in the AHA
Quarterfinals at Ritter Arena. On Friday, sophomore
defenseman Chris Haltigin scored 9:56 into overtime to give RIT the
win. RIT out-shot Connecticut, 55-18. The 55 shots are
a new DI team record. The following night, 11 different
Tigers scored a point in a 4-1 win, as the Tigers set a Division I
team record with its 24th victory. The 24 wins are tied for
the third most in Division I. RIT will play #5 Canisius in
the Atlantic Hockey Semifinals on Friday at Blue Cross Arena.
The contest will get underway at 4:05 p.m. No. 2 Sacred Heart
will play No. 3 Air Force in the second semifinal on Friday at 7:35
p.m. The two winners will meet in the AHA Championship on
Saturday at 7:05 p.m. The AHA Tournament Champion will earn
an automatic berth into the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Tickets are
currently on sale at the Gordon Field House, Blue Cross Arena box
office or at ticketmaster.com. Ticket prices are $16 for
either day, or $28 for the entire weekend. Student prices are $11
for either day, or $22 for the weekend. RIT finished 2-0
against Canisius this season, with 8-0 and 5-4 wins at Ritter Arena
on Feb. 26-27. The 8-0 win tied a Division I team record for
largest margin of victory. Defensemen Dan Ringwald and Chris
Tanev were plus-7 apiece during that weekend. RIT leads the
all-time series between the two schools, 49-14-1. Since the start
of the 2005-06 season, RIT is 10-4-0 against the Golden Griffins.
RIT is riding a eight-game winning streak (longest current streak
in Division I). They have outscored foes 35-12 during that
span. RIT finished 2-2 against Air Force and 3-1 versus
Sacred Heart this season. The Tigers finished 15-2-0 at home
this season, outscoring foes 73-30. RIT is now 6-1 in AHA
Playoff games at Ritter Arena, scoring 36 goals in those
contests. Freshman defenseman Chris Tanev is among the
national leaders with a plus-29 rating on the season. Senior
Dan Ringwald is tied for sixth in the nation in scoring among
defensemen with 30 points and 0.83 points per game. It is his
third straight 30-point season. RIT has four defensemen (Ringwald
– 30, Tanev – 26, Alan Mazur – 22, and Chris
Haltigin – 21) with at least 20 points. Mazur needs
just two points for 100 in his career. Haltigin has a goal in
five straight games. The Tiger defense has seven shutouts
this season, including six over its last 17 games. The seven
shutouts tie a team record, set in 1983-84. RIT’s
defense is tied for fourth nationally, allowing just 2.17 goals per
game. RIT’s offense is ninth in nation, averaging 3.50
goals per game. RIT has excellent scoring balance, with 10
players scoring between 7 and 14 goals, and 14 players with at
least 10 points and nine with 20 points. Andrew Favot and
Cameron Burt lead the team in scoring with 38 points apiece.
Goaltender Jared DeMichiel is seventh nationally with a 2.10 goals
against average, .712 save percentage, and is 10th with a .919 save
percentage. The Tigers are 24-6-1 over their last 31 games after
starting the regular season 0-5. Since Jan. 8, RIT is
15-3-0. RIT has 73 goals (4.1 per game) during that
span. The Tigers have scored a power-play in goal in 12
straight games. RIT is 20-for-80 (25.0 percent) with the
man-advantage during that time. RIT is 11th nationally in
power-play percentage, and 18th in penalty killing.
Sacred Heart: The Pioneers, seeded second in the Atlantic
Hockey tournament, completed a sweep of the Holy Cross Crusaders in
the quarterfinal round this weekend. Freshman Steven Legatto
posted the second shutout of his career in his postseason debut
Friday night making 36 saves in a 4-0 victory. Nick Johnson
supplied his eighth game winning goal of the season in the first
period. Sacred Heart would play a much tighter game the
following night and came up with their third overtime win of
2009-10. The Pioneers took a 2-0 lead into the first
intermission on the strength of goals from Johnson and Erik
Boisvert. Holy Cross stormed out of the break and scored
three unanswered to make it a 3-2 game. Dave Jarman, who
ranks among the nations assist leaders, came up with the game tying
goal late in the third period assisted by Johnson, who leads the
nation in goals. After Legatto made an outstanding diving
save in the opening seconds of overtime to keep SHU alive it would
be sophomore Matt Gingera who would be the hero. Patrick
Knowlton led a rush up the ice and threw the puck towards the net
at a cutting Gingera. The puck bounced off the body of
Gingera and into the net to send SHU to the AHA semifinals.
The Pioneers will take on #3 Air Force in SHU’s first
semifinal appearance since 2007. That year Air Force
defeated Sacred Heart 5-4 in overtime. The Pioneers have
reached the conference championship game just once, falling 4-0 in
2004. Sacred Heart and the Falcons split four games this
season, each sweeping a series on their home ice. The two
teams will vie for a spot in the AHA championship game at the Blue
Cross Arena in Rochester, NY at 7:35 pm.
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