There wasn’t a lot to love on Valentine’s night at Cadet Arena.
Canisius scored twice in a 30-second span early in the second period en route to taking a 4-1 victory over Air Force on Tuesday night.
The loss re-established the Golden Griffins’ seven-point lead over the Falcons in the Atlantic Hockey standings and helped them jump into seventh place. Mercyhust, which Air Force swept two weekends ago, now sits in the eighth – and final – playoff spot with 29 points, five ahead of the Falcons. All three teams have four games remaining, with a possible 12 points in play.
The loss was just the second in seven games by the Falcons (12-18-2, 8-13-1 AHA), but it was crucial for them to take as many points as possible against Canisius (12-15-3, 10-9-3 AHA). The split (Air Force won Monday, 2-1) didn’t help.
Nate Horn gave Air Force a 1-0 lead with 5:39 left in the first period. Austin Park made 21 saves in getting his second consecutive start.
Canisius’ Randy Hernandez and Keaton Mastrodonato struck in the second-period surge, and Grant Love iced the game with a goal that was reviewed with 3:08 to play. Mastrodonato, the Golden Griffins’ leading scorer, added an empty-net goal off the subsequent face-off.
Canisius also played its backup goalie, John Hawthorne, who made 28 saves.
Sorting out Atlantic Hockey
The road gets tougher from here for the Falcons, who were playing their fourth game in five days. They play host to third-place AIC – the conference’s four-time defending champion – on Friday and Saturday, then finish at first-place RIT next weekend. The Falcons tied AIC on the road earlier this season and split a series with RIT at the end of October.
Canisius plays host to second-place Sacred Heart on Saturday and Sunday, while Mercyhurst travels to Army West Point. The Lakers then play host to Niagara, while Canisius heads to Holy Cross on the final weekend. Playoff positioning is at stake for all of those teams. Just five points separate third-place AIC (36 points) from seventh-place Canisius (31). In between are Army and Niagara (33) and Holy Cross (32).
©First Line Editorial 2023
