Hockey prepares to Battle the Bridge

By: Kaitlyn Belile, Features Editor

The Griffs hockey team is on a hot streak as of late. Canisius has now won five straight games, after a weekend sweep at Mercyhurst. This weekend, the Griffs will take on their rivals, the Niagara Purple Eagles. 

Head Coach Trevor Large said, “Their coachability has been extremely high through this winning streak.” Captain Oliver Tarr agrees with that sentiment, saying, “we take their game plan and I think we’re an adaptable team.” 

The Griffs are in fifth place in the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) standings, with a record of 8–6–2. The Purple Eagles are in ninth place in the AHA, with a record of 4–10–1. Out of the last six times these two teams have faced off, Canisius has won only one of the games.

The Griffs will need to be on their toes, as Niagara took down the first place team, the Bentley Falcons, who only have two losses this season. Tarr says that, “we’re not trying to get too high or get too low.” The group has been, “sticking to their core values as a team,” in order to work hard as a team and go to the rink with a good attitude. Large has a card in his wallet that clearly states the team’s core values, which are, “unity, competitive excellence, sacrifice.” 

Sacrifice has been a core part of the team’s win streak. Defenseman Jack Pascucci is leading the team in blocked shots with 50, followed by Carter Patterson with 41 and Jason Gallucci following with 36. It’s statistics like this that exemplify this value, which includes putting your “body on the line” according to the coach’s card.

The team will host the Purple Eagles on Friday and then travel to Niagara on Saturday.