Shutouts and shootouts: Canisius Hockey sweeps Ferris State
By Cecil Milligan, Sports Reporter
The Canisius hockey team made a statement when they opened their season in downtown Buffalo, N.Y. with back–to–back victories against the Ferris State Bulldogs last Friday and Saturday.
Friday’s game turned out to be a showcase for the newcomers. Canisius took control early on the power play when senior defenseman transfer Jimmy Goffredo fired a wrister that flew past Bulldogs goaltender Martin Lundberg during a zone entry. The second goal came less than four minutes later, also on the power play, after Noah Quinn redirected a pass from Kyan Haldenby.
The newcomers continued to dominate the scoring when the Griffs doubled their lead in the second. The first came from Ethan Wolthers when he fired a shot underneath Lundberg’s glove. Less than two minutes later, Lindenwood addition L–P Fontaine slid the puck between Lundberg’s legs to make the score 4–0. All four goals marked the players’ first with the Blue and Gold.
The skaters weren’t the only ones making an impact, though. In his first start at the collegiate level, goaltender Jack Lisson stopped all 23 shots he faced to earn the shutout. Canisius Head Coach Trevor Large expressed his excitement about the performance of the newcomers. “You’re bringing guys in, you believe in them, you see their skill and ability. The fact that those guys each get a goal in their first game is special for them and their families,” said Large.
When asked about Lisson’s performance, Large added, “He was calm, he was composed. We did a good job in front of him limiting opportunities, but when they got through, he was a rock.”
The second game proved to be a test of the Griffs’ resilience, with a thrilling, high–scoring battle between the two teams. The action didn’t start until the second period when both teams combined for eight goals. It began with Canisius’ assistant captain Walter Zacher opening the scoring by firing the puck into the net while the Bulldogs goaltender was down. Ferris State answered in less than a minute, evening the score. The Griffs went on to score a pair of goals to tilt the game back in their favor.
The Griffs were riding a temporary high before the Bulldogs stunned the home team by scoring four unanswered goals, topped off by a shorthanded goal by Ferris State’s Justin Stupka, giving them a 5–3 lead.
The Griffs shook things up to start the third period. Goaltender Kolby Hay stopped 19 shots before being replaced by the freshman Lisson. Despite being down by two, the Griffs didn’t give up hope and rallied back to score two more goals in 53 seconds, tying the game at five–all. With the score now even, the game went into overtime.
Overtime proved itself ineffective, and after some scoreless three–on–three, the game moved into a shootout. The Griffs capitalized on both of their opportunities while Lisson stopped both shots he faced, ending the thriller in a win.
After an undefeated opening weekend, the Canisius Golden Griffins hope to carry this momentum into their 10–game road trip. The trip starts with two games against Long Island University in East Meadow, N.Y. on Oct. 9-10.
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