Zacher leads Griffs to blowout win over Robert Morris

By: Kaitlyn Belile, Features Editor

The Griffs crushed the Robert Morris Colonials with a 7–0 win to split last weekend's series. On Feb. 20, the Griffs were defeated 4–1, but came back the next day to get sophomore goalie Petter Wickström his first collegiate shutout on Saturday, Feb. 21 with 26 saves. Walter Zacher grabbed two goals over the weekend, and is now ranked second in the Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) for goals scored. 

This season, Wickström has appeared in 11 games, starting nine of them. He has gone 6–5–0, but two of the losses credited to him were games where he came in relief for the starting goalie. Wickström shares his wins with his teammates stating, “as a goalie, I rely heavily on my teammates so it’s all thanks to them. They do everything out there for me.” Case in point – defenseman Jack Pascucci is ranked fourth in the AHA in blocked shots with a total of 61. 

While Wickström does not have a specific component of his game that he is working on, he makes sure to not overlook the little things. He says that, “I don’t think I’ve done anything specifically to improve my game, just working with the staff on small details that I can improve on and just putting that into my game.” He is not concerned about comparing his statistics to last year, he is just focused on capitalizing on the chances he gets to improve his game. His mindset is, “there’s no success without opportunity,” and he is thankful that his coaches “have the trust to put [him] out there, and they just guide [him] along the way.” 

Before Canisius, Zacher played at Robert Morris for two years. His freshman season, he scored five goals after appearing in 33 games. During his second campaign, he scored 15 goals in 35 games. Zacher currently has 18 goals in 29 games, which is four goals behind the first place AHA goal-scorer. Zacher is one of seven players in the AHA to score at least three goals, one of which was his second collegiate hat trick. 

After transferring to Canisius, Zacher felt like he fit in with his teammates right away. Their chemistry off the ice matches the connection they share while on the ice, which also aligns with the culture emphasized by his coaches. According to Zacher, the coaches make the players “feel like a person before an athlete, which is big for such a long season.” 

This weekend, the Griffs will take on the Niagara Purple Eagles. Wickström and Zacher both say that taking on their biggest rival is “just another game” for the team. The group plans to stay consistent in their routines throughout the rest of the season, no matter their opponent.

Photo courtesy of Mikayla Boyd