By Peter Neville, Assistant Sports Editor
Much like the Chiefs in last week’s Super Bowl, Canisius hockey came up short in their big game, losing 6–2 against Niagara in Lewiston, NY.
The loss marked the fourth straight defeat for Canisius against Niagara in Battle of the Bridge matchups, with the Golden Griffins failing to beat the Purple Eagles since their meeting in the AHA playoffs two seasons ago.
“You know, I look at the game and go, we didn’t earn the right to win the game,” said Coach Trevor Large. “I thought it was a good hockey game for two periods, and things went the way of Niagara tonight, in terms of how they were able to get up in the game early. I thought there were moments when we were playing well.”
Despite having the best power play in Atlantic Hockey for much of the season, Canisius has struggled as of late, failing to convert on their last nine attempts with the man advantage and dropping to third in the AHA in power-play percentage.
Their issues don’t end there. Canisius is currently on its longest losing streak of the season at five games and is tied for sixth place in the conference with just four games remaining. As the regular season enters its final stretch, Canisius no longer controls its own destiny, needing Army to lose in order to secure the final first-round bye in the Atlantic Hockey postseason tournament.
Canisius will have a chance to even the score against Niagara next Friday, playing their penultimate regular season game on home ice against the Purple Eagles before travelling to Lewiston for their regular season finale the next day. That game will also serve as Senior Night for Canisius, where the team will honor their three senior players: defenseman Keegan Langefels, forward Alton McDermott and their team captain and forward Matt Vermaeten.
Photo courtesy of Chloe Breen
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