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Canisius University Athletics

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Jackson Decker skates with the puck during game action versus Air Force on Nov. 24, 2023
Lindy Feider
1
Air Force AIR 7-8-0, 4-3-0
3
Winner Canisius CAN 4-7-1, 4-3-1
Air Force AIR
7-8-0, 4-3-0
1
Final
3
Canisius CAN
4-7-1, 4-3-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Air Force AIR 1 0 0 1
Canisius CAN 0 2 1 3

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Hockey Defeats Air Force in Series Opener, 3-1

Canisius scored the final three goals of the game to erase a 1-0 deficit and defeat Air Force, 3-1, in Atlantic Hockey Association action Friday at LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo.
 
Freshman Jack Budd, junior Matt Vermaeten and freshman Matteo Giampa all scored for the Golden Griffins (4-7-1, 4-3-1 AHA), who picked up their third win in their last four outings with Friday's triumph. Senior goaltender David Fessenden finished with 24 saves to record his third victory of the season in goal for Canisius.
 
Will Gavin tallied the lone goal for the visiting Falcons (7-8-0, 4-3-0 AHA) while Guy Blessing made 17 saves between the pipes.
 
Gavin opened the scoring with a power-play goal at the 16:07 mark of the first period, redirecting a centering feed from Chris Hedden past the left leg of Fessenden and inside the right post for his eighth goal of the season to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead.
 
Budd evened the score at 1-1 just 2:26 into the second period when he deposited a cross-ice feed from senior Randy Hernandez under the blocker of Blessing for his first collegiate tally. Vermaeten gave Canisius the lead just before the five-minute mark of the middle frame with a shorthanded tally, collecting a loose puck in the neutral zone, out-skating the Air Force defenseman and sliding the puck between the legs of Blessing for his fourth goal in as many games to put the Griffs up, 2-1. In the third, Air Force pushed for the equalizer as it outshot Canisius by a 9-6 margin, but was unable to tie the game up before Giampa put the game out of reach with an empty-net tally in the final minute of regulation to secure the two-goal victory for the Griffs. POSTGAME COMMENTS GAME NOTES
• Air Force outshot Canisius by a 25-20 margin for the contest, highlighted by a combined 19-10 edge during the first and third periods.
• The Falcons were 1-of-7 on the power play while the Griffs were 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
• Canisius held its opponent to two goals or fewer for the third straight game and improved to 2-1-0 this season when doing so.
• The Griffs carried a lead into the third period of a game for the third time this season and improved to 3-0-0 when doing so.
• Vermaeten extended his goal-scoring streak to four games with his shorthanded tally in the second period. The goal was the Griffs fourth shorthanded goal of the season, all of which have come in the last five games.
• Budd is the third Canisius freshman to record his first collegiate goal this season, joining Matteo Giampa and Jackson Nieuwendyk.
• Sophomore Grant Porter picked up his second assist in as many games as he recorded the secondary helper on Budd's second-period goal.
• Senior defenseman Jackson Decker played in his 100th career collegiate contest on Friday.
 
UP NEXT
The two teams complete their weekend series Saturday with a 1 p.m. matinee at LECOM Harborcenter.
 
It's Military Appreciation Weekend, with admission for all military personnel, veterans and their family members just $5. All other general admissions tickets are just $10. They can be purchased by calling the Canisius Ticket Office at 716-888-TIXX, by visiting the tickets page at GoGriffs.com or by visiting the ticket kiosk at the LECOM Harborcenter on gameday.
 
SUPPORT YOUR GRIFFS
Support the Canisius hockey team in conjunction with the "More Than A Game" campaign. Your donation to the hockey program helps our student-athletes continue to be champions in the community, in the classroom and in competition. To donate, CLICK HERE.
 
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