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Canisius University Athletics

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Canisius forward Randy Hernandez and Alex Malinowski lineup for a faceoff during game action against AIC on Dec. 15, 2023 at LECOM Harborcenter
Joe Lehrman
2
American Int'l AIC 10-8-0, 7-4-0
3
Winner Canisius CAN 5-8-3, 5-4-3
American Int'l AIC
10-8-0, 7-4-0
2
Final
3
Canisius CAN
5-8-3, 5-4-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
American Int'l AIC 0 1 1 2
Canisius CAN 1 0 2 3

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Giampa Scores Early, Late to Lift Hockey to Victory Versus AIC

Freshman forward Matteo Giampa scored in the first and last minute of regulation to lift Canisius to a 3-2 victory over AIC in Atlantic Hockey Association action Friday at LECOM Harborcenter in downtown Buffalo.
 
Giampa opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the contest and broke a 2-2 tie with 24 seconds remaining in the third to propel the Golden Griffins (5-8-3, 5-4-3 AHA) to victory. Sophomore Killian Kiecker-Olson accounted for the other Canisius goal while freshman Ethan Robertson stopped 27 shots between the pipes to earn his second win of the season.
 
John Lundy tallied both goals for the Yellow Jackets (10-8-0, 7-4-0 AHA) while Alexandros Aslanidis finished with 21 saves for the visitors.
 
Giampa's last-minute goal highlighted a comeback that saw the Griffs rally from a 2-1 deficit after Lundy broke a 1-1 deadlock just before the midway point of the third with his second of the contest, beating Robertson to the blocker side after collecting a centering feed from Oscar Geschwind to give the Yellow Jackets the lead.
 
Kiecker-Olson tied the game less than a minute later, redirecting a pass from graduate student Erik Urbank over the left shoulder Aslanidis from the middle of the slot to tie the game at 2-2. The game would remain tied until the final minute of regulation, when Giampa received a pass from senior Randy Hernandez in the neutral zone before racing down the right side and beating Aslanidis with a shot to the glove side to give the Griffs the one-goal victory. Earlier in the contest, Giampa staked Canisius to a 1-0 lead just 28 seconds into the contest, getting behind the AIC defense before lifting a backhand over the blocker of Aslanidis for the early lead. Lundy brought the Yellow Jackets level at the 13:30 mark of the second period with a power-play tally, jamming home a loose puck during a goalmouth scramble to make it a 1-1 contest.  
 
POSTGAME COMMENTS GAME NOTES
• AIC out-shot Canisius by a 29-24 margin for the contest, highlighted by a 13-4 advantage in the third period.
• The Griffs were 0-for-3 on the power play on Friday while the Yellow Jackets were 1-for-3 with the man advantage.
• Canisius picked up its first victory of the season in a game decided by a single goal with Friday's victory. The Griffs had been 0-3 in such games prior to Friday's triumph.
• The Griffs improved to 3-1-1 this season when allowing two goals or fewer with Friday's victory.
• Canisius scored the first goal of the game for the ninth time in 12 league games this season. The Griffs moved to 5-2-3 in such games with Friday's victory.
• Giampa's goal in the opening minute of the first marked the first time Canisius has scored in the first minute of a game since Keaton Mastrodonato struck just 31 seconds into the Griffs eventual 6-3 victory at Bentley on Nov. 6, 2021.
• Giampa tallied multiple goals in a game for the fourth time this season with his two-goal effort on Friday.
• Giampa now leads all of Atlantic Hockey and ranks first among freshman nationally with his 12 goals this season.
• Giampa scored his second game-winning goal of the season with his last-minute tally.
• Hernandez recorded his team-leading seventh assist of the season on Giampa's game-winning goal in third period.
• KIecker-Olson tallied his second goal of the season with his third-period tally. Both goals have come on home ice.
 
UP NEXT
The teams conclude their two-game series Saturday with a 5 p.m. contest at LECOM Harborcenter.
 
Tickets for the game are still available. They can be purchased by calling the Canisius ticket office at 716-888-TIXX, visiting the tickets page on GoGriffs.com or at the ticket kiosk at the LECOM Harborcenter on gamedays.

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