THE BASICS:
Score: Holy Cross 7, Brown 5
Records: Holy Cross (2-4-0, 1-1-0 AHC); Brown (0-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC)
Location: Providence, R.I.
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2015
Time: 7:30 p.m.
The Lead: Senior captain Matt Vidal (Manorville, N.Y.) and junior Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.) each had a three-point night as the Crusaders topped Brown by a score of 7-5 at the Meehan Auditorium in Providence, R.I. on Saturday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Senior forward Brett Lubanski (Farmington, Hills, Mich.) got the Crusaders on the board at 3:05 of the first period, making it 1-0.
- Brown had a quick answer, as they found the back of the net 14 seconds later to tie the game up.
- Vidal made it 2-1 Holy Cross as he gained the puck on a breakaway and beat goaltender Tim Ernst with a wrist shot to the glove side.
- Coming off a successful penalty kill, Sam Lafferty tied the game back up at the 14:51 mark of the first period.
- The Crusaders outshot the Bears 9-7 in the first period. Holy Cross was 0-for-1 on the power play while Brown did not have any man advantages.
- Joe Prescott made it 3-2 Brown at 9:21 of the second period with a wrist shot from the high slot.
- Brown took two penalties three seconds apart to give the Crusaders a 5-on-3 advantage, and Barrett was able to find the back of the net with a well-placed shot in front of the crease.
- Sophomore Brett Mulcahy (Kelowna, British Columbia) scored with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle at 13:06 of the second period to make it 4-3 Holy Cross.
- Barrett stole the puck on the penalty kill and bounced a shot off Ernst's pads and senior Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was there to knock in the rebound, making it 5-3 Holy Cross at 19:22 of the second.
- The Crusaders outshot Brown 19-10 in the second period. Holy Cross was 1-for-2 on the power play while Brown was 0-for-1.
- Brown answered with a goal just 37 seconds into the third period.
- Mark Naclerio tied the game back up at 3:01 of the third period as he took a low-angle shot that found its way past freshman goalie Tommy Nixon (Sherwood Park, Alberta).
- The Crusaders regained the lead as Sommer found the back of the net off a rebound to make it 6-5 Holy Cross at 5:39 of the period.
- Barrett would find the back of the net for the second time of the night at 12:17 of the third period to make it 7-5.
- Brown pulled their goaltender with 1:40 remaining in the third period, but were unable to find the back of the net in the closing minutes.
- Brown outshot the Crusaders 14-7 in the final period. Holy Cross was 1-for-1 on the power play, while the Bears were 0-for-1.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Nixon made 18 saves and allowed five goals in the first 43:01 of the game, while sophomore Paul Berrafato (Williamsville, N.Y.) stopped all eight shots he faced in the final 16:59 to earn the win.
- Ernst stopped 28 shots and allowed seven goals in net for the Bears.
- The Crusaders outshot Brown 35-31.
- Holy Cross was 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Bears were 0-for-1 with the man advantage.
- Barrett (2g, 1a) and Vidal (1g, 2a) led the Crusaders with three points, while Mulcahy (1g,1a), Sommer (2g), sophomore Ryan Ferrill (Havertown, Pa.) (2a) and sophomore T.J. Moore (Edina, Minn.) (2a) all had a multi-point night.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- This was the most goals the Crusaders have scored in a game since Nov. 17, 2012, when they defeated RIT, 7-3.
- Holy Cross is now 5-4-0 against Brown all-time.
- Barrett leads the team with six goals this season.
- With a goal tonight, Lubanski reaches 30 career points (14g,16a)
- With an assist tonight senior Joe McNamara (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) now has 39 career points, which are tied for eighth-most by a Crusader defenseman in the Division I era.
- Senior Jake Bolton (Ellington, Conn.) now has 31 career assists, which is tied for eighth-most by a Crusader defenseman in the DI era.
UP NEXT:
- The Crusaders will return to action on Friday, Nov. 6, as they host Atlantic Hockey opponent Sacred Heart at the Hart Center at 7:05 p.m.
BE PART OF THE ACTION THIS SEASON:
- To purchase tickets for the 2015-2016 Holy Cross men's hockey season, call 1-844-GOCROSS or visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets.
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