THE BASICS:
Score: Holy Cross 2, Niagara 1 (3OT)
Records: Holy Cross (14-17-5); Niagara (6-26-4)
Location: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Center)
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2015
Time: 8:05 p.m.
The Lead: Freshman T.J. Moore (Edina, Minn.) broke a 1-1 tie with the game-winner in triple overtime as the Holy Cross men's hockey team defeated Niagara, 2-1, at the Hart Center in game two of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament first round series. With the Crusader win, the series is now tied at 1-1. The third and final game of the series will be played Sunday night at 8:05 p.m. at the Hart Center. The winner of this contest will move on to the Atlantic Hockey Tournament quarterfinal series next weekend, March 13-15. Tonight's game (111:40) was the longest in Atlantic Hockey Tournament history and the eighth longest in the history NCAA Division I men's hockey. To purchase tickets for game three go to GoHolyCross.com/Tickets.
Video: Postgame Press Conference Game Two
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Holy Cross opened the game scoring at 5:56 on a power play goal by freshman Matt Scarth (Calgary, Alberta). Sophomore Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.) delivered a centering pass to Moore who sent a backhanded shot on Niagara goalie Jackson Teichroeb who made the save, but Scarth recovered the rebound and beat Teichroeb for the Crusader goal.
- Holy Cross headed into the first intermission with the 1-0 lead.
- A hard-hitting first period led to 11 shots for the Crusaders compared to only five for the Purple Eagles. Holy Cross also held the edge in face-offs, 14-6.
- Stanislav Dzakhov evened the score for Niagara at 1:00 in the second period beating senior captain and goalie Matt Ginn (Lindsay, Ontario) high on the glove side with a strong wrist shot. Lawrence Smith cleared the puck up to teammate T.J. Sarcona on the left wing who crossed the puck to a cutting Dzakhov.
- A strong defensive effort by the Holy Cross penalty kill kept the Purple Eagles from capitalizing with the man –advantage at 12:10 in the second period.
- Back at full strength, Holy Cross responded with three quick shots but could not find the back of the net. The Crusaders and the Purple Eagles traded possessions in the attacking zone but swarming defensive pressure kept the score knotted at 1-1 to end the second period.
- Freshman Ryan Ferrill (Havertown, Pa.) and senior Jake Youso (International Falls, Minn.) had a break away opportunity at 13:11 in the third period after a strong clear by junior Karl Beckman (Okemos, Mich.) on the defensive end but Teichroeb made the stop.
- Niagara mounted the pressure with just under nine minutes to play but a big block by senior Tommy Dwyer (Ridgefield, Conn.) and five crucial saves by Ginn kept the game tied.
- Junior Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and junior Jake Bolton (Ellington, Conn.) applied pressure with under three minutes to play firing three shots on target but Teichroeb made the saves.
- In the final minute of the game each team managed three shots apiece but both goaltenders held their own and after regulation the score remained tied 1-1.
- Sommer opened overtime with a break away opportunity just 30 seconds into the extra frame but Teichroeb made the clutch save.
- Back-to-back shots off the post by Youso and Moore with five minutes to play in overtime almost clinched it for the Crusaders but the bounce wasn't there.
- Niagara had a face-off in the attacking zone with 22.4 seconds to play but Moore secured the puck and Holy Cross cleared the zone.
- With 3.4 seconds remaining in overtime the Crusaders had an attacking face-off and Bolton managed a slap shot from the blue line but Teichroeb made the save.
- After the first overtime the score was still tied at 1-1.
- Neither team was able to score in the second overtime. A back-and-forth extra frame led to seven shots for the Crusaders and 12 for Niagara.
- Ginn started the third overtime with two huge saves to keep the Crusaders in the game. Sommer and freshman Scott Pooley (Granger, Ind.) responded with two powerful offensive drives but could not find the back of the net.
- A break away by Youso drew a trip by Kevin Albers and Holy Cross went on the man-advantage for two minutes but could not capitalize.
- With their season on the line, the Crusaders kept fighting and scored the game winner at 11:40 in the third overtime. Pooley battled for the puck along the boards and sent a pass to junior Joe McNamara (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) who drilled a shot from the blue line. Teichroeb made the initial save but Moore collected the rebound and put home the game-winner over Teichroeb into the back of the net.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Holy Cross outshot Niagara 60-51.
- Ginn had 50 saves on the night while Teichroeb had 58.
- The Crusaders earned 73 faceoff wins compared to the Purple Eagles 49.
- Holy Cross went 1-4 on the power play and Niagara was 0-2.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- With 50 saves on the night, Ginn moves into 18th place for all-time career saves in NCAA Division I history with 3,566. His 50 saves tonight is third all-time for a single game in Division I program history.
- McNamara earned the assist on Pooley's goal and now has nine assists on the season. He has 31 assists in his career which ties him for eighth in Holy Cross Division I history with career assists for a defenseman.
- Moore's 22 points on the season tie him for 10th in Holy Cross Division I history for points scored by a rookie in a single season. His 11 goals on the season tie him for sixth on the Division I single season record list for goals scored by a rookie.
- With a total game time of 111:40 it is the longest game played in school history. The longest game had previously been 75:38 back on March 12, 2011 against Canisius. Tonight is also the longest Atlantic Hockey Tournament game ever played. The triple overtime game ranks eighth all-time in Division I history for longest game ever played.
- With 60 shots on the night the Crusaders broke the record for most shots in Division I school history. The record had previously been 58 set back on Feb. 5, 1999 against Fairfield.
UP NEXT:
- The Crusaders are back in action at the Hart Center tomorrow night, Sunday, March 8 for an 8:05 p.m. face-off against Niagara in the third and final game of the best two-out-of-three Atlantic Hockey Tournament first round series. With a Holy Cross win, the Crusaders will move on to play at RIT in the quarterfinal round to be played next weekend, March 13-15.
BE PART OF THE ACTION:
KEEP CONNECTED:
- There are numerous ways to stay connected with the Holy Cross men's hockey team. Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMHockey and on Facebook. You can also get the latest news and results on the team sent directly to your e-mail. To sign up for e-mail alerts go here: http://www.goholycross.com/list-signup.
