THE BASICS:

Score: Holy Cross 5, Robert Morris 2
Location: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Center)
Records: Holy Cross (13-8-1, 11-4-1 AHC); Robert Morris (14-7-3, 11-4-3 AHC)
Date: Saturday, Jan 16, 2016
Time: 7:05 p.m.

THE LEAD: Sophomore goalie Paul Berrafato (Williamsville, N.Y.) posted a career-high 34 saves, while senior forward Tim Driscoll (Hingham, Mass.) tallied the game-winner as the Holy Cross men's hockey team defeated Robert Morris 5-2, on Saturday night. Robert Morris entered the game leading the nation with 101 goals and were second with 4.39 goals per game as the Crusaders held them to only two goals. The Colonials are in first place in Atlantic Hockey with 25 points (11-4-3), while the Crusaders are second with 23 points (11-4-1), but Holy Cross has played two less games as the Crusaders have a .719 conference winning percentage, while Robert Morris has a .694 winning percentage.

Postgame Press Conference & Highlights

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• At 5:52 of the first period, senior assistant captain Joe McNamara (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) sent a pass to sophomore forward Brett Mulcahy (Kelowna, British Columbia) at the blue line, as his wrist shot found the back of the net to make it 1-0 Crusaders. Senior captain Matt Vidal (Manorville, N.Y.) also recorded an assist on the goal.
• At 10:38 of the first period, sophomore forward Danny Lopez (Barrington Hills, Ill.) retrieved the puck behind his own goal and carried it up the right wing, ripping a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Terry Shafer five-hole to make it 2-0 Crusaders.
• With four seconds remaining in the first period, Matt Cope sent a wrist shot from the right circle which beat Berrafato high on the blocker side to make it 2-1.
• The Colonials outshot the Crusaders 15-13 in the first period, while each team went 0-2 on the power play.
• At 2:22 of the second period, freshman forward Jay Mackie (Kingston, Ontario) sent a pass to Driscoll on a two-on-one opportunity, and he wristed a shot on goal from the right circle, deflecting off of a Robert Morris defender, finding the back of the net on Shafer's blocker side to make it 3-1 Crusaders. Senior assistant captain Brett Lubanski (Farmington Hills, Mich.) also tallied an assist on the goal.
• The Crusaders outshot Robert Morris 15-12 in the second period, going 0-4 on the power play, while the Colonials went 0-1.
• Just 40 seconds after the opening face-off of the third period, and with the Colonials on the man-advantage, Greg Gibson ripped a wrister on goal, beating Berrafato low on the glove side to make it 3-2.
• At 12:55 of the third period, sophomore defenseman Tommy Muratore (Mendham, N.J.) took a slap-shot from the blue line and the rebound bounced out to sophomore forward Scott Pooley (Granger, Ind.) who buried it from the right circle to make it 4-2 Crusaders. Freshman forward Michael Laffin (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) tallied an assist on Pooley's goal.
• With 1:44 remaining in the game and the Crusaders on the power-play, junior forward Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.) tallied an empty net goal from the left circle to make it 5-2 as the Crusaders tallied the victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross outshot Robert Morris 41-36 in the contest.
• Berrafato recorded 34 saves, while Shafer tallied 36 saves.
• Holy Cross went 1-7 on the power play, while Robert Morris went 1-5
• Holy Cross won 35 face-offs, while Robert Morris won 32.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Crusaders' 11-4-1 conference record is their best after 16 games since 2005-2006 when the team was also 11-4-1.
• The Crusaders' 13-8-1 overall record after 22 games is the best since 2005-2006 when the Crusaders were 15-6-1.
• Berrafato posted a career-high 34 saves.
• Mackie's assist marks his first collegiate point.
• Driscoll's game-winning goal is the fourth of his career.
• The win over Robert Morris keeps the Crusaders in second place in Atlantic Hockey, as they now trail the Colonials by two points.
• Barrett leads the team with 21 points and has tallied at least 20 points or more in his first three seasons as a Crusader.
• The Crusaders are 8-2-0 at home this season.
• The Crusaders are now 10-0-1 this season while leading after the second period.

UP NEXT

• The Crusaders will return to action on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 22-23, when they host Canisius for a two-game series beginning on Friday 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.

STAY CONNECTED

• There are numerous ways to stay connected with the Holy Cross men's hockey team. Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMHockey, Facebook and Instagram.