THE BASICS:
Score: Holy Cross 2, AIC 0
Location: West Springfield, Mass. (Olympia Ice Center)
Records: Holy Cross: (12-6-1, 10-3-1 AHC); AIC (5-14-1, 5-9-1 AHC)
Date: Tuesday, Jan 5, 2016
Time: 7:05 p.m.
THE LEAD: Sophomore forwards Scott Pooley (Granger, Ind.) and Brett Mulcahy (Kelowna, British Columbia) scored for the Crusaders while sophomore goalie Paul Berrafato (Williamsville, N.Y.) posted a shutout, as the Holy Cross men's hockey team defeated AIC 2-0 on Tuesday night. The Crusaders are now 8-0-1 in the last nine games, as their unbeaten streak is tied for the longest in the nation. The Crusaders are in first place in the Atlantic Hockey standings with 21 points, while Robert Morris is second with 19.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Crusaders outshot AIC 5-3 in the first period and went 0-2 on the power play, while AIC went 0-1.
- At 1:08 of the second period, senior forward Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.) sent a pass to Pooley who beat the defenders on a breakaway and wristed a shot that found the back of the next on the glove side of Alex Murray to make it 1-0 Crusaders. Senior defenseman Karl Beckman (Okemos, Mich.) also recorded an assist on the goal.
- At 16:09 of the second period, Mulcahy wristed a shot from the left circle, and then batted in his own rebound to make it 2-0 Crusaders. Freshman forward Michael Laffin (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) and freshman defenseman Johnny Coughlin (Fairpoint, N.Y.) recorded the assists.
- The Crusaders outshot AIC 13-3 in the second period.
- At 14:00 of the third period, Travis Douglas received a pass in the slot, sending a wrister on goal, which Berrafato turned away with a diving glove save.
- Neither team tallied a goal during the third period, as the Crusaders recorded the 2-0 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Holy Cross outshot AIC 33-16 in the contest.
- Berrafato recorded 16 saves, to earn the win and is now 11-4-1 on the season, while Murray tallied 31 saves.
- Holy Cross went 0-4 on the power play, while AIC went 0-2
- Holy Cross won 31 face-offs, while AIC won 28.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Crusaders are on a nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1), which is tied with Minnesota State for the longest unbeaten streak in the nation.
- The Crusaders are 12-2-1 in their last 15 games, outscoring their opposition 53-32.
- The victory propels the Crusaders into sole possession of first place in Atlantic Hockey.
- The Crusaders 10-3-1 conference record is their best record after 14 conference games since the 2003-2004 season, when the Crusaders were 12-1-1.
- The Crusaders' 12-6-1 record is their best after 19 games since the 2005-2006 season, when the Crusaders were also 12-6-1.
- The shutout is the second of Berrafato's career, the first of which also came against AIC on Nov. 24, 2015.
UP NEXT
- The Crusaders will return to action on Sunday, Jan. 10 when they travel to Hanover, N.H. to take on Dartmouth at 4:00 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
