THE BASICS:
Score: Holy Cross 2, AIC 1
Location: West Springfield, Mass. (Olympia Ice Center)
Records: Holy Cross (16-11-5, 14-7-5 AHC); AIC (6-27-2, 6-19-2 AHC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016
Time: 7:05 p.m.
THE LEAD: Freshman defenseman Johnny Coughlin (Fairpoint, N.Y.) tallied the game-winner for the Crusaders as the Holy Cross men's hockey team defeated American International, 2-1, in Atlantic Hockey action. The win over AIC secured a first-round bye to the Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals for the Crusaders. With two regular season games remaining, the Crusaders are tied for second place with 33 points with Air Force and RIT. Robert Morris is in first with 36 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- With 3:25 remaining in the first period, the Crusaders went on the man-advantage, hitting the post twice, yet were unable to capitalize, as the contest remained scoreless after the first period.
- The Crusaders outshot AIC 18-4 in the first period, going 0-1 on the only power play of the period.
- At 9:33 of the second period, and with the Crusaders shorthanded, freshman defenseman Spencer Trapp (White City, Saskatchewan) sent a pass to junior forward Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.) and he moved through the slot and sent a wrist shot on goal that beat Alex Murray high on the glove side to make it 1-0. Senior forward Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.) also recorded an assist on the goal.
- The Crusaders outshot the Yellow Jackets 12-7 in the second period, going 0-2 on the man-advantage, while AIC went 0-1.
- At 11:07 of the third period, and with the Yellow Jackets on the power-play, AIC made it 1-1 as Jackson Dudley sent a cross-ice pass to Johnny Mueller and his one-timer from the slot found the back of the net above sophomore goalie Paul Berrafato's (Williamsville, N.Y.) glove side.
- At 17:30 of the third period, senior captain Matt Vidal (Manorville, N.Y.) sent a pass from behind the goal, to freshman defenseman Johnny Coughlin (Fairpoint, N.Y.) who blasted a one-timer from the right circle that beat Murray on the glove side to make it 2-1 Crusaders. Sophomore forward Ryan Ferrill (Havertown, Pa.) also recorded an assist on the goal.
- AIC was unable to tally the equalizer in the final minutes of play as the Crusaders recorded the 2-1 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Holy Cross outshot AIC 45-17 in the contest.
- Berrafato recorded 16 saves, while Murray recorded 43.
- The Crusaders went 0-3 on the power play, while AIC went 1-2.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Coughlin has now scored in back-to-back games.
- Barrett's goal is his 13th of the season.
- Coughlin's game-winner was the first of his career.
- Berrafato's 15 wins are tied for fifth all-time for a season in the program's Division I history.
- Senior assistant captain Brett Lubanski (Farmington Hills, Mich.) has played in 145 career games, which are tied for fifth all-time in program history.
- Sommer has played in 144 games, which are seventh all-time.
- The Crusaders are 4-0-0 against AIC this year and have outscored the Yellow Jackets by a 15-2 margin.
UP NEXT
- The Crusaders will conclude the regular season with a home-and-home series with Sacred Heart on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26-27, at 7:05 p.m. Friday's game will be in Milford, Conn., while Saturday's game is at the Hart Center and is Senior Night.
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
