THE BASICS:
Score: Holy Cross 3, Sacred Heart 0
Location: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Center)
Records: Holy Cross (18-11-5, 16-7-5 AHC); Sacred Heart (12-18-4, 10-15-3 AHC)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016
Time: 7:05 p.m.
THE LEAD: Freshman defenseman Johnny Coughlin (Fairpoint, N.Y.) tallied one goal and one assist while sophomore goalie Paul Berrafato (Williamsville, N.Y.) had 28 saves for the Crusaders as the Holy Cross men's hockey team shut out Sacred Heart, 3-0, in the regular season finale in front of a sold out crowd of 1,676. Before the game, the nine seniors were honored in a ceremony for their hard work and dedication on and off the ice for four years. The Crusaders finished the regular season tied for second place in the Atlantic Hockey standings with Air Force and will be the third seed in the tournament. On March 11-13, Holy Cross will host a best two-out-of-three Atlantic Hockey Tournament quarterfinal series. The opponent will be determined after the Atlantic Hockey first round. For tickets to the games be sure to call 1-844-GO-CROSS or visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Neither the Crusaders or the Pioneers were able to hit the back of the net in the first period. The Pioneers outshot the Crusaders 11-8.
- The first goal of the game was scored at 6:51 in the second period when senior forward Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.) passed to sophomore forward Scott Pooley (Granger, Ind.) who brought the puck up the ice and sent it to Coughlin who scored from the slot over goalie Brett Magnus' stick side shoulder.
- The Crusaders scored again at 18:29 in the second period when Coughlin rounded the goal and passed the puck to freshman forward Michael Laffin (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) who placed it stick side into the back of the net, making the score 2-0. Junior forward Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.) picked up an assist on the goal.
- In the second period, the Crusaders outshot the Pioneers 11-8 and both teams went 0-1 on the power play.
- Senior captain Matt Vidal (Manorville, N.Y.) crossed the puck to sophomore defenseman Tommy Muratore (Mendham, N.J.) who shot from just inside the blue line. Magnus saved the shot but sophomore forward Ryan Ferrill (Havertown, Pa.) got his stick on the rebound and snuck the puck just inside the net, making the score 3-0 at 3:48 in the third period.
- With 3:25 left in the game, Sacred Heart pulled its goalie to create a man up opportunity. After two Crusader penalties, the Pioneers had a six-on-three advantage. The Crusader defense held strong and were able to maintain the shutout as Berrafato made two big saves.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Sacred Heart outshot Holy Cross 28-24 in the contest.
- Berrafato posted 28 saves, while Magnus recorded 21.
- The Crusaders went 0-1 on the power play, while Sacred Heart went 0-3.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Crusaders' 16 Atlantic Hockey victories are their most since 2005-2006 when they tallied 19.
- The Crusaders are 11-4-1 at home so far this season. The program's Division I school record is 13, set in 2005-2006.
- Berrafato's 17 wins are tied for third all-time for a season in the program's Division I history. He now has three shutouts this season which are second all-time in the Division I history of the program.
- Laffin now has eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points. His 23 points are tied for eighth by a rookie in the Division I history of the program, while his 15 assists are also tied for eighth.
- Senior assistant captain Brett Lubanski (Farmington Hills, Mich.) has played in 147 career games, which are fourth all-time in program history.
- Sommer has played in 146 games, which are tied for fifth all-time.
- Senior defenseman Jake Bolton (Ellington, Conn.) has played in 143 games, which are tied for eighth all-time.
- Ferrill has posted at least one point in six straight games while Coughlin has posted at least one point in four straight games.
SENIOR DAY:
- Defenseman Nathaniel Domagala (Oakville, Ontario) played in 46 games totaling four assists as a freshman and sophomore. Despite an injury preventing him from playing the last two seasons, Domagala has demonstrated his passion and dedication to the team by serving as a student assistant coach and remaining a key member of the team.
- Forward Tim Driscoll (Hingham, Mass.) has played in 95 games, posting 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points. He has netted four career game-winning goals. As a freshman, Driscoll was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week. Driscoll is also a two-time member of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team.
- Goalie Jack Kenney (Orono, Minn.) has been a valuable member of the team. In 2015-2016, he made his collegiate debut in net. Kenny has also been very strong in the class room as he has been named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team in every season.
- Defenseman Karl Beckman (Okemos, Mich.) has played in 120 career games with five goals and 39 assists for 44 points. His 44 points and 39 assists are tied for eighth all-time by a defenseman in the program's Division I history. As a freshman, he was named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie team, received AHC Rookie of the Month honors and earned AHC Rookie of the Week accolades twice. He also won the team's Seventh Player Award as a freshman. Beckman was a two-time member of the Holy Cross Leadership Academy and a three-time member Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team.
- Sommer has played in 146 career games with 28 goals and 35 assists for 63 points. His 146 games played are tied for fifth all-time in program history. Sommer has five career game-winning goals. He is also a three-time member of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team and led the team with a 3.93 grade-point average as a junior.
- Forward Brett Lubanski (Farmington Hills, Mich.) has played in every game during his career with 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points. His 147 career games played are tied for third all-time in program history. As a junior he won the team's Dr. James M. Stewart Coaches' Award and as a sophomore he was named the Crusader of the Week. Lubanski is also a three-year member of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team.
- Bolton has played in 143 career games with 11 goals and 43 assists for 54 points. His 143 career games played are tied for eighth all-time in program history. His 54 points are seventh all-time by a defenseman in the program's Division I era, while his 11 goals are seventh and his 43 assists are sixth. Bolton has been named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week twice. He is also a three-year member of the Holy Cross Leadership Academy including a 360 Leader as a senior.
- Defenseman Joe McNamara (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) has played in 129 career games with four goals and 52 assists for 56 points. His 56 points are fifth by a defenseman in the school's Division One history, while his 52 assists are third. This season, his team-leading 21 assists are second all-time by a defenseman in the team's Division I era. As a junior he was named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week and received the team's Michael P. Quinn Defensive Player of the Year Award. Also as a sophomore he won the team's Glenn “Spike” Crane Memorial Award. McNamara is a three-time member of the AHC All-Academic Team and a two-time member of the Holy Cross Leadership Academy.
- Vidal has played in 134 career games with 14 goals and 46 assists for 60 points. He is only the sixth player in program history to be a two-time team captain. As a junior he received the team's Crane Award and the Seventh Player Award. Also as a sophomore he was named the Crusader of the Week. Vidal has also been instrumental in the success of the team's Power Play Points For Pink Program which has raised money for breast cancer research. He is a two-time member of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team and is a 360 leader in the Holy Cross Leadership Academy, earning the Leader of Distinction Award this year.
BE PART OF THE ATLANTIC HOCKEY TOURNAMENT ACTION
- To purchase tickets for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament quarterfinal series on March 11-13 be sure to call 1-844-GO-CROSS or visit GoHolyCross.com/Tickets.
STAY CONNECTED
