WORCESTER, Mass. – The Holy Cross men's ice hockey team is set to travel to LIU for their second half opener at Norwell Health Ice Center on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 2 p.m.

THE CRUSADERS (8-8-1, 7-4-1 AHA):

• Holy Cross will open their second half schedule with a trip to East Meadow, N.Y. for a one-game matchup with Long Island University on Tuesday, Dec. 31.
• The Crusaders closed the first half with a 1-0 overtime win over Atlantic Hockey rival AIC on Dec. 6. Sophomore Jack Stockfish scored the game winner just 58 seconds into the extra frame.
• Senior netminder Thomas Gale earned Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week honors for the third time this season following the matchup.
• Gale recorded 24 saves in his 60:58 minutes of work en route to his first shutout of the 2024-25 campaign. His last shutout came on Nov. 18, 2023 at Bentley. Gale carries an 8-8-1 record, 2.36 goals-against average, and .923 save percentage into the second half.
• Senior Liam McLinskey earned Atlantic Hockey Forward of the Month honors for November, thanks to his NCAA-leading seven game goal-streak, which began on Nov. 7 against AIC.
• McLinskey found his stride in November, recording at least one goal in all but two of the team's nine games in the month. McLinskey finished the month with eleven points on eight goals and three assists and carries an NCAA-leading seven-game scoring streak into December. On the season, McLinskey's 10 goals are tied for the AHA lead and tied for third nationally. In addition, his 16 points are tied for third in Atlantic Hockey and tied for 21st in the nation. With his goal on Saturday against Sacred Heart, McLinskey became the nation's leading active goal scorer with 50 career tallies.
• Junior Devin Phillips saw his NCAA third-longest point streak come to an end at AIC. Phillips tallied 11 points on three goals and eight assists over the eight game stretch.
• Holy Cross' kill percentage of 90.0% is the second-best mark in Atlantic Hockey and ranks eighth in the nation, posting a 63-for-70 success mark.
• On the other side, the Crusaders have converted on 17.2% of their power play opportunities, which ranks 42nd nationally.
   

SCOUTING LIU (10-7-1):

• LIU enters the contest with a 10-7-1 record, while holding a perfect 5-0-0 record at home.
• The Sharks closed out the first half of their schedule with a sweep of Stonehill before being shut out by Brown in their return to play on Sunday, Dec. 29 in Providence, R.I.
• Sophomore Carter Rapalje leads the Sharks with 14 points and is tied with junior Riley Wallack and freshman Onni Leppänen for the team lead in goals with six. Junior netminder Tyriq Outen's .917 save percentage, and 2.02 goals-against average leads the team's goalkeepers in both categories.
   

ALL TIME SERIES:

• The two teams have met just three times, with the Crusaders leading the all-time series, 2-1-0.
• The teams first faced off in a two-game set in Worcester on Nov. 19 and 22, 2020. LIU won the opening game, 3-2 in overtime, before Holy Cross bounced back for the 5-2 win in the second game.
• Last season, Holy Cross won the matchup 5-2 on Oct. 8, 2023.
• Juniors Liam McLinskey and Matt DeBoer scored on the power play in the contest, while senior Matt Shatsky, junior Devin Phillips, and sophomore Brody Gagno each picked up an assist in the contest.

FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS 
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