Canisius dropped its third game in five days, losing to the visiting Mercyhurst Lakers, 3-1, at Buffalo State Sports Arena on Tuesday night in front of 560 fans.
The Griffs dip below the .500 mark at 8-9-2 overall and 7-5-2 in the MAAC, while Mercyhurst improves to an unbeaten 10-0-2 in the MAAC and 11-7-2 overall.
The Lakers struck first at the 5:12 mark of the opening period as Louis Goulet won a faceoff to the right of Canisius goalie Sean Weaver and forwarded a pass to Adam Rivers, who slipped the puck past Weaver’s left side from in front of the net.
The lead held until 8:53 into the second period, when Canisius knotted the game. After a minor penalty to Canisius’ Todd Houston for goaltender interference, the Griffs’ Chris Duggan dug the puck away from two Mercyhurst defenders along the far boards and found Steve Birch alone in front of the net for a shorthanded goal, Birch’s first tally of the season.
Mercyhurst found the net two more times before the end of the period to finish the scoring. Goulet streaked in down the middle and passed to Tom McMonagle near the right post, who beat Weaver to the top corner for the game winner at the 11:30 mark. Jamie King added an insurance goal with 3:29 remaining in the session with a knuckler that floated past Weaver from the right faceoff circle.
Mercyhurst’s Peter Aubry stymied the Griffs for the second straight game, allowing only one goal, while posting 32 saves in the win. Weaver stopped 20 shots in the loss for the Griffs.
Canisius returns to the ice against Holy Cross for a two-game set this weekend, Jan. 18-19 in Worcester, Mass. Friday night’s faceoff is set for 7 p.m., and Saturday afternoon’s contest begins at 4 p.m.
