AIC YELLOW JACKETS (1-3-1, 1-2-0 AHC)
vs.
HOLY CROSS CRUSADERS (4-1-1, 1-0-1 AHC)



Thursday, November 3, 7:05 p.m.
MassMutual Center, 1277 Main Street, Springfield, Mass.
Friday, November 4, 7:05 p.m.
Hart Center, 1 College Street, Worcester, Mass.

Live Stats: Thursday / Friday| Video| AIC Roster | HC Roster
AHC Standings

LEADERS:

AIC:
Goals:Dominik Florian 3, Three tied with 2
Assists: Hugo Reinhardt 4, Bryant Christan 3, Blake Christensen 3
Points: Dominik Florian 5, Six tied with 4
Blocked Shots: Nicolas Luka 7, Ryan Polin 7, Two tied with 5
Goalkeepers:
Alex Murray: 3GP, 2 GS, 1-1-0, 4.32 GAA, .857 SV% (54/63), 0 ShO
Zackarias Skog: 3 GP, 3 GS, 0-2-1, 4.13 GAA, .889 SV% (96/108), 0 ShO
PP: 23.1% (6/26) PK: 75.9% (22/29)

HOLY CROSS:
Goals: T.J. Moore 7, Mike Barrett 3, Danny Lopez 3
Assists: Spencer Trapp 8, Mike Barrett 7, Danny Lopez 5
Points: Mike Barrett 10, T.J. Moore 9, Two tied with 8
Blocked Shots: Tommy Muratore 14, Johnny Coughlin 8, Dalton Skelly 8
Goalkeepers:
Paul Berrafato: 6 GP, 6 GS, 4-1-1, 2.79 GAA, .908 SV% (168/185), 1 ShO
PP: 19.4% (7/36) PK: 85.2% (23/27)

The American International College ice hockey team takes on in-state rival Holy Cross in a home-and-home series beginning tonight in Springfield and concluding tomorrow in Worcester.

LAST TIME OUT: AIC is coming off of a split at Mercyhurst, where they won 5-3 and fell 6-3 in a high-scoring weekend series. In the Friday contest, special teams were the name of the game, as seven of the eight tallies came with the man advantage between the two squads. Mercyhurst opened the scoring in the first with a late PPG and the teams traded pairs of man-up markers in the middle frame. In the third, AIC took over, scoring the tying and go-ahead goals while up a player before adding a fifth marker, the lone at 5-on-5. Freshmen were key in that third frame as Martin Mellberg scored the last two goals, while Hugo Reinhardt and Blake Christensen each recorded a trio of helpers. Saturday saw the Lakers explode for three goals in a 1:14 span early in the first and score the initial six goals of the matchup. AIC would battle back, drawing as close as 6-3, but simply could not overcome the chasm they had dug early on in the defeat.

Holy Cross comes into Springfield just two days after a wild 6-4 win over national number twenty Union College at the Hart Center. In each of the first two frames, the teams traded goals, with the Crusaders scoring first and the Dutchmen responding. Danny Lopez had the contest's opening tally, while Mike Barrett netted a power play goal in the second for the Crusaders. In the third, the home team again opened the scoring on a Scott Pooley goal before Brett Mulcahy tallied a pair in 1:46 to put Holy Cross up 5-2 at 13:51. The potent Dutchmen offense responded quickly, scoring at 16:44 to cut the lead to 5-3 and again at 18:05 with the sixth attacker on to bring the game to within one tally. T.J. Moore sealed the win for the purple and white with an empty-net tally at 19:14. Paul Berrafato made 32 saves in the win as Holy Cross was outshot 36-35.

LAST TIME THEY MET: Holy Cross finished off a season sweep of the Yellow Jackets with a 2-1 win in West Springfield on February 20, 2016. Barrett scored the first goal of the game on a shorthanded breakaway midway through the first, and the lead held until the middle of the third when Johnny Mueller snapped home a power-play marker to tie the game at 8:53. However, in a late-game four-on-four, Johnny Coughlin scored the difference-maker at 17:30, and while the Jackets pushed with the sixth attacker, they could not again equalize. Alex Murray made 43 stops in the defeat for AIC, while Berrafato only needed 16 saves to earn the victory.

COACH'S CORNER: Head Coach Eric Lang is hardly surprised that the Crusaders have had such early season success, saying that "They are the standard for our league right now. [Holy Cross Head Coach] David Berard is the perfect blend of work ethic, structure and great habits. We have a great challenge ahead of us."

PULLING RANK: Holy Cross has faced three nationally-ranked opponents and defeated two of them. Apart from Tuesday's win against twentieth-ranked Union, they also dropped then-number eleven Providence College 2-1 in overtime on October 15, as Coughlin tallied the decisive goal and Berrafato turned aside 33 Friars shots out of 34, and absorbed a 6-1 loss against then-tenth-ranked Boston College a week later. Both of the matchups against Hockey East opponents were at the DCU Center in downtown Worcester.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS FOR ATLANTIC HOCKEY: The AHC is already more than halfway to their out-of-league win total from last season as the teams around the conference have a record of 8-17-7 in non-league play after posting a mark of 15-49-3 out-of-conference last season. Most notable is the record of 4-4-3 against the Hockey East Association. Canisius, Holy Cross, Air Force, Bentley, and Sacred Heart have non-league wins under their belts, while AIC, Army West Point, RIT, Air Force, Bentley, Sacred Heart, and Niagara have draws out-of-league. The only team to not have at least a tie in a non-league game is Robert Morris, which has yet to play any such games. They face off against eleventh-ranked Ohio State this weekend in a home-and-home.

DEFENSE ON THE OFFENSIVE: Defensemen have scored goals in four of AIC's five games so far this year. Rookie blueliner Janis Jaks had goals against Union and Sacred Heart, while junior Andrew DeBrincat scored against Mercyhurst in the first contest and sophomore Ryan Polin had a shorthanded tally in the second matchup against the Lakers. All told, AIC defenders have accounted for four goals and seven assists for 11 points, a quarter of the Jackets offense.

SPECIAL TEAMS TALLIES: AIC has eight goals at uneven strengths on the ice this season through five games, with six power-play markers and a pair of shorthanded goals. They have already tied the number of shorthanded tallies from the 2015-16 campaign, while the power play units last season managed 17 goals.

THE CAPTAIN LIGHTS THE LAMP: Austin Orszulak had dished out a pair of assists in the team's first two games, but got back to doing what he does best, striking twice on the weekend at Mercyhurst. He now has 38 goals and 33 assists for 71 points, placing him fifth in AIC's Division I era in goals and eighth in points.

NEXT UP: AIC hosts Bentley in a two-game set in Springfield on November 8 and 10, with both games set to start at 7:05 p.m.