BUFFALO, New York The 19th-ranked American International College ice hockey team earned its first-ever Atlantic Hockey Conference Tournament Championship by defeating sixth-seeded Niagara University 3-2 in overtime on Saturday, March 23, claiming the Jack Riley Memorial Trophy as well as the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.

FAST FACTS:
SCORE: No. 19 AIC 3, Niagara 2 (F/OT)
RECORDS:The Yellow Jackets rise to 22-16-1, while the Purple Eagles finish the 2018-19 season at 17-19-5.
LOCATION:Harborcenter, Buffalo, New York

STATS:
No. 19 AIC:
Hugo Reinhardt: Game-winning goal, one assist
Janis Jaks: One goal
Martin Mellberg: One goal
Luka Maver: One assist
Blake Christensen: One assist
Shawn McBride: One assist
Kyle Stephan: One assist
Zackarias Skog: Win (19-13-0), 22 saves in 61:16

Niagara:
Justin Kendall: One goal
Kris Spriggs: One goal
Dylan Mills: One assist
Luke Edgerton: One assist
Brian Wilson: Loss (15-14-5), 31 saves in 61:16



PRESS CLIPPINGS:
USCHO Recap
College Hockey News Recap
MassLive Recap
Boston Herald Recap
Western Mass News Recap

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The early stretch of the game belonged to Niagara, which outshot AIC 5-2 in the first 10 minutes, but junior goalkeeper Zackarias Skog held the line, and the Yellow Jackets tilted the ice the other way in the second half of the frame, ending the period with a 14-6 shot advantage, though the score was 0-0 at the intermission.
• In the second, Niagara broke the ice, with Justin Kendall sending a wrist shot home into the upper corner of the net at 6:21. The lead lasted less than four minutes, however, as on a power play, senior center Shawn McBride won a faceoff to junior center Hugo Reinhardt; Reinhardt in turn dished to junior defenseman Janis Jaks, who stepped into the left circle and wired a wrister under the crossbar at 9:46 for his fourth of the year.
• It looked as if the game would enter the third period tied, but on a final rush over the blue line, junior right wing Martin Mellberg wound up a slapshot that went through the net with one second left on the clock; video review determined that Mellberg had indeed scored and AIC took a 2-1 lead into the break.
• Niagara refused to roll over, tying the game on a wrist shot by Kris Spriggs at 6:16. Both teams battled, but neither side yielded a goal. However, with 34.2 seconds on the clock, Luke Edgerton tripped an AIC player, giving the Yellow Jackets a power play heading into overtime.
• The extra session did not last long, as junior left wing Blake Christensen found junior right wing Kyle Stephan below the goal line with a pass, and Stephan tried to wrap the puck around the goal; Reinhardt was waiting at the net front and batted the puck into the net at 1:16 to win the title with his seventh of the year.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:

• Members of the media selected the All-Tournament Team from players participating in the Championship Weekend; five of the six selections were from AIC.
• At forward, Niagara's Ludwig Stenlund were joined by Christensen and Reinhardt.
• The Yellow Jackets took both spots on the blue line, with Jaks and senior Ryan Polin earning honors.
• Skog was named the top goalkeeper and also took home the Most Outstanding Player honor; the junior made 113 saves on 120 shots for a .942 save percentage in postseason play.

RAISING THE BAR AGAIN:

• Skog extended his team-record win total to 19 with the victory.
• Christensen extended his own single-season record for points in a campaign in the Division I-era with 46 and assists with 30.
• As a team, the squad has set a standard in the Division I-era with 127 goals in 39 games, well ahead of the 1998-99 team's 100 goals that had been the high-water mark.
• The team has obliterated the wins record as well, reaching the 22-victory plateau for the first time in the Division I-era. The 22 victories are second-most in any season in the program's history, trailing just the 24 in 1988-89.
• McBride made his 149th appearance in an AIC uniform, tying last year's captain, Bryant Christian '18, for most games in program history.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets earned an automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament and will find out their opponent during the NCAA Selection Show on Sunday, March 24 at 7 p.m. Eastern time.
• Fans can watch the show through ESPNU online.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC ice hockey team, follow@AIC_Hockeyon Twitter andInstagram, and likeAmerican International College Ice HockeyonFacebook. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow@AICAthleticsonTwitterandInstagram, and likeAIC Yellow JacketsonFacebook.