CLINTON, N.Y. – The Albertus Magnus College men's ice hockey team picked up its first of the 2021-22 season behind three third-period goals against Hamilton College on Saturday afternoon in Clinton, N.Y.
The Falcons posted four different goal scorers on their four tallies, with Ryan Colwell (Plainedge, N.Y.), JJ Berdal (Wausau, Wis.), Alex Gagnon (Montreal, Quebec), and Jonathan Stein (Vancouver, British Columbia) all finding the back of the net. Tyler Ignazzitto (Bath, Ontario) led all players with three points on three assists, while Gagnon and Stein had one goal and one assist.
THE BASICS
FINAL: Albertus Magnus 4 | Hamilton 2
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (1-4-0) | Hamilton (1-1-0)
BOX SCORE
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Falcons got on the scoreboard first 4:55 into the opening period. On a power play, Ignazzitto sent a pass to Charles Risk (Medicine Hat, Alberta), who took a shot that deflected off a defender's skate before finding a wide-open Colwell for the score to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead. Colwell's goal is the first of his young career.
In the second period, the Continentals evened the score at 1-1, cashing in on a 5-on-3 chance 4:41 into the frame. Matt Gellerman netted the goal, tipping in a pass from Sean Thomson from right in front of the crease.
Albertus broke the tie in the third period on the game's first even-strength score 5:31 into the frame. Berdal gave the Falcons a 2-1 advantage with an impressive individual effort. The sophomore defender brought the puck into the offensive zone himself before wristing a shot from the right faceoff circle that found space above the goalie's shoulder.
The Falcons added to their lead 8:57 into the third period behind a goal from Gagnon. The scoring chance was created by Stein, who stole the puck from behind the net and sent a pass to Ignazzitto. Ignazzitto then tossed the puck to an open Gagnon in front of the crease for the score, widening the visitor's advantage to two goals, 3-1.
However, Hamilton would not go down easy as the Continentals cut their deficit to one, 3-2, behind a power-play goal with 5:30 remaining in the third. Grisha Gotovets cashed in on the ensuing faceoff after the penalty, firing the puck from the middle of the zone for the goal.
Ultimately, the Falcons held strong over the final five minutes of the road contest, netting an empty-net goal in the last minute to earn the team's first win of the season. Stein scored on the empty net for his team-best fourth goal of the year.
In goal for the Falcons, Logan Bateman (Ottawa, Ontario) corralled 32 of the 34 shots he faced, his second straight game with 32 saves. The junior was perfect on even strength tonight, as both goals scored by the Continentals came on the power play.
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Albertus: Logan Bateman (W, 1-2-0): Shots on Goal 34 | Goals-Against 2 | Saves 32
Hamilton: Sean Storr (L, 1-1-0): Shots on Goal 20 | Goals-Against 3 | Saves 17
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Continentals owned a 34-21 advantage in shots in the game.
- There were a combined 24 penalties in today's contest, 12 by both teams.
- Albertus went 1-for-8 on the power-play, while Hamilton was 2-for-8.
- Gagnon paced the Falcons with seven shots.
NOTEWORTHY
- Today's game marked the first-ever meeting between Albertus and Hamilton.
- The Falcons take a 1-0-0 lead in the all-time series with today's victory.
- Colwell netted his first career goal in the opening period.
- Stein's empty-net score gives him a team-best four goals on the year.
- Ignazzitto dished out his team-leading fourth assist today.
- Stein (4g, 1a) is tied with Ignazzitto (1g, 4a) for the team lead in points with five.
- Berdal has scored in back-to-back games.
UP NEXT
The Falcons will welcome the Valiants of Manhattanville College in their next game on Tuesday, Nov. 23, at Ralph Walker Skating Rink. The opening puck drop is set for 4 p.m.
