Canisius has flown under the radar most of this season.
Trevor Large’s team has at least one game in hand on everyone else, and is currently in fifth place, the final bye position, based on points earned per game.
“The reality for us is that like most seasons, it’s been a roller coaster,” said Large, now in his eighth season at Canisius.
“We have a really young ‘D’ corps, and we’re really young in net. But that’s been coming along and I like where we are right now. Up front, we have a really deep group of forwards and we’ve solidified the roster and are finding good chemistry. I really like the way we are playing right now.”
The growing pains resulted in an 0-8 nonconference record, which is a league-wide problem. All AHA teams have completed the nonconference portion of their schedules, finishing with a combined record of 17-64-8 (.236), the league’s lowest winning percentage since 2015 (.217). This is despite better facilities and stronger rosters from top to bottom.
“It is what it is,” said Large. “If I had the answer, I’d fix it. The reality is that we are going up against bigger schools from bigger conferences and we want to play those schools, but they have more resources and have been able to attract players from our conference (in the transfer portal).
“Most of our (nonconference) games were early in the season, and we played well in a lot of them despite losing. We were up on St. Lawrence but allowed them to come back. We went toe to toe with Clarkson. When we played, RPI, they were a wagon. They were clicking on all cylinders at the time. We learned a lot about our team in those games.”
Large, like every Division I hockey coach, is dealing with the new realities of the transfer portal, NIL and recruiting CHL players.
“The job hasn’t changed,” he said. “New markets opened up. People are still trying to figure it out. Some are hitting the panic button. But it’s all about finding the right players and people we want at Canisius. Showing them why Canisius is their best option. The pool of players may have changed, but we’re still looking for the right people and building relationships.”
One of those relationships that worked out both parties was the recruitment of forward Matteo Giampa. The sophomore from Virgil, Ont., was rookie of the year in Atlantic Hockey last season, and picked up where he left off this year, leading the team in points (25), assists (18) and is tied for the team lead in goals (seven).
Also producing are the all-graduate student line of Cole Kodsi, Alec Cicero and Kyle Haskins, which have combined for five goals in their last three games, including three in a 4-1 win over Robert Morris on Tuesday.
“That line has been really clicking,” said Large. “We just let them do their thing – playing hard and producing. They’re playing great.”
The Golden Griffins have seven games remaining, five against teams ahead of them in the standings, including three with rival Niagara, which is nine points ahead but has two fewer games remaining.
Large explained how he likes his team’s attitude down the stretch.
“We’re doing a good job of not looking at the standings and overthinking,” he said. We’re not thinking that every win is the most important thing on planet earth. We’re thinking beyond, ‘Did I score and did we win?’ I think that shows the maturation of a young team.
“We want to be playing our best hockey at the end of the season. The times we went to the NCAA tournament, we did so as a fourth seed and a seventh seed. We need to go out and get after it, play our way, and enjoy the time together.”
