The Canisius Golden Griffins men's ice hockey team is a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) Division I

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

program that represents

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master's ...

. The Golden Griffins are a member of

Atlantic Hockey The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other c ...

. They play at the

LECOM Harborcenter LECOM Harborcenter is an American mixed-use development in Buffalo, New York developed by Pegula Sports and Entertainment. The building occupies a full 1.7 acre city block formerly known as the Webster Block, directly across from and connected ...

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

across the street from

KeyBank Center KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena, the venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey Leagu ...

, home of the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

. Canisius won an automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship after winning the Atlantic Hockey title in the conference playoffs, but lost in the first round to top-ranked Quinnipiac.

History

Early years

Canisius founded their hockey team, then known as the Ice Griffs, in the fall of 1971 as a

club sport Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

led by Dr. David Dietz. Two years later they joined their first conference and by 1976 had claimed two conference titles. Dietz resigned after the 1976 championship and allowed Mike Kelly to take over. Kelly kept the team performing at a high level but finished runner up two years running before reclaiming the title in 1979. Canisius join a new conference the following year and after claiming the championship, their fourth in a six-year span, the program was elevated to varsity status. With a new division to play in Canisius also received a new coach in Brian Cavanaugh. Their first two seasons in

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Thir ...

went well for the Golden Griffins but when Cavanaugh took a year off in 1982 the program slumped to single-digit wins before rebounding after the coach's return. During Cavanaugh's tenure he kept the team mostly above .500 and aside from a dip in the early 1990s Canisius was a contender for the

ECAC West ECAC West was a college athletic conference which operated in the northeastern United States until 2017. It participated in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference. The conference ceased to exist after the end of the 2016–17 season wh ...

crown most years. Canisius was able to reach two ECAC West title game in the '90s but lost both contests by one goal.

Division I

When the MAAC announced it was forming an ice hockey division in 1997 only three member teams had extant programs, one of those was Canisius who became a founding member of the league that began play in 1998–99. The Golden Griffins played well in their first season, finishing with a winning record, but it was their play in the conference tournament, allowing them to reach the title match, that made Canisius stand out. Unfortunately that was the height of Canisius' time in the MAAC. Despite a 20-win season the following year the Griffs were bounced in the first round and won only one MAAC playoff game after their inaugural year in D-I. When two of the MAAC's teams ended their ice hockey sponsorship in 2003 the conference was able to end its support for the hockey division. The remaining nine schools simply reformed into a new conference called

and continued on without much trouble. Canisius' trouble in the conference tournament continued throughout the decade and saw them win two out of their first ten games. During that streak, however, the Canisius program went through some upheaval. Long-time coach Brian Cavanaugh came under fire for his conduct through complaints from his players. In December 2004 he was fired when players threatened to sit out a game and he was soon replaced by assistant Clancy Seymour. The following season began with yet a third coach, Dave Smith and it took the new bench boss a few years to repair the program. In 2009–10 Canisius posted its first winning season in nine years and reach the conference semifinal. After a couple of modest seasons the Golden Griffins shocked Atlantic Hockey by winning the 2013 Tournament as a 7th-seed and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Griffins played well but bowed out in their first game against top-seeded

Quinnipiac Quinnipiac is the English name for the Eansketambawg (meaning "original people"; ''cf.'' Ojibwe: ''Anishinaabeg'' and Blackfoot: ''Niitsítapi''), a Quiripi-speaking Native American nation of the Algonquian family who inhabited the ''Wampano ...

. Over the next few years Smith pushed the program to better results, culminating in their first conference title in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

. Smith was hired away by Rensselaer soon after but the Golden Griffins continue to perform well under new coach

Trevor Large Trevor Large (born June 8, 1980) is a Canadian former ice hockey player who is currently the head coach at Canisius. Career Large played his college hockey at Ferris State for the "legendary" Bob Daniels. He played for years for the Bulldogs and ...

Season-by-season results

Source:

All-time coaching records

As of the completion of 2021–22 season † interim head coach
‡ fired mid-season

Awards and honors

Source:

NCAA

AHCA First Team All-Americans *2016-17: Charles Williams, G

MAAC

Individual Awards

MAAC Goaltender of the Year *

Sean Weaver Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angliciz ...

: 2000

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-MAAC *1998–99: Derek Gilham, D *1999–00:

, G Second Team All-MAAC *1998–99:

David Deeves David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, F MAAC All-Rookie Team *1998–99:

Joel Tarvudd Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

, D;

, F *2002–03: Tim Songin, D

Atlantic Hockey

Individual Awards

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...

Cory Conacher Cory Conacher (born December 14, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL). Playing career Growing up ...

: 2010 * Charles Williams: 2017 *

Dylan McLaughlin Dylan McLaughlin (born December 2, 1993) is an American actor. He has appeared in television series including '' ER'' and ''Bones'' as well the motion pictures ''Alice Upside Down'', ''Georgia Rule'', and '' Kicking & Screaming''. He has also ap ...

: 2018 Rookie of the Year *

David Kostuch David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

: 2009

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

* Dave Smith: 2017 Best Defensive Forward *

David Kasch David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

: 2008 * Ryan Schmelzer: 2017 Best Defenseman * Cameron Heath: 2017 Regular Season Scoring Trophy *

, LW: 2010 *

: 2018 Regular Season Goaltending Award * Keegan Asmundson: 2015 * Charles Williams: 2017 * Jacob Barczewski: 2021 Individual Sportsmanship Award *

: 2019 Most Valuable Player in Tournament *

Kyle Gibbons Kyle or Kyles may refer to: Places Canada * Kyle, Saskatchewan, Canada Ireland * Kyle, County Laois * Kyle, County Wexford Scotland * Kyle, Ayrshire, area of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshir ...

, F:

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2004–05: Bryan Worosz, G *2009–10:

, F *2014–15: Chris Rumble, D *2015–16: Shane Conacher, F *2016–17: Charles Williams, F *2017–18: Cameron Heath, F;

, F *2018–19:

, F *2020–21: Jacob Barczewski, G; Keaton Mastrodonato, F *2021–22: Jacob Barczewski, G Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2009–10: Carl Hudson, D *2010–11:

, F *2014–15: Keegan Asmundson, G; Ralph Cuddemi, F *2015–16: Ralph Cuddemi, F *2016–17: Cameron Heath, D; Ryan Schmelzer, F *2017–18: Lester Lancaster, D *2019–20: Matt Hoover, F; Nick Hutchison, F *2021–22: Keaton Mastrodonato, F Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2008–09: Carl Hudson, D; Jason Weeks, F *2009–10: Vincent Scarcella, F *2012–13:

, F *2015–16: Ben Danforth, D *2016–17:

, F *2017–18: Ryan Schmelzer, F *2019–20: Matt Stief, F *2021–22:

David Melaragni David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, F Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team *2005–06: Dan Giffin, G *2006–07:

Josh Heidinger Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to: People A–J * "Josh", an early pseudonym of S ...

, F *2007–08: Vincent Scarsella, F *2008–09:

, F *2016–17:

Nick Hutchinson Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Places ...

, F *2017–18: Grant Meyer, F

Canisius Hall of Fame

The following is a list of Canisius' men's ice hockey players who were elected into the Canisius College Hall of Fame (induction year in parenthesis). *Derrick Bishop (2013) *Andre Bourgeault (2006) *Dr. David Dietz (2001) *Joe Federico (2005) *Josh Oort (2010) *Gary Roessler (1998) *Mike Sisti (2002) *Kevin Sykes (1999) *Mike Torrillo (1999) *Brian Worosz (2016)

Statistical leaders

Source:

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

''GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% =

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...

; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...

'' Minimum 2000 minutes Statistics current through the start of the 2021-22 season.

Current roster

As of August 1, 2022.

Notable former players

Notable alumni include: *Dylan McLaughlin '19: Signed to an

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

contract by the

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...

* Carl Hudson '10: Signed to an

contract by the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

*Ryan Stewart '98: Current Senior Advisor for the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

and 3x

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

champion as Director of Pro Scouting with the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

Golden Griffins in the NHL

As of July 1, 2022. File:Cory Conacher 2013-05-17 2.JPG,

References

External links

Canisius Golden Griffins
{{Atlantic Hockey Ice hockey teams in New York (state)

History

Early years

Division I

Season-by-season results

All-time coaching records

Awards and honors

NCAA

MAAC

Individual Awards

All-Conference Teams

Atlantic Hockey

Individual Awards

All-Conference Teams

Canisius Hall of Fame

Statistical leaders

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

Current roster

Notable former players

Golden Griffins in the NHL

See also

References

External links