Minnesota Edges Canisius 1-0
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kyle Rau scored 12 seconds into the game and freshman goalie Adam Wilcox made it stand up as Minnesota beat Canisius 1-0 Sunday in men's college hockey.
Rau beat Golden Griffins goalie Tony Capobianco on a deflection in the opening seconds of the game. But Copabianco stopped the next 41 shots he faced for Canisius (1-4-1), which has allowed just 10 goals in six games. Capobianco had 14 saves in each period to finish with 42.
"Both (goalies) played very well and it's what we expected," Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. "Fortunately Adam, when he was called upon, made some key saves."
Wilcox was equally effective in stopping all 20 shots he faced for the second-ranked Golden Gophers (4-1-0). He made a game-high eight saves in the first period.
"The defense made it easy for me, considering the way they played," Wilcox said.
Both teams were 0-for-2 on the power play. The Gophers killed off penalties in the second and third periods.
Wilcox was challenged in the last minute when Canisius pulled its goalie briefly, but he came up big in the closing seconds.
"Sometimes you just have to grind it out and that's what we did today," Lucia said.
Canisius dropped to 3-20-2 against ranked opponents. It was the Golden Griffins' first meeting with the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota, which tied the USA Under-18 team 2-2 in a Friday exhibition game, has outscored its opponents 19-9 in five games. The Gophers are 10-2-1 all-time against Atlantic Hockey Association teams.
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