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Clarkson University Athletics

Golden Knights Open New Year in Vermont

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Men's Hockey | 12/31/2018 10:06:00 AM

Back from the desert southwest with its third in-season tournament championship in three years, Clarkson University will look to continue to build momentum as it enters 2019. The Golden Knights play their final non-league game of the season with a Sunday afternoon contest at the University of Vermont on January 6.

The Knights roll into 2019 on a three-game winning streak, highlighted by capturing the Desert Hockey Classic in Glendale, Arizona on December 28-29. Playing in this seasons' toughest holiday tournament with all four teams ranked among the Top 20 in the nation, the Green and Gold skated away with the Cactus Trophy at Gila River Arena. Clarkson shut out #13 Arizona State 3-0 in first round action and knocked off reigning national champion #3 Minnesota Duluth 3-1 in the championship game.

Guided by 8th-year Head Coach Casey Jones and assistant Josh Hauge and Brent Brekke, the Knights own an 11-6 overall record and were ranked 19th in the last national polls before the break. After Sunday's game at Vermont of Hockey East, Clarkson returns to a full slate of ECAC Hockey games to close out the regular season beginning with a weekend series against Capital District rivals Union and Rensselaer at Cheel Arena on January 11-12. The Knights are in an eighth-place tie in the ECAC Hockey standings with a 3-3 league mark, but have games in hand on all the teams in front of them except one. 
 
• Clarkson is 8-3 in non-league games, going 2-0-0 vs WCHA, 2-1 vs Atlantic Hockey, 1-2 vs the Big 10, 1-0 vs NCHC, 1-0 vs Independent and 1-0 vs ECAC Hockey out-of-conference game.
• Through the 2018 portion of the schedule,  the Knights went 7-1 at Cheel Arena, 3-0 at neutral sites and 1-3 on opponents' home ice. Clarkson's lone road victory was a 6-0 triumph at RPI on November 2.
• Clarkson has allowed just one goal during the current three-game winning streak. 
• The Knights' defensive effort ranks tied for 5th in the NCAA, allowing only 2.00 goals per game (second lowest overall average in ECAC Hockey, behind only Quinnipiac - 1.67).
• A big reason for the Knights' stingy goals allowed average has been the improved play of the penalty-killing units.  Since a dismal 2-of-6 shorthanded effort  in the 6-3 loss at Canisius (11/10), Clarkson has allowed just one power-play goal in the opponents' last 34 man-advantage chances (97.1%) over the last nine games, including a current 16 straight kills. For the year, the Knights are 82.9% (58-70) on the penalty kill, tied for 23rd in NCAA.
• Offensively, the Knights are averaging 3.24 goals per game, 12th in the NCAA (third best overall in ECAC Hockey, behind Quinnipiac - 3.83 and Harvard - 3.68).
• Clarkson's power play is ranked tied for 23rd in the NCAA at 82.9% (58-78). The Knights struck for three goals in six man-advantage opportunities against Arizona State, the first time the Green and Gold scored three power-play goals in a game since going 3-of-7 against Brown in a 5-3 victory on November 10, 2017. The Knights scored on 5-on-3, 5-on-4 and 4-on-3 power plays against ASU.
• The Knights' scoring margin is 10th in the NCAA at 1.24 (second best overall in ECAC Hockey, behind Quinnipiac - 2.17).
• Clarkson began the season by scoring the opening goal in each of the first 12 games. The Knights, who opened the scoring in both games at the Desert Hockey Classic are 11-4 when scoring first.
• The Knights are 11-0-0 when leading after two periods.  Since the 2015-16 campaign, Clarkson is 57-5-6 when leading through 40 minutes.
• Clarkson starts fast and finishes strong, outscoring the opponents 18-8 in the first period and 23-9 in the final 20  minutes of regulation. The Green and Gold have been outscored 17-14 in the middle frame.
• Junior Jake Kielly was named MVP of the Desert Hockey Classic. NCAA's active leader in career shutouts, Kielly posted his 14th whitewash with 15 saves in the 3-0 win over Arizona State for his third shutout of the season. In the championship game, he turned aside 29 of 30 Minnesota Duluth shots. Starting all 17 games, Kielly posts a .928 save percentage (13th in NCAA) and a 1.96 goals against average (12th) en route to an 11-6 record. Kielly owns a career record of 49-32-11 and is bidding to become the first Clarkson goaltender to record 50 career wins since David Leggio '08, amassed a career record of 59-29-12 through 103 games. Kielly was named one of the 20 Division I goaltenders to the watch list for the 2019 Mike Richter Award, which annually honors the most outstanding goaltender in the NCAA.
• Junior co-captain Nico Sturm leads the Green and Gold in scoring with 20 points on team high goals (9) and assists (11). He has tallied at least one point in 15 of the first 17 games. Sturm recorded three points at the DHC, including two goals in the championship victory over Minnesota Duluth. ECAC Hockey's Best Defensive Forward last season, Sturm holds a team-high +11 plus/minus rating and leads Clarkson's forwards in block shots with 13. He is Clarkson's top center at the faceoff circle, winning 57.7% (154-113) of his draws. Sturm is bidding to become the next Golden Knight to join the century Club with 78 career points (31-47) in 96 games.
• After missing the previous seven games with an injury and playing for the first time since November 17, freshman center Josh Dunne opened the scoring early with the game-winning goal in the 3-0 victory over Arizona State. Despite playing in just 10 games, Dunne leads the Knights' rookie in scoring with five goals and eight points.
• Junior defenseman Shane Kuzmeski netted his first career goal to open the scoring over Minnesota Duluth. Kuzmeski, who went the first 32 games of his collegiate career without recording a point, has two points (1-1) in the last three games.
• Through the first 17 games of the season, 17 Knights have scored at least one goal and 21 of the 23 skaters have recorded at least one point. 
• Clarkson defensemen are chipping in 29.7% of the offense, recording 44 points on 13 goals and 31 assists from the blueline.  All eight of the Knight rearguards have tallied at least one point with seven scoring at least one goal.
• The lone senior on the Clarkson blueline Aaron Thow leads the way offensively among the rearguards with 12 points on four goals and eight assists, and posts a +7 rating. He has tallied seven points (4-3) over the past seven games. 

The Series
Clarkson holds a commanding 53-29-2 lead in the series against Vermont, which began with a 5-3 win for the Knights on January 13, 1971 in Potsdam. The Catamounts, however, have won four of the last five meetings and are 12-8-1 in the series during the 2000s. In their last meeting, the Knights snapped a four-game losing skid to the Cats with a 3-2 victory in Burlington on October 8, 2016. UVM won the previous night 5-2 at Cheel. Clarkson is 23-13-1 at Gutterson Fieldhouse. None of the current Golden Knights have tallied a point in the series. Jake Kielly holds a .875 save percentage and a 3.50 goals against average en route to a 1-1 record against Vermont.

Scouting Vermont
Vermont took a three-game winning streak into its Friday home game against Sacred Heart, prior to facing Clarkson. This past weekend UVM won its own tournament, the Catamount Cup, by defeating Alabama Huntsville 4-1 and Rensselaer 4-2 at Gutterson Fieldhouse. UVM started its winning streak with a 2-1 victory at Colorado College on December 7. The Catamounts stand at 7-8-1 overall prior to the Sacred Heart game and are in 11th place in the Hockey East standings with a 1-6-1 league record. UVM posted 3-4-1 record in Burlington during the 2018 portion of the schedule.

 
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Players Mentioned

Jake Kielly

#29 Jake Kielly

G
6' 2"
Junior
Shane Kuzmeski

#10 Shane Kuzmeski

D
6' 1"
Junior
Nico Sturm

#17 Nico Sturm

F
6' 3"
Junior
Aaron Thow

#13 Aaron Thow

D
6' 1"
Senior
Josh Dunne

#21 Josh Dunne

F
6' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jake Kielly

#29 Jake Kielly

6' 2"
Junior
G
Shane Kuzmeski

#10 Shane Kuzmeski

6' 1"
Junior
D
Nico Sturm

#17 Nico Sturm

6' 3"
Junior
F
Aaron Thow

#13 Aaron Thow

6' 1"
Senior
D
Josh Dunne

#21 Josh Dunne

6' 4"
Freshman
F