"Connecticut played with a lot of heart and a lot of character today and kept putting it to us," said Canisius head coach Dave Smith. "However, I think if you're up a goal with six minutes left, you need to get two points out of it. We needed to find a way to lock it down after a great goal from Scott Moser. I am disappointed with our defensive effort in the third period. We work very hard to be successful and we let it slip away today."

Senior Ryan Klusendorf, junior Cory Conacher and sophomores Dave Kostuch and Scott Moser each tallied a goal for the Griffs.

Sophomore Dan Morrison recorded 20 saves in net to earn the draw.

Canisius controlled the first period thanks to four power-play opportunities but it was Connecticut who entered the first intermission with the 1-0 advantage. The Huskies, who were outshot 12-3 in the opening frame, tallied a short-handed goal 6:43 into the contest when Mike Coppola netted his first goal of the season.

The Griffs finally took advantage of their power-play chances when Klusendorf tallied his third goal of the season with 37 seconds remaining in the second. Senior Carl Hudson skated to the goal line and found Klusendorf open in the slot. The senior then fired the puck in to knot the game at one. Senior Dave Cianfrini also registered an assist on the goal.

Canisius (4-6-1, 3-3-1 Atlantic Hockey) then took its first lead of the afternoon 1:11 into the third period, scoring once again on the power play. Junior Vincent Scarsella fed Conacher and the junior found the back of the net for his team-leading sixth goal of the season. Hudson added his second assist of the afternoon on the goal.

Connecticut (2-6-1, 2-3-1 Atlantic Hockey) rebounded with two goals of its own to take a 3-2 lead. Jason Krispel led the charge with a power-play score and then Andrew Olson scored his third goal of the season with 8:10 left as the Huskies regained their advantage.

The Griffs quickly answered back, scoring just 57 seconds later to tie the game at three. Junior Phil Rauch fired a shot toward goal. A Connecticut defender blocked the shot but the puck went right to Kostuch, who netted his fourth goal of the season. Freshman Torrey Lindsay also registered an assist on the goal.

Canisius then took the lead just 41 seconds later when Moser scored his first goal of his sophomore campaign. Junior Derek Danowski centered the puck from behind the net and Moser one-timed the puck in for the 4-3 lead.

The Huskies, however, would once again fight back and knotted the game at four with just 2:45 left in regulation. Brendan Olinyk beat Morrison with a shot from the boards for his first goal of the season.

Canisius had the best opportunity in the overtime when Connecticut was whistled for a hooking penalty with just 1:08 left in the game. The Griffs were unable to score their third power-play goal of the game as the contest ended in a draw.

The Griffs held a 37-24 advantage in shots and were 2-for-9 with the extra-man advantage. Connecticut scored one power-play goal in three opportunities. Jeff Larson recorded 33 saves in net for the Huskies.

"We go into every game thinking we will win," said senior Josh Heidinger. "We were up and then they were up. We know that every conference game is a battle. It is a fight every night and we need to play for a full 60 minutes. Today stings a little and we're disappointed not to get the win.

The two teams wrap up the two-game series tomorrow afternoon at the Buffalo State Sports Arena. Game time is set for 3:05 p.m.

Game Notes: The last four meetings between the two schools have featured overtime ... It was the first of the four-consecutive overtime contests that resulted in a tie ... Hudson has registered six of his eight points this season on the power play (1g, 5a) ... Freshman Preston Shupe had his team-best four-game streak of registering a point snapped ... The Griffs earned their first point this season when trailing after one period (0-6-1) ... Canisius has outshot an opponent for the fourth-straight game, its longest streak since registering a five-game run during the 2005-06 season.