USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – To start the month of December, the Niagara Purple Eagles hockey team used an explosive offensive effort to take down the Air Force Falcons by a score of 6-3. Eric Cooley, Tanner Lomsnes, and Derian Plouffe all scored three points each, and goaltender Brian Wilson made 40 saves, including 19 in the third period, to help the Purple Eagles to victory Friday night at Cadet Ice Arena. Niagara snapped a six-game road losing streak to the Falcons and will go for the weekend sweep at 7:05 p.m. (ET) on Saturday.
Game Summary
· Final Score: Niagara 6, Air Force 3
· Niagara Goal Scorers: Eric Cooley, Johnny Curran, Niko Kovachis, Tanner Lomsnes, Derian Plouffe (2)
· Niagara Assists: Eric Cooley (2), Noah Delmas, Nick Farmer, Justin Kendall, Niko Kovachis, Tanner Lomsnes (2), Derian Plouffe, Ben Sokay
· In Goal: Brian Wilson (6-4-1) – 3 GA, 40 SV
· Power Plays: Niagara – 1-for-5 (3 SOG); Air Force – 0-for-3 (4 SOG)
· Records: Niagara – 8-5-1 (7-2-1 AHC); Air Force – 7-7-3 (3-6-2 AHC)
· Location: Cadet Ice Arena – USAF Academy, Colorado
· Attendance: 1,974
Game Recap
· Just over eight minutes into the game, Noah Delmas launched a shot from the right point that was stopped in traffic in front of the Air Force goal, but Eric Cooley put the loose puck home to open the scoring. 34 seconds later, Erik Baskin found the back of the net to help the Falcons tie the game at 1-1.
· At the 11:55 mark of the first period, Cooley fought his way through the Air Force defense and weaved a pass through three defenders, with Tanner Lomsnes taking the feed and finishing on the back door to reestablish the Niagara lead.
· Niko Kovachis, who picked up the secondary assist on Lomsnes’ goal, ripped a one-time shot home on the rush just 2:06 later to make it a two-goal Niagara lead.
· Jordan Himley scored for Air Force to make it 3-2 after one period, and Brian Wilson made 15 saves in goal to help the Purple Eagles hold the early lead.
· After going scoreless on its first power play of the night, Niagara cashed in on its second to take a 4-2 lead. Derian Plouffe fed Lomsnes in the low slot, and Lomsnes one-touched a pass over to a wide-open Johnny Curran for the power-play strike.
· Just 2:28 later on the penalty kill, Cooley beat the Air Force defense while shorthanded for a shot that was stopped by Air Force’s Billy Christopoulos, but Plouffe followed up the shot and put it in the back of the net for his second shorthanded goal of the season.
· Plouffe tacked on his second goal of the game in dramatic fashion 5:43 in the third, fighting through an Air Force defender, corralling a loose puck while being tripped and scoring past Air Force goaltender Zach LaRocque, who relieved Christopoulos after the fifth Niagara goal.
· Niagara had to hold off a ferocious Air Force offense in the final period as the Falcons poured on 20 shots, but Wilson held strong for the Purple Eagles allowing just one goal to Air Force’s Evan Giesler as Niagara held on for the 6-3 win.
Coach’s Corner
· Head coach Jason Lammers: “The guys have really committed to each other and are starting to trust themselves. I thought we had real good finish tonight, and I was really impressed with that. The speed of the team is something that the staff has put as a priority and we really work hard to develop it.”
Inside the Numbers
· The Purple Eagles snapped a six-game losing streak at Cadet Ice Arena against the Falcons; the last Niagara victory over Air Force was in the 2014 Atlantic Hockey playoffs when Niagara clinched a best-of-three series victory with a 4-3 overtime win on March 16, 2014.
· Niagara moves to 34-28-5 all-time against Air Force, with the 67 games played the most Niagara has played against any team in college hockey.
· The Purple Eagles found five different goal scorers in one game for the second time this season, with the other time coming in a 6-2 victory at Sacred Heart on Oct. 28.
· Derian Plouffe’s shorthanded goal in the second period was Niagara’s fourth of the season, tied with Northern Michigan for the NCAA lead and the most of any AHC team.
· The 20 shots by Air Force in the third period and 17 in the first period were the most any Niagara opponent has generated in a period against the Purple Eagles this season. Brian Wilson countered the Air Force attack with a season- and career-high 40 saves.
· Niko Kovachis scored one goal and one assist for his first multi-point effort in 69 games at Niagara.
· Tanner Lomsnes now has goals in back-to-back games and four of his last five. The junior also posted his third three-point game of the season, the most of any current Purple Eagle.
· Derian Plouffe’s three points were his most in one game since tallying four points (3+1) in a 6-4 win over Bentley on Dec. 4, 2015.
Up Next
· Niagara and Air Force return to Cadet Ice Arena to close out the weekend series in a 7:05 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Dec. 2.
