Pham Scores Fifth of the Season
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Rookie Tyler Pham scored his fifth goal of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Army hockey team fell to Niagara, 3-1, on Friday night at Dwyer Arena.
The Black Knights (3-7-2, 3-6-2 AHA) saw Pham record his eighth point in the last four games with his third power play of the season. Cole Bruns made 23 saves between the pipes in the loss.
The Purple Eagles (2-9-0, 2-5-0 AHA) scored two goals in the first period and never looked back. Robert Angiolella, TJ Sarcona and Stephen Pietrobon all tallied goals for Niagara. Jackson Teichroeb pushed aside 22 shots as the Purple Eagles became the first team to hold the Black Knights under 30 shots this season.
Niagara took the early lead with Pietrobon scoring off an offensive zone faceoff. Sam Alfieri won the faceoff on the right side of Bruns and back to Kevin Albers. The defenseman ripped a one-timer through traffic and Pietrobon tipped it home for the 1-0 advantage. The Purple Eagles added to the lead with 7:25 left in the opening frame with a 2-on-1 chance. Isaac Kohls slipped a pass over to Sarcona and he lifted a backhander over the glove of Bruns for the two-goal lead.
Army answered late in the period with a 4-on-3 power play goal from Pham. The rookie continues to light the lamp with his fifth of the year. This one also came off a faceoff win in the offensive zone. He was able to find the back of the net with an assist to Ryan Nick.
Niagara regained the two-goal advantage with 5:22 left in the second period with Angiolella giving the Purple Eagles a 3-1 advantage. Stanislav Dzakhov and Tyler Akeson were given the assist on the play and Niagara took the 3-1 advantage into the room going into the final period.
The third period featured two power plays for the Purple Eagles, but they could not capitalize and the game concluded with a 3-1 loss for Army.
Niagara finished with a 26-22 shot advantage. The Black Knights were 1-for-3 on the power play and held the Purple Eagles off the board on three opportunities with the extra skater.
Ice Shavings: This was the third game on the road for the Black Knights this season … this was the seventh meeting at Niagara between the two teams and 13th overall … tonight started a five-game swing away from Tate Rink … Bruns earned his fourth career start … Pham has eight points in the last four games and is tied with Maurice Alvarez for the team lead in power play goals with three … Army ends its streak of 30 shots or more in a game at 12 games … Niagara remains undefeated at home against the Black Knights.
