NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Purple Eagles hockey team opened up a 2-1 lead over the Holy Cross Crusaders early in the second period of Friday night’s regular-season opener at Dwyer Arena. Holy Cross finished the game with seven unanswered goals, including three in a 33-second stretch of four-on-four play, as Niagara fell by a final score of 8-2.
Game Summary
· Final Score: Holy Cross 8, Niagara 2
· Niagara Goal Scorers: Larry Smith (1), Stephen Pietrobon (1)
· Niagara Assists: Kris Spriggs (1), Stanislav Dzakhov (1)
· In Goal: Jackson Teichroeb (39:35, 5 GA, 15 SV); Guillaume Therien (20:00, 3 GA, 15 SV)
· Power Plays: Niagara – 1-for-8 (7 SH); Holy Cross – 3-for-10 (14 SH)
· Location: Dwyer Arena – Niagara Univ., N.Y.
· Attendance: 720
Game Recap
· With an early power play, Niagara opened the scoring in the 2016-17 season just 4:22 into the contest. Larry Smith set up for a long shot from the blue line as the power play was about to expire, and his shot snuck low past Holy Cross goaltender Paul Berrafato, giving Niagara the 1-0 lead.
· Holy Cross was able to tie the game with just over two minutes to play in the first period with the first of three goals from T.J. Moore on the evening.
· After assisting on the opening goal, freshman Kris Spriggs had a breakaway chance to return the lead to Niagara. His shot beat Berrafato to the left, but it rang off the pipe and wide.
· In the second period, Niagara took the 2-1 lead while shorthanded. A delayed penalty brought Jackson Teichroeb to the bench, leveling the number of attackers on the ice. Stanislav Dzakhov fed a strong pass through the slot to a wide-open Stephen Pietrobon on the back door. Camped out to the right of Berrafato, Pietrobon wasted no time roofing the shot for his first goal of the season.
· Holy Cross tied the game just 1:36 later, before a slew of penalties created a four-on-four situation for both sides. The Crusaders struck for three goals on three straight shots over a 33-second stretch, taking a 5-2 lead with seven minutes to go in the second period.
· Guillaume Therien entered the Niagara net for the third period and faced 18 shots, yielding three goals to the Crusaders as Holy Cross held on for the 8-2 win.
Inside the Numbers
· Larry Smith scored his first goal since March 8, 2015, when Niagara defeated Holy Cross on the road in game three of the 2015 Atlantic Hockey first round.
· Stephen Pietrobon’s shorthanded goal in the second period was the first by a Purple Eagle since Chris Lochner did so against RIT back on Feb. 7, 2015.
· Holy Cross held a slim 17-16 advantage in blocked shots; Keegan Harper led the Purple Eagles and finished second among all skaters in the game with four.
· Niagara faced 10 penalty kills in the game, including two extended chances on five-minute major penalties. The Purple Eagles gave up three power-play goals, but prior to the third period, the team was 6-for-7 on the penalty kill, yielding just five shots in those chances.
Up Next
· The Purple Eagles conclude the weekend series with Holy Cross on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7:05 p.m. For ticket information, please contact the Niagara University Ticket Office at (716) 286-TIXX (8499), email [email protected], visit www.PurpleEagles.com/Tickets, or stop by the ticket office at Dwyer Arena.
