MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – The Niagara Purple Eagles closed the book on the 2014-15 season with a 6-3 loss to the No. 20 Robert Morris Colonials in game two of the AHA quarterfinals on Saturday night at 84 Lumber Arena.
Goals from Matt Chiarantano and Keegan Harper in second period tied the game 3-3 for Niagara (7-28-4), but a pair of quick goals to start the third and a late empty-net tally gave Robert Morris the 6-3 win. Jackson Teichroeb made 38 saves in his final start of the season.
Chiarantano scored his first of the season less than two minutes into the second to cut into the Colonials lead. He fired a shot from the bottom of the left face-off circle that snuck in below the crossbar and cut the deficit to 3-2. Niagara tied the game seven minutes later after a strong individual play from Patrick Conte. The forward picked up the puck just inside the blue line and protected the puck from three different defenders before he found Harper at the left point. Harper fired a shot that found room short-side and knotted the game at 3-3.
“I’m just really proud of this team and the way it played down the stretch,” head coach Dave Burkholder said of his team that went on a 2-1-1 run to end the regular season before upsetting Holy Cross in the opening round. “We lost to a better team tonight where the shorthanded goal ends up being the game winner and sending us home.”
RMU scored shorthanded 4:30 into the third to take the lead and added another goal four minutes later before the empty net goal sealed the 6-3 win.
The Colonials tallied first again on Saturday night and the Purple Eagles again found a way to respond. Keegan Harper got a shot on through traffic and Hugo Turcotte found the rebound to the right of the net. The junior slammed the rebound home for his 10th goal of the season and tie the game at 1-1 with six minutes left.
As the period was winding down, Robert Morris was given a full minute of a 5-on-3 power-play and converted on both to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.
“I’m proud of the way these guys act on and off the ice,” Burkholder said. “I think they’re great ambassadors for Niagara University.”
