Non-conference play concludes with this weekend’s road trip for the Purple Eagles ice hockey team. On Friday, Niagara will take on the 12th-ranked University of Michigan Wolverines at the fabled Yost Ice Arena. It will be the tenth meeting all-time between Niagara and Michigan. Saturday features an exhibition with the Under-18 team from the USA National Team Development Program.
Last Time Out
For the third consecutive Friday, Niagara went into overtime to decide the game. The Purple Eagles ended up with a 1-1 tie against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Nov. 6.
Freshman goaltender Joe O’Brien had a phenomenal game in his first collegiate start, finishing with 39 saves on the night.
Niagara’s defense also chipped in to help O’Brien out with 24 blocked shots.
Derian Plouffe gave Niagara the first goal of the game on a power play with 57 seconds left in the second period.
Dan Kolenda’s shot hit the side of the net, but Luke Edwards was able to corral the loose puck, and he found Plouffe open on the back door.
Penn State spoiled O’Brien’s shutout bid with 3:01 to play in regulation, as Dylan Richard added a power-play tally for the Nittany Lions.
First Time’s the Charm
After his stellar performance against Penn State on Nov. 6, Joe O’Brien was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week.
O’Brien stopped 39 of 40 shots and recorded a 0.92 goals-against average and .975 save percentage for the game.
It was the first weekly award won by a Niagara player this season.
O’Brien made two appearances totaling 63:07 prior to the Penn State game, stopping 24 of 27 shots in that time.
O’Brien played his junior hockey with the Nipawin Hawks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League for two seasons prior to Niagara.
In 75 games with Nipawin, O’Brien went 37-27-6 with a 2.53 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage, and three shutouts.
Scouting the Wolverines
This will be the tenth meeting all-time between Niagara and Michigan. Eight of the previous nine games have been won by Michigan, with Niagara’s lone win coming back on Oct. 17, 1998.
Michigan had last weekend off, and the weekend before that it split a two-game series with Atlantic Hockey’s Robert Morris.
Through six games, Kyle Connor and Cooper Marody lead the Wolverines in scoring with three goals and four assists apiece.
Michigan senior goaltender Steve Racine (Williamsville) and freshman defenseman Joseph Cecconi (Youngstown) are both Western New York natives.
Scouting the National Team
The USA National Development Team is made up of the top under-18 hockey players from around the United States playing at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich.
The National Development Team has 20 players currently committed to play college hockey next season.
Clayton Keller (11 goals, 21 assists in 16 games) and Kieffer Bellows (15 goals, 7 assists in 16 games) are the team’s leading scorers this season.
Defenseman Griffin Luce is a native of Williamsville, N.Y.
