After wrapping up the 2013-14 regular season, the sixth-seeded Niagara Purple Eagles begin their quest for their first AHA Tournament Title when Niagara hosts AIC in a best-of-three first round series, March 7-9, at Dwyer Arena. All three games are scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
The Purple Eagles (11-18-5; 11-11-5 AHA) and eleventh-seeded AIC (10-23-1; 9-17-1 AHA) open the series Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m., and Sunday’s game if necessary is also at 7:05 p.m. The winner advances to the best-of-three quarterfinal series (March 14-16).
Niagara is 4-3-0 all-time in the AHA Tournament, including 4-1-0 at home. NU will play a first round series for the first time since becoming a member of the AHA back in 2010-11 where the Purple and White dropped a 6-3 decision to cross-town rival Canisius in a single-elimination contest.
HOW TO CATCH THE GAMES
• All three games versus AIC will be broadcasted live on 1340 WLVL and PurpleEagles.com, with Steve Warzala on the call for Friday’s and Sunday’s game, if necessary, while Paul Hamilton will take over broadcasting duties on Saturday.
• Live stats for both NU home games are available via www.purpleeagles.com and can be accessed from the main page under the event calendar section.
NIAGARA LEADERS
• Isaac Kohls and Hugo Turcotte lead the team in scoring with 24 points each. Kohls is at the top of the statistical board in goals (12), while Turcotte has 15 assists to his name to lead the squad. Ryan Rashid has also been a key offensive contributor, pocketing 10 goals and nine assists.
• Matt Williams is first with a +14 plus/minus rating.
• Patrick Divjak leads the squad with 112 shots on goal. Hugo Turcotte is close behind with 111 looks on net.
• Freshmen goaltenders Jackson Teichroeb (4-11-3) and Adrian Ignagni (6-6-2) have split time, although Teichroeb has started the previous five games. Teichroeb owns a .902 save percentage and a 2.87 goals-against average.
LAST TIME OUT
• Niagara was able to take away two points from the weekend series against Air Force—using a four-goal third period to down the Falcons, 4-1, on Friday, but falling, 4-1 the following day on home ice during Senior Day.
• In game one the Falcons held a 1-0 lead heading into the final period of regulation, but the Purple Eagles were able to fight back into the contest triggered by Chris Lochner’s game-tying goal with 16:16 left in the third period. Kevin Ryan and Matt Chartrain also scored in the third for the Purple Eagles while Patrick Divjak added an empty netter. Starting NU goaltender Jackson Teichroeb pushed aside 26 shots, including 15 in the second period.
• The second night NU and AFA traded goals in the opening four minutes of the contest, but the Falcons scored three consecutive goals to take the 4-1 victory at Dwyer Arena. Chris Lochner scored the Purple Eagles’ only goal of the contest. Jackson Teichroeb made his fifth straight start in between the pipes, pushing aside 19 Air Force shots.
POST SEASON GAMES AT DWYER
• Niagara is 7-3-0 in the 10 postseason games played at Dwyer Arena, starting with the 2002 CHA Tournament.
2012-13 PLAYOFFS
• Last season Niagara battled back from a goal down twice, but it was not enough as the Purple Eagles’ AHA playoff run ended in the semifinal round with a 5-3 loss to Canisius.
• NU would tie the contest twice in the second after falling behind a goal, but the Griffins pulled away with the game with an early third period goal that would give Canisius a two-goal advantage and one NU could not dig themselves out of.
• In the quarterfinal round the Purple Eagles swept RIT in the best-of-three series. Niagara came out with a 3-2 victory in the opening game on March 15, followed by a thrilling 2-1 overtime win.
DEPTH PERCEPTION
• Twenty-four of the 27 Purple Eagles on the active roster (including goaltenders) have registered at least one point this season.
• NU have secured points from all the classes, as the freshmen lead the way with 83 points, with the sophomores not far behind with 64 of 244 Purple Eagles points. The seniors have collected 50 points, while the juniors have pocketed 47 points.
THE NU-AIC SERIES
• These two squads have met eight times since the series began in 2010, with the Purple Eagles holding a 7-1-0 advantage.
• Niagara took the first six contests against the Yellow Jackets, but saw its winning streak end against its AHA foe back in January as the Yellow Jackets dropped the Purple and White, 6-2.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS
• AIC currently owns a 10-23-1 overall mark, while owning a 9-17-1 AHA record. The Yellow Jackets finished the regular season with 19 points which was good for eleventh place.
• The Yellow Jackets are averaging 2.59 goals a game and are allowing 4.29, placing them 39th and 58th the nation, respectively.
• The power play has gone 21-for-112 while the penalty kill is 88-for-108, ranking them 20th and 33rd in the NCAA, respectively.
• Jon Puskar leads the team in scoring with 34 points with a team-leading 17 goals and has added 17 assists. David Norris is tops on the team with 26 assists (5-26-31), while Alexander MacMillan has cracked the 20-point mark off 12 goals and 15 assists.
• All three AIC goaltenders have been active this season with Hunter Leisner (8-14-1) seeing a majority of time in net. Leisner has made 784 saves for a 3.78 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage.
Muto Named to the AHA All-Rookie Team
HAVERHILL, Mass. – Freshman defenseman Vincent Muto is Niagara’s lone representative on the 2013-14 Atlantic Hockey Association All-Rookie Team as announced by the league office on Thursday morning.
Muto has been a solid, reliable player on the blue line for the Purple Eagles, while establishing himself as one of the top offensive defensemen in the league. The Niagara Falls, N.Y. native has amassed 16 points off four goals and 12 assists, good for sixth on the team in scoring and is tops among NU defensemen.
The AHA Rookie of the Week has played in 31 of 34 games this season, scoring his first two collegiate goals against Army (Nov. 16) and adding an assist for a career-high three point game.
Niagara beings its quest for its first AHA Tournament title on Friday, March 7, taking on AIC in game one of the best-of-three first round series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Dwyer Area.
