Niagara Continues Five-Game Home Stand vs. Holy Cross
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara hockey team will host Atlantic Hockey foe Holy Cross for a two-game series on Jan. 17-18, with both games set for a 7:05 p.m. start, at Dwyer Arena.
Niagara are 5-12-3 overall and 5-5-3 in the AHA, putting them in sixth place, 10 points behind league-leading Mercyhurst. The Purple Eagles split games against AIC on Jan. 10 and 11, losing the opener, 6-2, before rebounding for a 5-0 win the following night. Niagara leads the all-time series with Holy Cross 7-3-0, and leads at Dwyer, 3-1-0. Last year, the two teams split the season series at Holy Cross with the Crusaders taking game one by a 5-3 score before NU picked up a 4-1 win at the Hart Center. Niagara is 4-3-0 on home ice this season.
DON’T MISS OUT ON THE ACTION!
• Tickets are still available for both games so please call the Niagara Tickets Office (located inside Dwyer Arena) at 716-286-TIXX, visit www.PurpleEagles.com/Tickets or by emailing [email protected] to reserve your seats today!
BUT IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT
• Both games versus Holy Cross will be available via the American One Network, and will be broadcasted live on WLVL, with Paul Hamilton on the call for Friday’s game and Steve Warzala calling Saturday’s contest.
• Friday’s game will also be available on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel with Nate Lull and Chris Panek on the call, while Saturday’s game will be available on LCTV.
THE LEADERS
• Isaac Kohls leads the Purple Eagles in scoring with 16 points. Kohls, along with Ryan Rashid and Hugo Turcotte have a team-leading seven goals, while Kohls has pocketed nine helpers.
• Kevin Ryan is first with a +9 plus/minus rating.
• Patrick Divjak leads the squad with 69 shots on goal. Hugo Turcotte is close behind with 64 looks on net.
LAST TIMEOUT
• Niagara lost the first game of the season series vs AIC, dropping a 6-2 decision on Jan. 10. Isaac Kohls had a goal and an assist while Hugo Turcotte also scored for the Purple and White. They couldn’t offset a four-goal night from AIC’s John Puskar and a three-assist game from David Norris. Adrian Ignagni gave up four goals on five shots in a little more than 18 minutes and took the loss. Jackson Teichroeb took over goaltending duties and finished the game with 10 saves.
• On Saturday, the Purple Eagles got a three-point night from Kohls and Turcotte in a 5-0 shutout. Kohls scored a pair of goals and added an assist, while Turcotte scored a goal and contributed a pair of helpers. Ryan Rashid and TJ Sarcona also found the back of the net.
• Jackson Teichroeb turned aside 12 shots for his second shutout and third win of the season.
HOT HANDS
• Isaac Kohls pushed his point streak to three games after securing a three-point night against the AIC Yellow Jackets on Jan. 11 with two goals and an assist.
• The three-point evening was the junior’s third of his career, with his previous two coming against Army on Nov. 9, 2012 (1-2-3) and Nov. 16, 2013 (0-3-3).
• Since the Jan. 4 game at Bentley, Kohls has four goals and three assists for seven points, his fourth three-game point streak of his career. His longest point streak came during his freshman season when he went 1-4-5 from Jan. 20 through Feb. 3.
• Kohls is currently tops on the team with 16 points. He is tied for the team lead in goals (7) and leads the Purple and White with nine assists.
WE’RE GOING STREAKING
• Junior Isaac Kohls and sophomore Hugo Turcotte are currently on a three-game point run, with Kohls earning seven points and Turcotte pocketing six points in that span.
• Senior Ryan Rashid saw his three-game point streak snapped on Jan. 10 vs. AIC, but he bounced back with a goal the following day. Rashid has totaled three goals and two assists in his last five games.
• Freshman Brock Edwards has tallied six points in the last eight games (one goal, five assists).
THE NU-HC SERIES
• These pair of contests will mark the 11th and 12th meetings between the teams, in a series that dates back to 1999.
• Niagara leads the all-time series 7-3-0, with the series tied 3-3-0 since the Purple Eagles joined Atlantic Hockey in the 2010-11 season.
• The Purple Eagles had won the first four games in the all-time series, starting with a 3-0 shutout at Holy Cross on Jan. 3, 1999. The Crusaders’ first victory over Niagara came on Jan. 8, 2011 with a 5-1 win in Worcester, Mass.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
• Holy Cross currently owns a 4-15-0 overall mark, while owning a 3-9-2 AHA record. The Crusaders are slated in the 11th position in the AHA standings with eight points.
• Holy Cross is searching for its first win in eight games, going 0-6-2 in that time.
• The Crusaders are averaging 1.95 goals a game and are allowing 3.10, placing them 53rd and 43rd the nation, respectively.
• The power play has gone 8-for-68 while the penalty kill is 65-for-82, ranking them 55th and 43rd in the NCAA, respectively.
• Adam Schmidt and Matt Vidal lead the team in scoring with 12 points each. Schmidt is tied for the team-lead in goals with Mike Barrett, while Vidal is tops on the squad with eight helpers. Tim Driscoll has also contributed offensively for Holy Cross with a pair of goals and seven assists.
• Matt Ginn is the go-to goaltender for the Crusaders, making 619 saves for a .910 save percentage and a 2.91 goals-against average.
WHAT’S UP NEXT
• Following this weekend’s two-game set against Holy Cross, Niagara will wrap up its five-game home stand when it hosts RIT on Jan. 24, a nationally-televised contest on CBS Sports Network.
• Including the Jan. 24 contest, the Purple Eagles host six of the team’s final 12 games.
