Sophomore Pat Oliveto leads all Niagara defensemen in scoring. |
FACING OFF
Looking to end a two-game losing streak, the Niagara University men’s hockey team (7-12-0, 2-4-0) continues its homestand, hosting Wayne State University (10-8-2, 3-3-2) at Dwyer Arena Friday and Saturday.
Faceoff is set for 7:05 p.m. both nights.
ON THE AIR
Both games this weekend can be heard live on www.PurpleEagles.com, with Frank Gallo handling play-by-play duties.
A LOOK AT NIAGARA
Looking to extend a five-game winning streak against the Warriors, Niagara enters this weekend’s series having dropped its last two contests, losing to UMass Lowell Dec. 30 and Canisius Jan. 8, both by 5-2 decisions.
The 19th ranked offense, averaging 3.11 goals per game, is led by senior forwards Barret Ehgoetz and Ryan Gale.
Ehgoetz, the all-time leading scorer in Niagara history, leads the College Hockey America conference in points this season, with 27 points (7 goals, 20 assists) in 19 games. Ehgoetz has multiple points in two of the last three games.
Gale leads the team with 15 goals, adding eight assists for a career-high 23 points. Having a career year, Gale leads the CHA in goals, standing tied for fifth nationally.
Sophomore forward Sean Bentivoglio is third on the team in points, scoring a career-high five goals and adding 12 assists for 17 points.
In goal, both sophomore Allen Barton and freshman Scott Mollison have seen time this season, combining for four wins.
Mollison (2-4-0) has a 3.29 goals-against average, with Barton (2-3-0) having a 4.26 GAA.
SCOUTING WAYNE STATE
Third in the CHA standings, with a 3-3-2 conference record, Wayne State has yet to lose consecutive games this season.
Already surpassing last season’s win total, with 10 wins this season, the Warriors are led by freshman Stavros Paskaris. The 6-1 forward, with eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points, leads the CHA in points by a freshman, standing tied for eighth nationally in rookie scoring with a 0.90 points per game average.
In his first season with Wayne State, sophomore Jason Bloomingburg leads the team with 12 goals this season. A transfer from Providence, Bloomingburg sits tied for third in the CHA in goals this season, adding five assists for 17 points.
Junior Matt Kelly and sophomore Will Hooper have split time in net this season, with Kelly leading the team with six wins.IN THEIR LAST OUTING
Canisius College snapped Niagara’s five-game unbeaten streak against teams from the Atlantic Hockey conference, defeating the Purple Eagles, 5-2, Jan. 8 at Dwyer Arena.
After sophomore Sean Bentivoglio gave Niagara an early lead 3:34 into the opening period, Niagara conceded four consecutive goals to the Golden Griffins, falling behind 4-1 heading into the third period.
Freshman Matt Caruana scored his third goal of the season, cutting the Canisius lead to two goals, however the Purple Eagles could not overcome the large deficit, giving up a late empty-net goal to Canisius forward Mike Ruberto, which made the score 5-2 in favor of the Griffs.
Freshman goaltender Scott Mollison made 21 saves, dropping his fourth-straight contest.
PROGRAM FIRST
Last season, for the first time in the all-time series between Niagara and Wayne State, the Purple Eagles earned a season sweep, defeating the Warriors in all five season matchups.
Outscoring Wayne State, 17-6, in the five games, the sweep culminated in Niagara’s 2-1 win over the Warriors in the CHA Tournament semifinals, played March 13, 2004 at Tri-City Arena, in Kearney, Neb.
CHA NEW YEAR OPENERS
In five seasons, Niagara is 4-1-0 in its first home conference game of the new year.
The lone defeat was a 5-2 loss to Wayne State Feb. 8, 2002.
NIAGARA VS. WAYNE STATE
Wayne State holds an 11-7-1 lead in the all-time series with Niagara.
At Dwyer Arena, the Purple Eagles are 4-4-0 all-time against the Warriors, including earning a series sweep over Wayne State last season at home.
BURKHOLDER VS. WARRIORS
Fourth-year Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder is 7-6-1 all-time against the Warriors.
Burkholder’s record against Wayne State was highlighted by a season sweep (5-0-0) last season.
EHGOETZ LEADS VS. WSU
Niagara senior captain Barret Ehgoetz leads the team in scoring against the Warriors.
In his 12 career games against Wayne State, Ehgoetz has 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists), averaging 1.17 points per game.
Also having success against the Warriors are forwards Justin Cross and Kris Wiebe.
In nine games against Wayne State, Cross has eight points (3 goals, 5 assists), with Wiebe registering seven points (4 goals, 3 assists) in 14 career games against the Warriors.
In goal, junior goaltender Jeff Van Nynatten has a 1.56 goals-against average and a 5-0-0 career record against Wayne State, appearing in seven games.
Neither sophomore goaltender Allen Barton nor freshman Scott Mollison have appeared in a contest against the Warriors in their collegiate careers.
PURPLE EAGLES HIT BOOKS
This season’s men’s hockey team posted its highest team grade-point average in its nine-year history.
With a team cumulative GPA of 3.25 in the Fall 2004 semester, the men’s hockey team had 22 of its 28 players with a 3.00-or-better GPA, including 10 players with a 3.50-or-better GPA.
Freshmen Cliff Ketchen and Scott Mollison finished with a GPA of 4.0.COLLEGE HOCKEY AMERICA
All six College Hockey America teams are in action this weekend, with conference games between four of the six teams.
Wayne State University visits Niagara in two conference games at Dwyer Arena, with CHA newcomer Robert Morris visiting Bemidji State University at Glas Fieldhouse. Both series are Friday and Saturday.
In non-conference action, Alabama-Huntsville visits Lake Superior State and Army visits Air Force at Cadet Arena Friday and Saturday.
EHGOETZ CHA LEADER
Senior captain Barret Ehgoetz, leading College Hockey America in points this season, is the all-time leading scorer in CHA history, with a 147 career points.
Ehgoetz continues to rank among the all-time CHA leaders in goals and assists, with points in five of the last six games for the Purple Eagles.
Now with 147 career points, Ehgoetz has 62 goals in his collegiate career to rank second in CHA history, two goals behind Andy Berg of the U.S. Air Force Academy.
He is also the all-time leader in CHA history with 85 career assists.
CARUANA LEADS ROOKIESWith 11 freshmen on its roster, rookie forward Matt Caruana leads the freshmen with three goals and five assists for eight points this season.
Playing in all 19 games this season, Caruana scored his third goal of the season in the Purple Eagles’ last contest, a 5-2 loss to Canisius Jan. 8.
GALE HAVING CAREER YEAR
Senior forward Ryan Gale is four points short of matching his point total in his first three seasons.
Standing second on the team with 23 points (15 goals, 8 assists), Gale has set career highs in points, goals and assists in his senior season, standing tied for fifth nationally in goals.
Entering his senior season, Gale totaled 16 goals and 11 assists for 27 points.
FRESHMEN CONTRIBUTING
Ten out of the 11 freshmen on the Purple Eagles have contributed through the first half of the 2004-05 season.
With 10 rookies having played in at least a third of the games (6), the freshman class is headed by forward Matt Caruana, who leads all first-year players with eight points (3 goals, 5 assists).
Freshman goaltender Scott Mollison has played in seven games with a 2-4-0 record.
EHGOETZ BREAKS RECORD
With his two assists in the loss to UMass Lowell Dec. 30, senior captain Barret Ehgoetz became the all-time leading scorer in the nine-year history of the Niagara men’s hockey program.
Now with 147 points (62 goals, 85 assists), Ehgoetz moved past former Purple Eagles Mike Isherwood and Mikko Sivonnen into the top spot on the career scoring list. He currently leads the team with 27 points (7 goals, 20 assists) in 18 games this season.
MULTIPLE SCORER
Leading the College Hockey America conference with 15 goals this season, senior forward Ryan Gale continues his breakout season for the Purple Eagles.
With his two goals against UMass Lowell Dec. 30, Gale notched his fifth multiple-goal game of the season, tops among all Niagara players.
In his final season, Gale has set career highs in points, goals and assists through 19 games.
MYTH OF #11
In the nine-year history of the Niagara men’s hockey program, players wearing jersey number 11 have something in common.
Both senior captain Barret Ehgoetz, now the all-time leading scorer in Niagara history, and former Purple Eagle forward Mikko Sivonnen wore the number 11 and both are among the top scorers in Niagara history.
Sivonnen, who played four seasons at Niagara from 1996-00, was the former all-time leading scorer with 145 career points.
Ehgoetz, with 147 points in his collegiate career, broke both Sivonnen’s and former Niagara forward Mike Isherwood’s all-time mark Dec. 30 against UMass Lowell.
STREAKING
Senior forward Ryan Gale extended his point streak to four games with his assist on Niagara’s first goal Jan. 8.
Gale, setting career highs in every statistical category, is averaging 2.00 points per game in the four-game span.
Senior captain Barret Ehgoetz continues his streak of 98 consecutive game played, dating back to his freshman season.
CHA RANKINGS
In addition to leading the team in scoring this season, senior captain Barret Ehgoetz leads the College Hockey America conference in points after 19 games.
Ehgoetz leads the CHA with 27 points on seven goals and a conference-leading 20 assists.
Fellow-senior Ryan Gale leads the CHA in goals scored this season with 15 goals, setting a new career high for goals in a season. Gale also stands sixth in the CHA in points with 23.
With 12 assists this season, sophomore forward Sean Bentivoglio stands tied for seventh in the CHA in assists.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Niagara offense, averaging 3.11 goals per game, stands 19th nationally in scoring offense.
Breaking both school and conference records in the first half of the season, senior captain Barret Ehgoetz stands tied for fourth nationally in assists with 20, standing tied for eighth in the nation in points with 27 this season.
Having a breakout year, senior forward Ryan Gale is tied for fifth in the nation in goals scored, with 15 goals this season. Gale also stands tied for 32nd nationally with a career high 23 points, shattering his former high of 13.
With seniors scoring all seven of the game-winning goals this season for the Purple Eagles, Gale and Ehgoetz, along with senior forward Kris Wiebe rank among the top 30 nationally in game-winning goals. SENIORS LEADING THE WAY
Registering 66 of Niagara’s 153 points this season -- including 27 of 56 goals -- the senior class of Shayne Baylis, Ryan Carrigan, Barret Ehgoetz, Ryan Gale and Kris Wiebe continue to lead the Purple Eagles in scoring this season.
With Ehgoetz, Gale and Wiebe also scoring all seven of Niagara’s game-winning goals, Gale leads the team with 15 goals this season.
The seven-member junior class -- headed by junior Justin Cross’ 13 points -- is second on the team in scoring with 32 points, followed by the freshmen (29) and sophomores (25).
NIAGARA HITS ROAD
The Purple Eagles played 13 of its first 18 games on the road, playing only five games at Dwyer Arena in the first half of the 2004-05 season.
This season, Niagara is 5-8-0 on the road.
EHGOETZ AND INCH.COM
Continuing to earn recognition for his superior play, senior captain Barret Ehgoetz was named to InsideCollegeHockey.com’s All-College Hockey America team for the first half of the 2004-05 season.
Leading the CHA with 27 points this season, Ehgoetz was the 2004 CHA Co-Player of the Year, helping Niagara earn its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past five seasons.
MOLLISON MAKES HISTORY
Goaltender Scott Mollison became the first freshman in Niagara history to earn a win in their first collegiate start, helping the Purple Eagles defeat Quinnipiac University, 3-1, Nov 12 at Dwyer Arena.
Mollison made 21 saves against the Bobcats, including stopping a Michael Bordieri penalty shot in the second period.
Playing in six games this season, Mollison has a 2-3-0 record with a 3.14 goals-against average.
NIAGARA AND ONTARIO
With 16 out of 28 players hailing from Canada, Niagara leads the College Hockey America conference in players from the province of Ontario.
Eleven players -- including four out of five seniors -- on the Purple Eagles’ roster are natives of Ontario.
CHA TOURNAMENT
The 2005 Wells Fargo College Hockey America Championships will move Minnesota, played at the IRA Civic Center in Grand Rapids March 11-13.With all six CHA teams qualifying for the tournament, with the top two seeds receiving byes in the quarterfinals, the 2005 tournament is the first ever held in the state of Minnesota for the conference.
The two quarterfinal games are scheduled for 3:05 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. CST March 11. The semifinals are scheduled for the same times March 12, with the finals played at 7:05 p.m. March 13.
The 2005 CHA Championship Game can be seen live on College Sports Television.
UP NEXT
Niagara concludes its five-game homestand next weekend, hosting Air Force Friday and Saturday at Dwyer Arena.
Last season, the Purple Eagles swept the Falcons in the season series, defeating Air Force 4-1 Feb. 20 and 5-1 Feb. 21 at Dwyer Arena.
