Turkey, Leftovers, Hockey

Niagara hits the road this holiday weekend, traveling to Troy to participate in the Rensselaer/Bank of America Holiday Tournament. The Purple Eagles face the host Engineers, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. Niagara then takes on either Colgate or Ohio State on day two of the tournament.

Follow the Purple Eagles on the Internet

Purple Eagle fans can listen to the weekend action with Warren Kozireski on WJJL Radio from the Game Day Central page on PurpleEagles.com.

CHA Checkup

After a pair of ties with Bemidji State, Niagara finished its early eight-game conference stretch in first place with a 4-1-3 record. The Purple Eagles’ 11 points is five better than second place Robert Morris. Their next conference contest is Dec. 8-9 at home against last place Wayne State.

Turkeys : Gobble :: Purple Eagles : Score

Going into Thanksgiving weekend, Niagara’s offensive numbers continue to make waves nationally. Four Purple Eagles rank in the top-20 points list as Les Reaney (25) is third, Ted Cook (23) fourth, Sean Bentivoglio (20) ninth and Chris Moran (18) is 14th.

Cook leads the nation with nine power-play goals and is second with 12 tallies. Bentivoglio and Moran are tied for third with 15 assists, while Reaney is tied for fifth with 11 goals and tied for sixth with 14 helpers. Moran is the top-scoring freshman in the nation with 18 points (3 goals and 15 assists).

The four Purple Eagles also rank in the top four spots in the CHA in scoring. The team’s 3.64 goals-per-game average is also tops in the league.

Last Time Out

Niagara 3, Bemidji State 3 - Nov. 18, 2006

Niagara had to settle for a 3-3 tie with Bemidji State after allowing a pair of goals in the final 36 seconds, including a controversial tally as time expired.

With six seconds remaining, and the Beavers trailing 3-2, BSU won a faceoff and a scramble for the puck occurred. Bemidji State tried to send the puck toward the net, the cylinder skipped past a Niagara player and the Beavers had a breakaway chance. BSU’s Tyler Scofield controlled the puck with two seconds left, found Rob Sirianni to his left and the senior forward’s shot found the back of the net with zeroes on the clock. The officials had a lengthy discussion and declared that the goal beat the buzzer, sending the teams into overtime.

The Purple Eagles had the game in hand, thanks to a pair of third period goals coming 14 seconds apart, but Bemidji State’s Luke Erickson scored a power-play goal with 36 seconds on the clock, setting the stage for the end of regulation.

Sophomore Les Reaney chipped the puck over Matt Climie’s shoulder with 11:35 remaining in the third. Tyler Gotto found Ted Cook sliding behind the Beaver defense from the point. Cook then tipped it to Reaney for a 2-1 lead.

Freshman Chris Moran added his third career goal, pounding home a rebound from junior Matt Caruana just 14 seconds later, extending the Niagara lead to 3-1. Cook added his NCAA-high ninth power-play goal in the first. Sophomore goalie Juliano Pagliero made 27 saves in his second tie with Bemidji State this season.

Friday’s Opponent

Rensselaer Engineers - 4-2-3

RPI had a five-game unbeaten streak snapped with a 5-4 loss at home to Sacred Heart, Nov. 17. Rensselaer had moved up to 16th in the USCHO.com/CSTV poll prior to the loss.

The Engineers are led offensively by three seniors, Jake Luthi, Oren Eizenman and Kirk MacDonald. The trio has combined for 29 points (10 goals and 19 assists). Luthi’s nine helpers lead the Engineers while junior Jake Morissette has tallied a team-high five goals.

Senior Mathias Lange and junior Jordon Alford have split time in net for RPI. Alford’s 1.80 goals-against average have led the goalie to a 3-0-1 record, while Lange has allowed 16 goals, going 1-2-2.

The Series - Niagara, 2-1-0

This is the first meeting between the schools since 1999, when Niagara took a 2-1 decision at home. The Purple Eagles are 1-1-0 inside Houston Field House, where this weekend’s tournament takes place. Both of the last two meetings have been one-goal wins by Niagara.

Niagara in In-Season Tournaments

The Purple Eagles have participated in 16 in-season tournaments in their 11-year history, going 17-14-1. Niagara has won five tournament titles, including three Syracuse Invitational crowns, in 1998, 2000 and 2001. The Purple Eagles also won the Elmira Tournament in 1997 and the ECAC/Crowne Plaza Face-Off Challenge in 1999.

This will be the second time Niagara has participated in a tournament in Troy, after going 1-1 in the Rensselaer Tournament in 2001.

Early Thanksgiving Seconds

With the top line getting most of the top billing this season for Niagara, the Purple Eagles’ second line made a statement in Bemidji, Minn., this past weekend. Those willing to key on the nation’s No. 1 scoring line of Les Reaney, Ted Cook and Sean Bentivoglio cannot go to sleep on Chris Moran, Matt Caruana and Kyle Rogers.

Both of Niagara’s goals in the 2-2 tie, Nov. 17, came from the second line, as Moran and Caruana both picked up a goal and an assist. In the 3-3 tie, Nov. 18, the second line produced the third goal when Rogers and Caruana assisted on Moran’s putback. The freshman also assisted on a power-play goal in the first period.

CHA As Easy As 1-2-3-4

The Purple Eagles lead the CHA in six of the eight individual offensive categories this season. Les Reaney, Ted Cook, Sean Bentivoglio and Chris Moran are the top four on the conferences point chart. Cook and Reaney are 1-2 in goals while Cook leads the league with nine power-play goals.

The four skaters rank in the top five in assists, with Bentivoglio and Moran leading the way with 15, and the top four in power-play points. Moran leads the CHA freshmen in scoring with 18 points.

Dwyer, Sweet Dwyer

Though their home record reads 4-1-1, the Purple Eagles have yet to lose a game at Dwyer. Niagara won the home opener in dramatic fashion, via a come-from-behind, 5-4 triumph in overtime. The Purple Eagles welcomed Bemidji State to Monteagle Ridge, and picked up a win and a tie, and then swept the series against Alabama-Huntsville.

On Oct. 12, Niagara hosted a game at Blue Cross Arena, a 2-1 loss to Colgate, which goes down in the official books as a home game.

Down But Never Out

The Purple Eagles have been down 4-1 in the second period twice this season, and have come back to post a win both times. Niagara beat Holy Cross 5-4 in overtime during the 2006 home opener, and most recently won 7-5 at Robert Morris for its first road conference victory of the year.

Captain Century

With his four assists in Niagara’s 7-5 victory over Robert Morris, Nov. 4, Sean Bentivoglio became the eighth Purple Eagle to join the program’s 100 Point Club. The senior captain has 74 career assists, ranking him fifth on the all-time chart. Bentivoglio is tied for third in the nation with 15 helpers this season.

CHA Weekly Accolades

Freshman Tyler Gotto picked up CHA Defensive Player of the Week honors, Nov. 20, after finishing with three assists against Bemidji State.

Gotto assisted on both goals in the 2-2 tie, Nov. 17, his first two-point game of his career. On Nov. 18, the rookie picked up another helper in the Purple Eagles’ third-straight tie with BSU. After scoring just two points in his first 10 collegiate games, the defenseman has scored five points during his current four-game point streak.

Sean Bentivoglio, Chris Moran, Les Reaney, Vince Rocco and Juliano Pagliero have each picked up weekly praise from the conference office this season. Bentivoglio, Reaney and Rocco nabbed offensive honors, Pagliero picked defensive recognition and Moran grabbed two rookie of the week accolades.