NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara University men's hockey team (0-2-1) dropped its home opener to St. Lawrence (1-2-0) Friday night, 5-1. Niagara unveiled last year's championship banners in a pregame ceremony in front of 1,805 fans, the third largest crowd in Dwyer Arena history.

Niagara lost for the first time at Dwyer Arena since Jan. 12, 2008, something that head coach Dave Burkholder will look to fix. Niagara was unbeaten in their previous seven games at Dwyer Arena, including the 2008 CHA Tournament.

"St. Lawrence played well tonight," Burkholder said. "It's a rare occurance that we didn't play well at home, but its valuable experience that we have gained early in the year."

Play started out quickly, as the Purple Eagles saw several chances but were unable to convert. The Saints scored with seven minutes left in the first period, as Travis Vermeulen notched his first of the season. The Purps were down 1-0 after one, but a raccous crowd got them ready for the second period.

The Saints utilized two goals within the first five minutes of the second period on Juliano Pagliero (Dalroy, Alb.), which prompted Burkholder to insert sophomore Adam Avaramenko (Strathmore, Alb.) between the pipes. The Purps responded by lighting up the scoreboard, as Paul Zanette (Nobleton, Ont.) cut the deficit to 3-1. Freshman Dan Baco (Buffalo, N.Y.) registered his first career point with the assist. The rookie forward knocked the puck loose and found a scrambling Zanette net the net, and the flashy sophomore finished the play. However, the Saints would score one more time late in the second, to take a 4-1 lead into the dressing room.

St. Lawrence would make it 5-1 just seven minutes into the third period to finish scoring on the night. Pagliero made 10 saves, while Avaramenko made 16 saves in relief.

The Purple Eagles are back in action on Saturday, as they host No. 14 Clarkson at 7:05 p.m. For tickets to the event, click here.