NIAGARA UNIV. N.Y. - The Niagara men's hockey team (19-9-4, 11-5-2) kicked off a seven-goal scoring campaign less than two minutes into the game and never looked back defeating Robert Morris 7-1, in front of the largest Dwyer Arena crowd in program's history, 2,100 fans on senior night.

"It was almost a perfect game, especially our systems," said coach Dave Burkholder. "We certainly won the spirit and energy game. It was a great game on a very special night, honoring our seniors."

Vince Rocco (Woodbridge, Ont.), who scored two goals and an assist on the night scored Niagara's first goal 1:38 into the first period with a wrist shot from the slot. Tyler Gotto (Calgary, Alb.) and Matt Caruana (Orono, Ont.) each picked up an assist on the goal, while Caruana earned three helpers on the win. Egor Mironov (Thornhill, Ont.) and Ryan Annesley (Ajax, Ont.) also picked up goals in the first period to give the Purple Eagles a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Rocco kept the momentum rolling in the second period. On a face-off in the offensive zone, Caruana won the draw back to Travis Anderson (Coon Rapids, Minn.) at the point, who tossed a centering pass to Rocco for a one-timer shot and a goal at 6:19 into the second. RMU answered when a bouncing puck slipped past Juliano Pagliero (Dalroy, Alb.) for a 4-1 score. Dan Sullivan (Scarborough, Ont.) kept Niagara on track while attempting to complete a centering pass, but the puck deflected off an RMU defender and into the net for a 5-1 game after two periods.

Bryan Haczyk (Nutley, N.J.) and Ted Cook (Hogansburg, N.Y.) both tallied one goal each in the final period of the game for a 7-1 Purple Eagle victory.

"This was a real special night, and a has been a real special weekend," said Caruana. "Hopefully this is not the end."

While only allowing one goal past him, Pagliero continues to make very clear what his roll on the ice is, and it is to remain the defensive cornerstone for Niagara. He knocked down 32 shots, earning his 15th win of the season.

The two wins now puts Niagara four points ahead of the Colonials in the College Hockey America standings, with one weekend left to play before returning to Dwyer Arena one last time for the 2008 CHA Tournament.

The Purple Eagles travel to conference opponent Wayne State to finish off their regular season on March 7-8.