MILFORD, Conn. - Two Niagara seniors hit career milestones as the Purple Eagles men's hockey team (9-6-1; 3-1-0 CHA) defeated the Sacred Heart Pioneers (4-12-3; 4-7-2 AHA) 4-2 at Milford Ice Arena on Saturday night. Senior Vince Rocco (Woodbridge, Ont.) became the newest member of the Niagara 100-Point Club, while fellow senior Juliano Pagliero (Dalroy, Alb.) broke Niagara's consecutive shutout streak in the victory; the seventh victory in their last eight games.

With under four minutes left in the game, playing four on four, sophomore Bryan Haczyk (Nutley, N.J.) skated in alone to the right of Pioneer netminder Olivier St. Onge and put it past him for the game-winner.

Niagara's win was extra special for Rocco,  who became the 11th Purple Eagle in history and the fifth in the last five years to enter the 100-Point Club, by notching his 39th career goal on a backhanded wrap around, beating Pioneer netminder Olivier St. Onge for the 1-0 lead 13 minutes into the game. Pagliero extended his streak of 152:04 minutes of scoreless hockey to 169:03, before allowing two Pioneer goals in 36 seconds in the first frame. Pagliero's effort trumps the previous mark of 164:15, set by Jeff Van Nynatten in February of 2004.

Tonight's contest was a complete game effort from the Purple Eagles, one that had head coach Dave Burkholder happy. 

"We are really proud of the effort," Burkholder said. "Our boys perservered, coming back from a 2-1 deficit. It was a complete team effort, since sweeping a team on the road is a difficult task."

Down 2-1 halfway through the middle frame, Rocco notched his second point of the night, sending a shot from the point that would be tipped in front of the net by junior Chris Moran (Buffalo, N.Y.) past the glove side of St. Onge. Moran's team-leading eighth goal was the only scoring in the period, one that saw the Purps outshooting Sacred Heart 17-9.

The Purple Eagles will be back in action next Friday and Saturday, taking on in-state rival Cornell. Friday night's contest will be televised on the Niagara Sports Network.