WEST POINT, N.Y. - The Niagara men's hockey team (8-4-2, 6-2-0 AHA) used a two-goal first period en route to defeating the host Army Black Knights (3-7-1, 2-6-1 AHA) by a 4-1 margin at Tate Rink on Friday evening. Niagara is now 7-1-0 in its last eight games, while staying undefeated all-time against Army at 5-0-0.

"From start to finish, we played a very thorough road game," head coach Dave Burkholder said. "There were times where we dominated down low but there were also times where we needed to be strong in our defensive zone. In the end, we played well and made plays in the offensive end."

Niagara would strike early when sophomore defenseman C.J. Chartrain ripped a slap shot that beat Army netminder John Clark high for his first goal of the season just three minutes into the game. Senior Bryan Haczyk picked up an assist on Chartrain's goal, extending his consecutive game point streak to 10 games.

Just over a minute later, the Black Knights would tie the game at one, when junior netminder Chris Noonan made the initial save, but the rebound was slammed home by Mike Santee. The game wouldn't stay tied for long, when freshman Scott Arnold slid a loose puck past Clark just 52 seconds later.

Niagara would increase its lead to 3-1 around the halfway mark of the game, when senior blueliner Ryan Annesley let a shot go from the point for his second goal in as many games. Haczyk would give Niagara a 4-1 lead eight minutes into the third period, when a pass from sophomore Dan Weiss sprung the speedy forward free, deking past Clark for his eighth goal of the season.

The Purple Eagles have now scored at least four goals in its last eight games, outscoring its foes by a 35-21 margin. Noonan made 24 saves in his second victory of the season, while Arnold matched a career-high with two points.

Niagara finishes its two-game set against the Black Knights on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.