Box Score

MINNEAPOLIS - In the third-place match-up of the 2011 Mariucci Classic, the resilient Niagara men's hockey team (5-6-7) battled back from behind twice against the Princeton Tigers (4-9-4) for a 3-3 tie on Saturday afternoon at the Mariucci Arena.  

Trailing 3-2 with less than a minute to go, the Purple Eagles pulled goaltender Chris Noonan for the extra skater when sophomore Ryan Murphy netted his second goal of the season to send the game into overtime.  The forward received a pass from junior Giancarlo Iuorio before circling the net and stuffing the puck between the legs of Tiger goaltender Sean Bonar.   

"I thought for the most part we stuck with the game plan," said head coach David Burkholder.  "I thought we played a really strong game from start to finish.  We had some really good chances and I'm just really happy we converted on that late powerplay to at least tie on the road."  
   
The final period saw three goals scored in a span of four minutes, with the Tigers coming out with the 3-2 lead with less than 10 minutes to play.  Senior Marc Hagel started the scoring frenzy midway through the period as he cashed in on a Purple Eagle turnover in front of the net, lifting the puck over the glove of Noonan to make it 2-1. 

Thirty seconds later, Niagara responded with one of their own to even it at two apiece.  Freshman Chris Lochner slapped in a rebound off a Ryan Rashid shot for his first goal of the season and of his career.  The Tigers waiting two minutes before regaining the lead, as Brodie Zuk shuffled the puck through the legs of Noonan to make it a 3-2 game.   

It was sophomore Scott Arnold who jump-started the Purple Eagles' offense 11:04 into the opening period when he ripped a bullet top shelf, beating Bonar on the powerplay.  His eighth goal of the season was assisted by C.J. Chartrain and Kevin Ryan. 

Princeton would level the count with less than a second left in the period as senior Derrick Pallis blasted a top corner shot while on the powerplay past Noonan to even the game.  The Tigers held a 13-12 advantage in shots through the first frame. 

Niagara continued its offensive pressure with 11 shots in the second stanza, but were not able to capitalize on their chances.  Less than a minute in, Lochner raced in on a breakaway, but was robbed by Bonar who then covered a rebound attempt by the trailing Rashid. 

Noonan pushed aside 23 shots, including one in overtime to preserve the draw.  Sophomore Kevin Ryan and Iuorio each earned two helpers for the night. 

Niagara will wrap up its 11-game road trip with a two-game AHA series against UConn starting on Friday, Jan. 6 and concluding the following day.  The puck drops for both games at 7:05 p.m.