Mission 4W Begins
No. 2 seed Niagara begins the 2012 AHA Tournament hosting the No. 7 seed Robert Morris Colonials in the quarterfinals, beginning on Friday. The Purple Eagles had last week off by virtue of earning a first-round bye, while the Colonials defeated AIC in three games to advance.
The Purple Eagles have met the Colonials four times in the postseason, going 3-1-0 in those games, outscoring Robert Morris by a 15-8 margin.
Tickets Still Available!
Seats are still available for Niagara's quarterfinal series against Robert Morris. Contact the Niagara Ticket Office (located inside Dwyer Arena) at 716-286-TIXX or by emailing Tickets@PurpleEagles.com.
How To Catch The Game
Niagara's quarterfinal series against Robert Morris will be broadcast on WJJL 1440 AM. Every game, including Niagara's series against Robert Morris can also be heard via Niagara All-Access for free, under the Multimedia tab of PurpleEagles.com.
Links for the live audio (WJJL), live video (America One), live stats and game notes are found at the top of the page.
Finishing Well
Niagara finished the regular season on a roll, with a 10-2-2 record,, beginning with a 5-1 home win over Army on Jan. 13. Niagara’s record in its last 14 regular seasongames is second nationally, behind Union (11-2-1).
Postseason Games At Dwyer Arena
Niagara is 3-3-0 in the six postseason games played at Dwyer Arena, starting with the 2002 CHA Tournament. The Purple Eagles have played their last three postseason games at Dwyer Arena, going 1-2-0.
Defense Wins Championships
Niagara has allowed 20 goals in its last 14 games, the second fewest amount of goals given up over that span in the nation. The Purple Eagles enter this weekend with the 12th ranked defense (2.29) nationally.
National Noonan
Senior goalie Chris Noonan is currently in the nation’s top-20 in three statistical categories. Noonan’s season GAA of 1.70 is fourth best, his .941 save percentage is good for 1st place and he is in 13th place in goalie winning percentage (.659).
High “Noon”
Senior netminder Chris Noonan has a 12-4-5 record since earning the loss in the 7-6 defeat to then-nationally ranked Colgate on Oct. 28. Noonan has a 1.63 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage in his last 21 games.
In home games this season, Noonan has been equally as impressive, with a 7-3-1 mark to go with a 1.61 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage.
In AHA contests, Noonan has earned a 12-4-4 record, with a 1.56 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage.
In The Last Fourteen Games
In the last 14 games, the Purple Eagles have been playing well on special teams. Niagara has been clicking at a 29.6 percent rate on the powerplay (16-for-54), while performing well on the penalty kill, successfully killing off 54 of 61 man-disadvantages for a 88.5 percent success rate.
The Purple Eagles are 10-2-2 in its last 14 contests.
