Game Notes
Thursdays Live Stats   ¦   Thursday’s Live Audio   ¦   Thursday’s Live Video
Saturday’s Live Stats   ¦   Saturday’s Live Audio   ¦   Saturday’s Live Video

NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The nationally ranked No. 14/15 Purple Eagles start the final four weeks of regular season with a pair of games against cross-town rival Canisius.  The Purps head to Buffalo State Arena on Thursday, Feb. 7, before wrapping up the season series on Saturday, Feb. 9 at Dwyer Arena.  Both contests start at 7:05 p.m.

Tune In
The pair of games verses Canisius will be broadcasted live on WJJL 1440 AM and PurpleEagles.com, with Jeremy White on the call for both games. 
 
Live stats can be accessed by clicking the appropriate link at the Official Website of Purple Eagle Athletics, www.purpleeagles.com.
 
Thursday’s and Saturday’s games will also be available on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel.  
 
Purps In The Polls
NU cracked into this week’s USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll for the first time this season, sitting at the 14th spot in the national top-15 poll.  After receiving votes in the poll for the previous 11 weeks, Niagara’s sweep over Bentley pushed the Purp’s into the ranking for the first time since the 2006-07 season when NU spent one week at No. 15 (Jan. 29).
 
Niagara also jumped up two positions to the 15th spot in the USCHO.com poll for the second time this season, extending the program record to 11 consecutive weeks on the poll, which was previously owned during the 2006-07 campaign where the Purps were ranked for seven straight weeks (Jan. 2-Feb. 12, 2007). 

The NCAA Tournament Pairwise Comparison Ratings has NU tied for ninth with North Dakota.
 
Home Sweet Home
The 6-4 victory vs. Bentley on Feb. 2 extended NU’s current home ice unbeaten streak to 17 games, dating back to NU’s 3-3 draw against Air Force on Feb. 11, 2012.  The streak is five short of the program record of 22.  NU is the only team in Division I hockey to go 22 consecutive games without a loss between Feb. 11, 2006 and Nov. 17, 2007.
 
Sixteen And Counting
Saturday’s 6-4 victory over Bentley broke the NU record for most conference wins in a season in the program’s 17 year history with 16.  The record was previously held by the 1999-00 squad that owned a 15-0-2 mark in the College Hockey America conference.
 
The team is also one point shy of breaking the program record for most conference points in a single season, currently owned by the 2011-12 team who pocketed 35 points.
 
Dynamic  Duo
Eighteen points have been accumulated between Marc Zanette and Patrick Divjak in the previous seven games.  Zanette has scored five, while adding four assists for nine points.  Divjak also has nine points with a trio of goals and six helpers.   
 
Last Time Out
The Purps garnered four points in a weekend sweep over Bentley last weekend.  In the 2-1 victory on Friday, Jeff Hannan pocketed his fourth career two-point night with a goal and an assist, while Chris Lochner supplied the game-winning tally.
 
The following day, the Purps dropped the Falcons 6-4, with Ryan Murphy and Marc Zanette leading the way with two goals and an assist.  Patrick Divjak also had a three-point night with a trio of helpers.
 
Scouting The Golden Griffins
Canisius heads into Friday’s contest with a 10-13-5 overall record, and a 9-8-2 conference mark.  The Griffs are currently sitting in fifth place in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
 
Kyle Gibbons leads the Golden Griffins in goals (14) and points (22), while Preston Shupe is not far behind with 11 goals and 7 assists on the season.  Matthew Grazen (6g, 1a) and Doug Beck (4g, 8a) have also contributed offensively. 
 
Tony Capobianco will likely earn the nod in net, owning a .949 save percentage and a 1.72 goals-against average.
 
Last Meeting On The Ice
Niagara came out with the 2-1 victory over Canisius in the teams’ first meeting of the 2012-13 campaign.  Ryan Murphy scored the initial Purple Eagle goal, while Mike Benedict added the game-winning tally.  Carsen Chubak made 31 saves en route to the victory.
 
Up Next For NU
The Purple Eagles take on Robert Morris in a home-and-home series that starts on Friday, Feb. 15 at Dwyer Arena and wraps up the following day at RMU Island Sports Center.  The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:05 p.m. for both contests.