Friday: Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video | Game Notes
Saturday: Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video | Game Notes

The Purple Eagles hockey team (1-7-3 overall, 1-2-1 Atlantic Hockey) split last weekend's home series with the AIC Yellow Jackets, picking up its first win of the season in the process. The team hits the road on Thanksgiving weekend for a two-game series in Worcester, Mass. against the Holy Cross Crusaders. This will be the first meeting between Niagara and Holy Cross since the Purple Eagles won a best-of-three series on the road against the Crusaders in the first round of last year's Atlantic Hockey playoffs.
 
Both games will be broadcast live on 1340 AM WLVL with Jeremy White on the play-by-play.
 
Last Time Out
 

• On Friday night, the Purple Eagles launched 56 shots on net against the AIC Yellow Jackets, but it took 60 minutes of regulation and most of overtime for Niagara to take home a 5-4 win.
• Niagara scored the game-winning goal with 18 seconds left to play. Nick Farmer won a faceoff back to Ryan Kuhn, who worked the puck along the wall and found Matt Chiarantano alone on the far side of the slot for the final goal.
• Stephen Pietrobon, Niko Kovachis, Sam Rennaker, and Patrick Conte also scored in a season-best offensive effort for Niagara.
• Niagara's 56 shots on goal Friday night were their most since a triple-overtime, 2-1 loss to Holy Cross in the first round of last season's playoffs, when they had 51. The program record for shots in a game is 62, set on Jan. 11, 2000 at Holy Cross.
• The win was Niagara's first overtime win at home since March 7, 2014, a 1-0 double-overtime win over AIC in the first round of the AHC playoffs.
• Niagara fell to the Yellow Jackets 4-2 on Saturday night, ending the weekend in a split for both teams.
• Despite outshooting AIC 16-1 in the opening period, the Purple Eagles failed to get on the board, and AIC began the second period with three consecutive goals.
• Derian Plouffe and Dan Kolenda each picked up their third goals of the season to bring Niagara within one in the final period, but an empty-net goal from AIC sealed the game.

 
Farmer Earns Weekly Honors
 

• For the second time in three weeks, a Niagara player was named Travel Team USA Rookie of the Week honors from Atlantic Hockey, as Nick Farmer earned the weekly honors on Tuesday.
• Farmer recorded four assists in Niagara's 5-4 overtime win on Friday. It was the first time a Niagara player scored three or more points in a game this season.
• The four-point outing for Farmer was also the first four-point game for a Purple Eagles skater since Hugo Turcotte scored three goals and an assist on Nov. 16, 2013 in an 8-3 win over Army.
• Farmer now leads the Purple Eagles in scoring with two goals and six assists in 10 games this season.
• Niagara goaltender Joe O'Brien was also named Rookie of the Week after posting 39 saves in a 1-1 tie against Penn State back on Nov. 6.

 
Scouting the Crusaders
 

• The Holy Cross Crusaders (5-6 overall, 4-3 Atlantic Hockey) currently sit fourth in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
• Niagara was swept in four regular-season matchups with the Crusaders in 2014-15, but won two out of three games at Holy Cross to end the Crusaders' season in the playoffs.
• That series opened with a 2-1 win for Niagara, but Holy Cross stayed alive picking up a 2-1 win in triple overtime in game two. The Purple Eagles won the decisive third game, as three power-play goals helped carry Niagara to a 5-3 win.
• The Crusaders have won five of their last seven games heading into this weekend's series with Niagara.
• After a week off, Holy Cross picked up their first shutout of the season with a 3-0 victory over AIC.
• Ryan Ferrill leads the Crusaders in scoring with ten points (3+7).
• Holy Cross goaltender Paul Berrafato (Williamsville) is a western New York native.

 
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