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

Listen: Head Coach Dave Burkholder with Howard and Jeremy on WGR 550

To conclude their schedule for the 2015 calendar year, the Purple Eagles hockey team takes on the RIT Tigers in a home-and-home series on Dec. 11 and 12. Niagara plays in Rochester on Friday before returning to Dwyer Arena on Saturday to conclude the weekend. After these two games, the Purple Eagles are off for three weeks, returning to action Jan. 2 and 3 at Sacred Heart.
 
Both games this weekend can be seen live on the Time Warner Cable Sports Channel on channel 52 (standard def.) and 323 (high def.) for Time Warner Cable subscribers in the Buffalo region. Gene Battaglia and John DiTullio will have the call from Rochester on Friday night, while Sloane Martin and Chris Panek take over Saturday night at Niagara. Additionally, Jeremy White will have the radio play-by-play on 1340 AM WLVL and PurpleEagles.com on Friday and Saturday.
 
For tickets to Saturday's game, visit the Dwyer Arena ticket office or call (716) 286-TIXX (8499).
 
Last Time Out

• The Purple Eagles split a two-game series with the Bentley Falcons at home last weekend.
• An offensive outbreak from Derian Plouffe (3 goals, 1 assist) on Dec. 4 led Niagara to its second win of the season by a 6-4 score.
• Plouffe opened the scoring with two goals in the last 90 seconds of the opening period, including a power-play tally with three seconds remaining.
• Dan Kolenda, Sam Rennaker, and TJ Sarcona also scored goals to contribute towards the team's best offensive output in any game this season.
• Kolenda, Rennaker, Vinny Muto, and Stanislav Dzakhov each finished with two points on Friday night, while Joe O'Brien made 20 saves in net for the win.
• The Purple Eagles had a tougher time on Dec. 5, as a Bentley goal scored 30 seconds into the game set the tone for a 3-1 Falcons win.
• Bentley scored one goal in each period on Saturday, while Dan Kolenda scored with the Niagara net empty with 59 seconds to play to help the Purple Eagles avoid being shut out.
• Plouffe added an assist on the goal to finish with five points on the weekend, and Niko Kovachis picked up his second assist of the season.
• O'Brien made 17 saves in the loss, which dropped the Purple Eagles to 2-5-1 in Atlantic Hockey play.

 
Do It Like Derian

• After contributing three goals through the first 12 games of this season, sophomore center Derian Plouffe broke out in a big way against Bentley (Dec. 4-5).
• The Shawville, Quebec native picked up his first career hat trick and added an assist in a 6-4 win on Dec. 4 versus Bentley.
• The next night, Plouffe picked up an assist on Dan Kolenda's late goal to finish the weekend with five points (3+2).
• Plouffe also finished with a team-high plus-2 rating on the weekend.
• Behind Plouffe, Kolenda scored two goals and an assist in the Bentley series, while Sam Rennaker (1+1), Stanislav Dzakhov (0+2), and Vinny Muto (0+2) each tallied two points in the Dec. 4 win.

 
Inside the Dot

• One facet of the Purple Eagles game that has markedly improved over the past month has been their ability to win faceoffs.
• Niagara has won exactly 50 percent of its faceoffs on the season, winning 510 of 1,020 attempts.
• Over their last six games against Atlantic Hockey opponents, Niagara has maintained a 56-percent faceoff win percentage (230-for-411).
• Derian Plouffe has won 126 of his 202 faceoff attempts this season. His .624 winning percentage is currently tied for the best mark in the NCAA among skaters with at least 200 faceoffs taken.

 
Scouting the Tigers

• The RIT Tigers, 4-8-2 overall and 4-3-1 in Atlantic Hockey, currently sit in seventh place in the conference.
• RIT is coming off a split weekend aganst the conference-leading Robert Morris Colonials. The Tigers were shut out 4-0 on Dec. 4 before winning 6-3 on Dec. 5.
• Niagara is 12-3-9 all-time against the Tigers, including a 7-1-4 mark at Dwyer Arena.
• Last season, Niagara went 0-2-2 against RIT, earning a 1-1 tie at home on Dec. 13 and a 4-4 tie in Rochester on Feb. 7.
• RIT defenseman Greg Amlong is tied for first among AHC defensemen with five goals this season, and he also has four assists for nine points in 14 games played.
• Sophomore Mark Golberg leads the Tigers in scoring with 12 points (2+10) in 13 games played.
• RIT sophomore Max Mikowski (Cheektowaga) is a western New York native and played with Niagara's Ryan Kuhn on the Buffalo Jr. Sabres (OJHL) in 2013-14.

 
Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and follow Purple Eagles hockey on Twitter @NiagaraUHockey. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook.com/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.