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The Purple Eagles hockey team returns to Atlantic Hockey play after completing their non-conference schedule with a pair of games at Penn State on Nov. 3 and 4. Niagara returns to game action at Dwyer Arena on Tuesday, taking on the Mercyhurst Lakers in the second of four games in the season series. This is the first Atlantic Hockey game for Niagara since a 4-2 loss at Mercyhurst back on Oct. 18.
 
Tuesday's game will be broadcast locally on LCTV, and a live stream is available online at AtlanticHockey.tv. Jeremy White has the play-by-play call on 1340 AM WLVL.
 
Niagara University Athletics, in partnership with Community Missions, will be accepting food and clothing donations at Tuesday's game. Fans are encouraged to donate non-expired, non-perishable food items, (particularly stuffing, mac & cheese, instant mashed potatoes), toiletries (diapers, toilet paper, toothbrushes/toothpaste, soap), and men's gloves, which are all items of great need by Community Missions during the holiday season. Those who donate an item are eligible for a $5 discount off the ticket price. For fans who have already purchased tickets are encouraged to bring an item and can receive the same $5 discount to a future basketball or hockey game.
 
Brown Breaks Out

• Derek Brown has emerged as a leading scorer for Niagara over the past month, currently ranking second on the team in scoring to fellow freshman Kris Spriggs.
• Brown has three goals and three assists in eight games played.
• A native of Peoria, Arizona, Brown scored five points (2+3) in a four-game scoring streak, the longest by a Purple Eagle this year. He scored one goal and one assist on Oct. 22 at Union, and he scored one point in three straight games against Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Penn State.
• Brown was named Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week on Oct. 25, tying for the conference scoring lead with three points (2+1) that week.

 
The Kids Are Alright

• The Purple Eagles' freshmen and sophomores account for 37 of Niagara's 53 points. Those 37 points account for 70 percent of Niagara's scoring offense this season.
• Three Niagara freshmen won Atlantic Hockey weekly awards in October: Kris Spriggs (Rookie of the Week, Oct. 11), Tyler Hayes (Def. Player of the Week, Oct. 25), and Derek Brown (Rookie of the Week, Oct. 25).
• Spriggs leads all Niagara scorers, and is tied for third among Atlantic Hockey rookies, with seven points (3+4) this year. Brown is tied for sixth in rookie scoring in the conference and ranks second to Spriggs on Niagara with six points (3+3).
• Hayes ranks third in Atlantic Hockey with 2.11 blocked shots per game, tallying 19 blocks in Niagara's nine games this season.

 
The Power of Niagara

• The Purple Eagles have made significant improvements on the power play this season, and the team is currently at 15.4 percent (8-for-52) with the man advantage.
• Niagara's power play has been at its best at Dwyer Arena, going 4-for-20 (20 percent) in four home games this year.
• Johnny Curran and Sean King each have two power-play goals this year, while Derian Plouffe leads the team in power-play scoring with three points (1+2) on the man advantage.
• Niagara has scored a power-play goal in seven of nine games.

 
Scouting the Lakers (3-5-0, 3-2-0 Atlantic Hockey)

• Mercyhurst comes to Niagara after hosting Holy Cross for a pair of games last weekend. The Lakers fell 3-2 to Holy Cross on Nov. 11, but came back to defeat the Crusaders the next night by a score of 4-2.
• In the first meeting this season, Mercyhurst scored the first two goals before Niagara came back with goals by Tanner Lomsnes and Derek Brown to tie the game in the third period. Joshua Lammon scored the eventual game-winning goal with 7:39 to play in regulation, and Derek Barach added an insurance tally four minutes later.
• The all-time series between Niagara and Mercyhurst is now even after the Lakers' win in October; in 26 matchups, each team has won 11 times while four games have ended in ties.
• Jonathan Charbonneau leads Mercyhurst with seven goals this season. He scored twice in Mercyhurst's win over Niagara on Oct. 18, and he tallied four of the Lakers' six goals last weekend against Holy Cross.
• Barach leads Mercyhurst with nine assists and 11 points.
• Brandon Wildung leads the Lakers with two wins in goal, while Colin DeAugustine has a team-best 2.68 goals-against average and .922 save percentage in three appearances.

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