BUFFALO, N.Y. – An early offensive outburst drove the Purple Eagles hockey team to victory in game one of its Atlantic Hockey first round series against the Canisius Golden Griffins. Although the game came down to the last minute, Niagara held on for a 3-2 win Friday night at the HARBORCENTER.
 
Sam Rennaker, Albin Karlsson, and Stanislav Dzakhov all scored for the Purple Eagles (6-20-6, 6-18-5 Atlantic Hockey) in the win, with Dzakhov's goal midway through the second period proving to be the game-winner. Niagara moved to 4-0-3 in Atlantic Hockey games when scoring three or more goals this season.
 
Jackson Teichroeb turned in a stellar performance to open the playoffs, making 31 saves as the Purple Eagles put on a great display of team defense all game long, blocking 24 shots on the night.
 
"I was really pleased with our overall team defense," head coach Dave Burkholder said. "We blocked a lot of shots, we got in lanes, and we made enough plays offensively. I loved our team five-on-five."
 
The Golden Griffins (10-20-5, 10-14-5 Atlantic Hockey) opened the scoring 3:28 into the game as Shane Conacher put a rebound shot past Teichroeb for a 1-0 Canisius lead. However, it only took 12 seconds for the Purple Eagles to rebound. Canisius' Simon Hofley misplayed a puck behind the net, passing it right to Derian Plouffe, who found Rennaker in front of a wide-open net for the goal.
 
Just a shade over four minutes later, Brock Edwards found Larry Smith at the point to start Niagara's second scoring play. Smith's shot through traffic was tipped in front by Karlsson, whose third of the season gave Niagara a 2-1 lead.
 
Teichroeb made 13 saves in the first period to get into rhythm with the postseason pace, and he made another 10 in the second period. Niagara took a 3-1 lead at the second period's 8:49 mark. Dzakhov fed Dan Kolenda through the neutral zone to start the break in to the Canisius zone. After Kolenda cycled the puck in the corner, Dzakhov snuck out to the side of Hofley and roofed the shot just over the glove into the tightest of openings. Dylan McLaughlin would get a power-play goal for Canisius in a 5-on-3 situation, making it 3-2 after 40 minutes of play.
 
Niagara was outshot 8-3 in the final period, as the team opted to hold down the fort on defense rather than press to regain the two-goal lead. It was a strategy that worked, as the team limited quality chances from Canisius and got continued strong play in net from the playoff-tested Teichroeb.
 
The Purple Eagles had to kill off a penalty for too many men on the ice in the closing two minutes, which was even more formidable as Canisius pulled Hofley for a 6-on-4 advantage. TJ Sarcona and Stephen Pietrobon blocked two huge shots on the penalty kill for the Purple Eagles, and they kept Canisius off the scoreboard to close the game in a 3-2 victory.
 
The best-of-three series rolls along tomorrow night, as Niagara and Canisius return to the HARBORCENTER for game two at 7:35 p.m. Jeremy White will have the radio call on 1340 AM WLVL and PurpleEagles.com/Watch.
 
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