Friday: Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio | Game Notes (Niagara) | Game Notes (Sacred Heart)
Saturday: Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio | Game Notes (Niagara) | Game Notes (Sacred Heart)

The Niagara Purple Eagles hockey team split last weekend's non-conference series at Dwyer Arena, taking a 4-3 overtime victory at the final buzzer over the RPI Engineers before a 5-1 loss to the Union Dutchmen. This week, Niagara heads to Sacred Heart for two games in Atlantic Hockey play against the Pioneers, who are coming off of a split of two road games against nationally-ranked Notre Dame.

Opening faceoff between the Purple Eagles and Pioneers is set for 7:05 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27 and 2:05 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. Jeremy White has the play-by-play call for both games on WLVL 1340 AM, and live streams are available through AtlanticHockey.tv.

Last Time Out
• Niagara picked up its second overtime win of the season to start last weekend, a 4-3 home win over RPI on Oct. 20, before a 5-1 setback to the Union Dutchmen on Oct. 21.
• Johnny Curran scored twice and Noah Delmas gave Niagara a 3-0 lead early in the third period against RPI, but the Engineers were able to eliminate the deficit and tie the game with 1:45 to play.
• Sean King redirected a pass from Keegan Harper across the goal line with 0.2 seconds remaining in regulation, giving the Purple Eagles their third-straight home win over RPI.
• Curran scored Niagara's lone goal on the man advantage in a 5-1 loss to Union, with Delmas and Derian Plouffe picking up assists. Guillaume Therien made 23 saves in his first loss of the year after earning wins over Robert Morris and RPI.

Delmas Named Defensive Player of the Week by Atlantic Hockey
• Noah Delmas scored his first NCAA goal last weekend against RPI and added two assists and three blocked shots in two games. On Tuesday, he was named Travel Team USA Player of the Week by Atlantic Hockey.
• After setting up Johnny Curran for a tap-in goal on the rush in the second period against RPI on Oct. 20, Delmas scored his first goal as a Purple Eagle on the power play. He ended the win with two points, two blocked shots and a plus-1 rating.
• Delmas is tied for Niagara's scoring lead with five points (1+4) in four games. He is tied for eighth in scoring among all Atlantic Hockey skaters, and he leads the conference's defensemen with 1.25 points per game.

Heating Up
• Johnny Curran, Noah Delmas, and Derian Plouffe all have at least one point in each of Niagara's four games to start the season.
• Curran (3+2) and Delmas (1+4) are tied for the Niagara scoring lead with five points, while Plouffe is second with four points (2+2).

Cardiac Kids
• Niagara has won both of its overtime games to start the season, taking 4-3 overtime wins over Robert Morris (Oct. 6) and RPI (Oct. 20). The Purple Eagles were 0-1-3 in overtime games last year.

Scouting the Pioneers
• Sacred Heart has started the year with a 2-3 record in non-conference play. 
• The Pioneers opened last weekend with a bang, tallying a 6-4 victory on the road against No. 5 Notre Dame, the first win by an AHC team over a ranked opponent this season.
• Sacred Heart also won its home opener against former Atlantic Hockey foe UConn, marking the third-straight year that the Pioneers have topped the Huskies in their Connecticut state rivalry.
• Niagara enters the weekend with a 10-4-2 all-time record against Sacred Heart. The Purple Eagles and Pioneers split last weekend's series at Webster Bank Arena, with Sacred Heart coming back for a 4-3 win to start the weekend before Niagara responded with a 4-0 win.
• Niagara is 5-5-2 all-time on the road at Sacred Heart.
• Sophomore defenseman Ruslan Rakhmatov leads the Pioneers with five assists and five points, while Vito Bavaro has a team-high four goals.
• Bavaro is the reigning Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week after scoring a hat trick in Sacred Heart's 6-4 win at Notre Dame. Marc Johnstone won Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week after tallying three assists in that game.
• Brett Magnus and Nathan Perry have split time in goal for the Pioneers. Magnus is 2-1 with a 4.20 goals-against average and .888 save percentage, while Perry is 0-2 with a 4.98 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage.

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