BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Purple Eagles hockey team got off to a hot start in the third of four Battle of the Bridge games against Canisius, kicking off the scoring less than two minutes into Wednesday's contest. After going into the final period tied 2-2, however it was the Golden Griffins who found the final two goals, sending Niagara to a 4-2 loss Wednesday night at the KeyBank Rink at HARBORCENTER.
Game Summary
Game Recap
- Just 1:40 into the game, Niagara found the back of the net to open the scoring. Kevin Patterson fed TJ Sarcona, who looped up the right wing on the rush and drove in on goal. Sarcona's shot went off the pad of goaltender Charles Williams, but Stephen Pietrobon was able to backhand the rebound into the goal.
- Canisius was able to tie the game at the 12:41 mark after Niagara held pace through the midway point of the first period. Jeff Murray worked a puck from along the wall and found Matt Hoover in the slot, and Hoover's shot beat Jackson Teichroeb far side for the tying goal.
- Both goaltenders were perfect for the majority of the second period. Teichroeb made 13 saves in the middle stanza while Williams stopped nine for Canisius.
- With 4:16 left before the second intermission, the Golden Griffins took a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal by Geoff Fortman, but it only took another 1:14 for Niagara to tie the game.
- After Andrew Pizzo forced a turnover in the neutral zone, Nicolas Carrier sent a breakaway stretch pass to Sam Rennaker up ice. Rennaker fended off a Canisius skater, faked forehand, and then deked backhand for the tying goal past Williams.
- Niagara and Canisius fought back and forth trying to find some offense early in the third period. It was Canisius on a sustained offensive possession that found the eventual game-winning goal, as Jimmy Mazza sent a one-timer from the right wall over the shoulder of Teichroeb.
- Matt McLeod was able to double Canisius' advantage at the 13:38 mark of the third period and Niagara was unable to close the deficit, falling 4-2.
Coach's Corner
- Head coach David Burkholder: "It looked like two teams that have played a lot of hockey lately…That's a game that was up for the taking after 40 minutes, we could have stolen it, and we didn't."
Inside the Numbers
- Stephen Pietrobon scored his first goal since Nov. 19, 2016 with his early tally that gave Niagara the 1-0 lead. He was assisted by two of his fellow seniors, TJ Sarcona and Kevin Patterson.
- Defenseman Andrew Pizzo picked up his first career point with an assist on Sam Rennaker's tally in the second period.
- Niagara scored the first goal of the game for a third consecutive outing, but now sits at 3-10-2 when striking first.
- Rennaker and Christian Cakebread each registered a team-high three shots in the loss at Canisius.
- Niko Kovachis played his first game since Dec. 3, 2016 versus RIT, finishing the night with one shot on goal, one blocked shot, and a minus-1 rating.
Up Next
- The Battle of the Bridge shifts to Dwyer Arena for the fourth and final game in the season series. Niagara and Canisius will face off at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17. The game can be seen locally on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (Ch. 52/323) and Paul Hamilton has the radio play-by-play on 1340 AM WLVL.
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