WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Niagara Purple Eagles hockey team closed out the weekend series against the Army Black Knights with a tremendous offensive effort that was met with a big performance at the other end by Army goaltender Cole Bruns. Niagara outshot Army 42-19 in the final game of the four-game season series, but it took nearly the entirety of regulation until Niagara's Eric Cooley beat Bruns to force a 1-1 tie with 1:21 to play in regulation.
 
Nic Mucci and Derian Plouffe assisted on the goal to extend their active scoring streaks to five and seven games, respectively. Brian Wilson stopped 16 of 17 shots in goal, but was shaken up on a play with 5:42 left in the third period; Guillaume Therien came in and made two saves while earning the decision.
 
Game Summary

• Final Score: Niagara 1, Army 1 (OT)
• Niagara Goal Scorers: Eric Cooley
• Niagara Assists: Nic Mucci, Derian Plouffe
• In Goal: Brian Wilson – 1 GA, 16 SV; Guillaume Therien (2-1-1) – 0 GA, 2 SV
• Power Plays: Niagara – 0-for-4 (4 SOG); Army – 1-for-9 (8 SOG)
• Records: Niagara – 11-16-3 (10-11-3 AHC); Army – 10-11-6 (8-8-6 AHC)
• Location: Tate Rink – West Point, New York
• Attendance: 2,540

Game Recap

• Niagara dominated the first period possession and held a 15-4 shots on goal advantage. Derian Plouffe had the best chance of the period just over six minutes in, splitting the Army defense on the rush and getting two shots on Army goaltender Cole Bruns, then following up with a third as Justin Kendall fed the loose puck back to the front.
• Niagara killed off Army's first power play of the night, but the Black Knights converted on the second one inside the final minute of the first. Michael Wilson scooped up a pass from Dalton MacAfee at the point, returning the puck to Dominic Franco on the right wing, and Franco picked the far corner past Niagara's Brian Wilson to make it 1-0.
• Army used the late first-period goal to build momentum into the second, but Brian Wilson made 10 saves in the middle stanza to keep it a one-goal game, including a breakaway stop on Conor Andrle.
• The Purple Eagles held the Black Knights in their end the final two minutes of the second period and came close numerous times to finding the back of the net. James Roll found the best chance deking his way through the Army defense and finding an opening in the low slot, but Bruns got a piece of the far-side shot and deflected it wide.
• Niagara had a golden chance to draw even with 11:46 to play, as Derian Plouffe broke loose on a shorthanded breakaway and drew a penalty shot after being slashed by Army's Tyler Pham. Plouffe charged in up the right on the penalty shot and tried to pull Bruns out of position, but the Army senior shut the door with the blocker save.
• With 5:42 to go, Niagara went shorthanded after a holding penalty to Niko Kovachis, and Guillaume Therien relieved Wilson in goal after the freshman was shaken up on the previous play.
• On the shorthanded chance, Justin Kendall went one-on-one up the left wing and had his first shot stopped by Bruns before corralling the loose puck. Kendall dove for the far post looking to tuck the rebound in, but Bruns sprawled out and caught the second shot with his pad to keep it scoreless.
• Niagara pulled Therien with 2:12 to play and converted with the extra attacker to tie the game. Plouffe worked a loose puck out from the corner to Nic Mucci, whose first pass for Eric Cooley on the back door hit an Army defender's skate. Mucci's second attempt found its way through, and Cooley fired home the tying goal with 1:21 to go in regulation.
• Niagara outshot Army 4-1 in the extra period and had a long shot from Nick Farmer beat Bruns before ringing wide off the crossbar, as the Black Knights held on to withstand the late momentum from the Purple Eagles and close the game in a 1-1 tie.

 
Coach's Corner

• Head coach Jason Lammers: "Tonight's game was a testament to the attitude our players have developed over the course of the season. I was really impressed with how our guys started out strong, and even when the chances weren't going their way, they stuck with it until the very end and in the end found a way to put one home. Defensively our penalty kill was tested often and turned in a great effort, and we got some timely saves when we needed them. We still need to take another step forward heading into a big home weekend, but there was a lot to be encouraged by in this one."

 
Inside the Numbers

• Eric Cooley scored his first goal since Dec. 1, 2017 to tie the game late in the third period for the Purple Eagles.
• Nic Mucci (five games, 1+6) and Derian Plouffe (seven games, 2+5) extended their point streaks with assists on Cooley's goal.
• Plouffe holds his spot at fourth in scoring across Atlantic Hockey, now leading the Purple Eagles with 32 points (15+17) in 30 games. He has one point or more in 24 of 30 games this season and is currently on his third scoring streak of seven games or more.
• Plouffe also had a game-high eight shots on goal, tying for Niagara's best single-game total this season. Noah Delmas had six shots on goal, followed by Niko Kovachis at five.
• Mucci continued his strong second half for the Purple Eagles as he now ranks first among AHC rookies in assists (eight) and is tied for the lead in points (nine) since the conclusion of the holiday break on Dec. 28, 2017.
• Niagara's 42 shots on goal tied a season-high for one game after the Purple Eagles outshot Sacred Heart 42-15 back on Oct. 27, 2017. Army goaltender Cole Bruns made 41 saves, the most in one game by a Niagara opponent this season.
• The Purple Eagles held Army to just 19 shots on goal while blocking 14 shots. The Black Knights also had nine power-play attempts, the most by any Niagara opponent this season, and the Purple Eagles killed off eight of them.

 
Up Next

• Niagara has just four games remaining in the regular season, but three of them come on home ice at Dwyer Arena. The Purple Eagles will play host to the Sacred Heart Pioneers at 7:05 p.m. on both Friday, Feb. 9 and Saturday, Feb. 10.

 
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