PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S HOCKEY
WEEK 13	Mercyhurst Lakers (11-11-2, 9-6-1 AHA) at Niagara Purple Eagles (8-12-3, 7-7-3 AHA)
GAME 24	Friday, Jan. 18 | 7 PM
GAME 25	Saturday, Jan. 19 | 7 PM
LOCATION	Dwyer Arena – Niagara Univ., NY
TICKETS	Ticketmaster.com
RADIO	1340 AM / 105.3 FM WLVL
LIVE VIDEO	StretchInternet.com
LIVE AUDIO	PurpleEagles.com
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats

The Mercyhurst Lakers will pay a visit to Dwyer Arena this upcoming weekend to take on the Niagara men's hockey team. Both games will begin at 7 p.m., with Saturday's contest to be followed by the team's monthly open skate. After each game, fans can also watch and participate in head coach Jason Lammers' press conferences.

Matchup Preview

• This weekend's meeting with Mercyhurst will be the only one of the 2018-19 season.
• Last year, the Purple Eagles played the Lakers twice in Erie, Pa. The hosts came out on top both times with identical 3-2 results on January 12-13.
• Niagara's all-time mark against Mercyhurst is 12-15-4. The Lakers haven't lost a season series to the Purple Eagles since 2012-13, when they were swept in all three outings.

 
Niagara Notes

• In their last time out, the Purple Eagles gave up three of four points against the Crusaders at Holy Cross. The teams skated to a 3-3 tie on January 11, but Holy Cross earned an even split of the season's points by defeating Niagara, 4-1, the following night.
• Niagara's top three scorers – Noah Delmas (19 points), Ludwig Stenlund (18 points) and Eric Cooley (18 points) – all rank in the top 15 within Atlantic Hockey.
• Delmas' seven goals and 12 assists have made him the 12th-highest scoring blueliner in Division I. On the year, the Purple Eagles have gotten 19 goals from defensemen, the most of any AHA team.
• Niagara's 664 shots on goal lead the conference and rank 16th nationally.
• On six occasions this season, the Purple Eagles have had a defenseman take a faceoff. Niagara has won four of those instances, which ties them with Ferris State for the most faceoff wins by defensemen in the country. However, Niagara's success rate (.667) outranks that of the Bulldogs (.444).

Scouting The Lakers

• Mercyhurst is coming to Monteagle Ridge following a home-and-home sweep of Canisius last weekend. The Lakers have won three of their last four games to move into third place in Atlantic Hockey.
• Junior defenseman Joseph Duszak is the second-leading scorer in the conference with 29 points (11 G, 18 A) in 24 games. His four game-winning tallies are the most in the AHA.
• Goaltenders Garrett Metcalf (635:28) and Stefano Cantali (646:02) have shared time almost evenly through the team's first 24 games. Metcalf – a prospect of the Anaheim Ducks – is 7-4-0 on the season with a 2.64 goals-against average, while Cantali has gone 4-6-1 and put up a 3.06 GAA.

 
 
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