PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S HOCKEY
WEEK NINE	Niagara Purple Eagles (8-10-1, 7-5-1 AHA) vs. RIT Tigers (7-8-1, 5-6-1 AHA)
GAME 20	Friday, Jan. 4 | 7 PM | Dwyer Arena – Niagara Univ., NY
GAME 21	Saturday, Jan. 5 | 7 PM | Gene Polisseni Center – Rochester, NY
RADIO	1340 AM / 105.3 FM WLVL
LIVE VIDEO	StretchInternet.com/niagarahockey
LIVE AUDIO	PurpleEagles.com/watch

The Niagara men's hockey team is set to open the second half of its season with a contest against RIT on Friday night in Dwyer Arena. On Saturday, both squads will head to Rochester to complete the home-and-home. Both puck drops are slated for 7 p.m.

Matchup Preview

• The Tigers are making their first trip of the season to Western New York. The Purple Eagles most recently paid them a visit on December 15 in both teams' final games before the winter intermission. Both sides came out firing, but it was RIT that came away with a hotly-contested and physical 8-4 win.
• In their only meetings of the 2017-18 season, Niagara took three points from the Tigers on Monteagle Ridge. The Purple Eagles opened the set with a 4-3 victory on January 5 but settled for a 2-2 stalemate the following evening.
• In 42 all-time meetings, Niagara holds an 18-11-13 record over RIT. The 13 ties are the most between the Purple Eagles and any one opponent.

 
Niagara Notes

• With 18 points (7 G, 11 A) on the year, Noah Delmas is tied for sixth in the country among defensemen in scoring. He is also tied for third in the conference in scoring among all skaters.
• Dylan Mills and Ludwig Stenlund continue to pace the scoring for Atlantic Hockey's rookies. Mills ranks first in the conference and tied for 10th in the country with 14 points (5 G, 9 A) while Stenlund is second in the AHA and tied for 16th in Division I with 12 points (6 G, 6 A).
• After registering an assist in his season debut on December 7, Tyler Hayes became the 24th Purple Eagle to notch a point this season. Niagara remains one of the most balanced scoring teams in the country. They are one of only two teams where every skater that has appeared in a game has recorded at least one point, the other being No. 9 Penn State. The team remains tied with Army for the most individual point-getters in DI hockey.
• Of Niagara's 24 skaters, all but three have tallied at least one goal. Their 20 goal scorers continues to be a national best. Their four non-scorers is tied with Wisconsin for the best rate among Division I teams.

Scouting The Tigers

• Abbott Girduckis leads the Tigers with 16 points (6 G, 10 A) in 16 games. Girduckis had a three-point night (1 G, 2 A) when Niagara visited RIT last month. Two of his points came on special teams (power play goal, shorthanded assist) while his third was an assist with the Purple Eagles' net empty.
• Aside from the game on December 15, Logan Drackett has played every game between the pipes for the Tigers. The netminder has a 2.52 goals against average (fourth in AHA) and a .915 save percentage (third in AHA).

 
 
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