| PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S HOCKEY |
| WEEK 15 |
Niagara Purple Eagles (10-12-3, 9-7-3 AHA) at AIC Yellow Jackets (13-12-1, 13-8-1 AHA) |
| GAME 26 |
Friday, Feb. 1 | 2:05 PM |
| GAME 27 |
Saturday, Feb. 2 | 1:05 PM |
| LOCATION |
MassMutual Center – Springfield, MA |
| RADIO |
1340 AM / 105.3 FM WLVL |
| LIVE VIDEO |
StretchInternet.com |
| LIVE AUDIO |
PurpleEagles.com |
| LIVE STATS |
Sidearm Stats |
Traveling outside of Western New York for the final time in the regular season, the Niagara men's hockey team is eyeing another successful weekend against first-place AIC.
Series Preview
- This weekend the Purple Eagles take the road to battle AIC for two games this weekend, the third and fourth games between the two programs this year.
- Earlier this season, the two teams split a weekend series at Dwyer Arena to open the Purple Eagles' regular season. Niagara earned a thrilling 4-3 overtime win on October 12 before falling to the Yellow Jackets the next night, 3-1.
- The two programs squared off with one another in the opening round of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament last season. The host Yellow Jackets earned a two-game sweep to advance in the tournament, including a 4-3 contest in double overtime to close out the series.
- Since Niagara joined the conference prior to the 2010-11 season, the Purple Eagles hold the narrow edge in the all-time series over the Yellow Jackets, 13-11-1.
Niagara Notes
- Last time they hit the ice, the Purple Eagles earned their second sweep of the season at home against Mercyhurst on January 18-19, outscoring the Lakers by a combined 12-7 margin. Niagara previously earned a sweep against Canisius in a home-and-home series in November.
- The weekend sweep marked the first time Niagara has defeated Mercyhurst in back-to-back contests since the 2012-13 season.
- Cole Weaver was between the pipes for Niagara in both games, recording his first two collegiate wins. The freshman from Champlin, Minn. made 26 saves in the first game before closing out the series with a 25-save performance on January 19.
- Between both contests against the Lakers, four different Purple Eagles recorded two goals – Eric Cooley, Noah Delmas, Ben Sokay and Ludwig Stenlund.
- As a result of their play against Mercyhurst, Sokay and Delmas received Atlantic Hockey weekly honors on January 22.
- Sokay, the recipient of Atlantic Hockey's Player of the Week Award, recorded two assists to go with his two goals against Mercyhurst. The pair of games marked the first time Sokay has earned points in consecutive contests since earning points in three straight games from December 1-8, 2017.
- Delmas, who took home the conference's Defensive Player of the Week, also recorded two goals and two assists against Mercyhurst, good for his fourth series of the season with at least four points. The weekend finale on January 19 saw Delmas register three points ( 1 G, 2 A), his seventh game this season recording multiple points.
Scouting The Yellow Jackets
- Like Niagara, AIC's most recent opponent was also Mercyhurst. The Yellow Jackets split with the Lakers, losing 4-2 on Janaury 25 in Erie, Pa. before ending the series with an 8-5 victory the next day.
- Junior forward Blake Christensen leads the team and is second in the conference in scoring with 30 points (11 G, 19 A). Sophomore defenseman Brennan Kapcheck ranks second on AIC's roster with 21 points (4 G, 17 A).
- Despite ranking last among qualifying goaltenders for save percentage, Zackarias Skog leads Atlantic Hockey with three shutout performances this season, including back-to-back shutouts against Air Force on November 16-17.
