NIAGARA UNIVERSITY MEN'S HOCKEY
Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-3-1, 0-1-0 Atlantic Hockey) at Niagara Purple Eagles (0-2-0, 0-0-0 Atlantic Hockey)
GAME 3	Friday, October 25 | 7:05 PM
GAME 4	Saturday, October 26 | 4:05 PM
LOCATION	Dwyer Arena – Niagara Univ., NY
TICKETS	Ticketmaster
LIVE VIDEO	flohockey.tv
LIVE AUDIO	PurpleEagles.com
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats
RADIO	1340 AM / 105.3 FM WLVL

After opening the season on the road, the Niagara men's hockey team returns to Dwyer Arena for the first time in 2019-20. The Purple Eagles will open conference play against Sacred Heart on Friday night before closing out the weekend with a Saturday afternoon puck drop.

Matchup Preview

• Niagara and Sacred Heart will play the first of two series this season on Friday and Saturday. Last year, the squads only met for one two-game set, in Dwyer Arena, with the Pioneers sweeping the weekend.
• Sacred Heart has won the last four meetings between the two sides. Niagara's last win against the Pioneers was a 6-2 road win on October 28, 2017.
• The visiting team has won each of the last seven games in the series. The last team to defend home ice was Sacred Heart on November 18, 2016.
• Dating back to 2007, the Purple Eagles hold a 13-9-2 all-time record against Sacred Heart.

 
Niagara Notes

• The Purple Eagles are coming off two losses at Minnesota. Niagara took the Golden Gophers to overtime on opening night, then fell 4-2 in the Saturday finale.
• Cam Cook recorded a point in each game (1 G, 1 A) and is tied with Scott Persson (2A) for the team lead in points. Persson supplied two assists in the second game of the series.
• The Purple Eagles have added a third goaltender to their roster ahead of this weekend's slate of games. Grant Zell, a sophomore who has played in 21 games for Niagara University's Division I ACHA team, will be active against Sacred Heart.

Scouting The Pioneers

• The Pioneers have lost three straight games entering the weekend. Their most recent outing was a 2-1 loss to AIC.
• With six points (2 G, 4 A), Jason Cotton leads Sacred Heart in scoring.
• Matt Tugnutt's four goals are a team high.
• Josh Benson has started all four games, earning a 3.99 goals-against average to go along with a save percentage of .864.

 
New This Season

• Atlantic Hockey has introduced a new overtime procedure for the 2019-20 season.
  • After 60 minutes of play, if a regular season league game is tied, there will be a two-minute break followed by a five-minute 5-on-5 sudden death overtime period.
  • If the game remains tied at the end of the 5-on-5, there will be a two-minute break followed by a five-minute 3-on-3 sudden death overtime period.
  • If the game remains tied at the end of the 3-on-3, there will be a two-minute break followed by a sudden death shootout. The goalies will be in the goal closest to their team bench. The home team gets their choice on whether to shoot first or second. 
  • Coaches select the order of their players for the shoot-out. There are no repeat shooters until all position players have had a chance to shoot.
    • Example: 
      • Team 1 misses, team 2 scores, game is over;
      • Team 1 scores, team 2 scores, go to a second shooter, etc.

 
Fan Engagement

• Following Saturday's game, all fans in attendance will be able to participate in an open skate session with the team.
• As always, fans are welcome to observe and participate in head coach Jason Lammers' postgame press conferences.

 
 
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