NIAGARA UNIVERSITY  MEN'S HOCKEY
Niagara Purple Eagles (0-4-0, 0-2-0 Atlantic Hockey) at #1 Denver Pioneers (6-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC)
GAME 5	Friday, November 1 | 9:07 PM
GAME 6	Saturday, November 2 | 9:07 PM
LOCATION	Magness Arena – Denver, CO
LIVE VIDEO	nchc.tv
LIVE AUDIO	PurpleEagles.com
RADIO	1340 AM / 105.3 FM WLVL
GAME NOTES	Niagara | Denver
LIVE STATS	Friday | Saturday

The Niagara men's hockey team will face its toughest test of the young season when it travels to Colorado to face the nation's No. 1 team, the Denver Pioneers, for two non-conference games this weekend.

Matchup Preview

• The Purple Eagles and Pioneers have played each other four previous times, with Denver hosting and winning all four games. This is the first time these two schools will face each other since October 25, 2013. Niagara fell 5-1 in that game.
• Denver has never been ranked lower than 17th in any of the teams' previous matchups. Prior to this weekend, the highest they were ranked was No. 7, during a two-game set on January 12-13, 2007. In that series opener, Niagara and the Pioneers went into overtime tied 1-1 before Denver ultimately snapped the Purple Eagles five-game winning streak.

 
Niagara Notes

• In their most recent outings, the Purple Eagles were swept at home by Sacred Heart – 4-0 and 3-1 – last weekend.
• Cam Cook and Ryan Cook each have one goal and one assist, while Scott Persson has two assists to lead Niagara in scoring.
• Brian Wilson has made 76 saves in 178:28 of action in his first three games. The junior netminder has a goals-against average of 3.03 as well as a .894 save percentage.
• The Purple Eagles are 1-2 all-time against national No. 1s. Niagara dropped its first-ever matchup with the top-ranked team in the country, a 6-2 loss at Boston University on January 3, 1997. In the 2003 Punch Imlach Showcase, Niagara knocked off the previous season's national runner-up, New Hampshire, 5-2. Their last such showdown came against Michigan in the 2008 NCAA Tournament and saw the Wolverines win the first round matchup, 5-1.

Scouting The Pioneers

• Denver is one of only three Division I teams without a loss. No. 2 Minnesota State (5-0-1) and No. 3 Notre Dame (4-0-0) are the other two unbeatens.
• The Pioneers have not lost a regular season non-conference game since December 29, 2017. Merrimack left Magness Arena with a 3-2 win, just one of two games the team dropped to non-NCHC squads that year.
• Liam Finlay is Denver's top scorer this season. The senior forward has eight points (1 G, 7 A) through the team's first six games.
• Magnus Chrona has played all 360 minutes for Denver so far, posting a goals-against average of 1.83, a save percentage of .930, and two shutouts.

 
 
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