NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Despite a late push from Air Force, the Niagara men's hockey team sent the Falcons packing with a 4-3 overtime win on Friday evening. The Purple Eagles went 2-for-3 on the power play, and snapped Air Force's unbeaten streak at five games on Eric Cooley's overtime game-winner.
 
Game Recap

• Ludwig Stenlund opened the scoring on Niagara's first man-advantage. From the left of the Falcons' net, Stenlund potted his fourth goal of the season with help from Noah Delmas and Ryan Naumovski.
• A Niagara turnover from behind their own net gave the Falcons an unimpeded chance to tie the game, but Brian Wilson stonewalled the shot from in tight to retain the lead.
• Carrying over a penalty from late in the first period, Chris Harpur scored 34 seconds into the second period to make it a 2-0 game. Luke Edgerton carried the puck in on the right flank and found a streaking Harpur with a pinpoint crossing feed to give the defenseman his second of the year.
• After making the save on a long Air Force shot, Wilson was able to send the puck through a crowd between the faceoff circles and get it onto Ryan Naumovski's stick. Naumovski and Brandon Stanley cruised up the ice on a 2-on-1 opportunity. Although Naumovski's shot was saved, the rush panicked Air Force into committing a penalty.
• The Falcons hit the scoresheet with 3:04 left in the second period to make it 2-1. Less than a minute later, the Purple Eagles regained their two-goal lead when Stanley netted his third of the season from 15 feet in front of the crease.
• Air Force scored twice in the third to tie things at 3-3 and pushing the game into overtime. The Falcons controlled play for the first four minutes of the extra period, but Niagara finally gained possession long enough to sustain its own pressure. With several purple jerseys shielding the visiting goaltender, Eric Cooley's shot from the left circle was able to trickle over the goal line to seal the win.

 
Beyond The Boxscore

• Cooley scored his first official overtime goal of the season tonight. He was also the hero in Niagara's 3-2 win at RIT on November 8, potting a highlight-reel tally in double overtime to earn the bonus point for the Purple Eagles.
• Cooley extended his point streak to three games (1 G, 2 A).
• Stenlund is also on a three-game point streak of his own (3 G, 4 A).
• Naumovski now has eight assists in his last five games and leads the team with 10 points (10 A).
• Edgerton has five points (1 G, 4 A) in his last five outings.

 
Up Next

• The same two teams return to close out the series at Dwyer Arena tomorrow. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster or by contacting the ticket office at 716-286-TIXX And as always, Coach Lammers encourages all fans to attend his public press conference following the conclusion of the game.

 
 
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