| PURPLE EAGLES MEN'S HOCKEY |
| WEEK 18 |
Canisius Golden Griffins (10-18-3, 7-16-2 AHA) vs. Niagara Purple Eagles (11-17-3, 10-12-3 AHA) |
| GAME 32 |
Friday, Feb. 22 | 7:35 PM | HarborCenter – Buffalo, NY |
| GAME 33 |
Saturday, Feb. 23 | 7:05 PM | Dwyer Arena – Niagara Univ., NY |
| TICKETS |
Ticketmaster.com |
| RADIO |
1340 AM / 105.3 FM WLVL |
| LIVE VIDEO |
StretchInternet.com |
| LIVE AUDIO |
PurpleEagles.com |
| LIVE STATS |
Friday / Saturday |
After ending the nation's longest active winning and unbeaten streak against Bentley last Friday night, the Niagara men's hockey team looks to continue its winning ways this upcoming weekend against crosstown rival Canisius. The rendition of the "Battle of the Bridge" series will be a home-and-home affair, with the teams squaring off at 7:35 p.m. Friday night at HarborCenter before concluding the weekend tilt at Dwyer Arena on Saturday, with puck drop slated for 7:05 p.m.
Playoff Picture
- With three games to go and eight points separating the third seed from the 10th, there are a lot of permeations that can occur in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
- Sitting in seventh place right now, the Purple Eagles can finish anywhere from third to 10th depending on how the next two weeks play out.
- In the event Niagara winds up even in points with another team, there are six tie-breaking criteria that will be used to determine the table's final order:
- Head-to-head winning percentage.
- Conference wins.
- Goal differential in head-to-head competitions.
- Goals allowed in head-to-head competitions.
- Winning percentage head-to-head against teams starting with the No. 1 seed down to the No. 11 seed.
- Goal differential in games against teams starting with the No. 1 seed down to the No. 11 seed.
- At the conclusion of the regular season, the top five teams will receive a bye into the quarterfinals, with the top four teams hosting that round from March 15-17 in a best-of-three series.
- Seeds six through 11 will square off in the first round between March 8-10 in best-of-three sets. Seeds six, seven and eight will host the 11, 10 and nine seeds, respectively, to open the conference tournament.
- The Atlantic Hockey semifinals and finals will be one-game affairs at HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York. The two semifinal games will take place on March 22, while the championship game will be held the following day.
Matchup Preview
- This weekend's contests between Canisius and Niagara are the third and fourth meetings this season between the two programs. On November 15, the Purple Eagles earned a 5-2 win on the road for their first win at HarborCenter since Canisius started calling the building home in 2014. Two nights later, the weekend series concluded with a win at Dwyer, 9-6, the most goals Niagara has scored in a single contest this season.
- Between both games over the previous series, eight different Purple Eagles lit the lamp, with four different players scoring multiple goals. Noah Delmas and Dylan Mills each recorded two goals, while Ludwig Stenlund and Reed Robinson scored three, the latter of which was via a hat trick in the Saturday contest.
- The win at Canisius marked the first time Niagara has won a regular season contest against Canisius since February 8, 2014 at Buffalo State Sports Arena, 4-2. The weekend tilt also marked the first time Niagara has earned a weekend sweep against Canisius since February 2012, only the third such occurrence in program history.
Niagara Notes
- The Purple Eagles, who are in the midst of a seven-game slate that includes six games at Dwyer Arena, are coming off a weekend split against Bentley last week. Niagara was downed by Bentley on February 14, 3-1, before earning a 4-3 win on February 15. The win snuffed out the nation's longest unbeaten streak, a 12-game mark dating back to January 5.
- Ludwig Stenlund continues to be a force to be reckoned with for Niagara. He currently leads all freshmen in the nation in points (29), goals (16) and goals per game (0.52). Stenlund, who previously established the longest scoring streak in program history this season, is tied for first in the country with three shorthanded goals this season.
- Between the pipes, Niagara holds the best rate in the conference for goals allowed per game this season, giving up just 3.32 goals per game.
- Niagara's seven wins at Dwyer Arena this season are the most in a single season since 2013-14 (nine).
- Noah Delmas is sixth in Atlantic Hockey this season in assists (20) and tied for sixth in points (30).
- Brian Wilson's 2.98 goals against average ranks fifth in Atlantic Hockey.
Scouting The Golden Griffins
- The Golden Griffins, who were on a 0-6-1 skid heading into their contest last Saturday, snapped that streak with a 3-0 win at Air Force on February 16.
- Dylan McLaughlin leads the Golden Griffins and Atlantic Hockey in shots per game (4.13) goals per game (0.56), and goals (18). McLaughlin also leads Canisius in points with 36, the third-highest mark in the conference.
- The Golden Griffins lead the conference in power play goals this season (33), just one ahead of Niagara's count of 32.
- Blake Weyrick's 1096:43 minutes in goal are the most in Atlantic Hockey this season.
