AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – The Niagara men's hockey team dropped the second game of the weekend at Air Force by a 2-1 count. The Purple Eagles got 24 saves from Chad Veltri, and Chris Harpur tied his career high with five shots on goal.
 
Game Recap

• 65 seconds into the game, the Purple Eagles found themselves shorthanded. The Falcons made Veltri make two quick saves early in the power play, but Niagara turned the tables despite being down a man, putting three quick shots on the Air Force net to put the Falcons on their heels.
• Niagara finally got on the board with 4:11 to play in the second. Jason Pineo won a faceoff to the right of the Air Force net, sliding the puck back to Cam Cook, who unleashed a quick shot that bounced off the goalie. The rebound landed on the stick of Justin Kendall, who made no mistake, quickly wristing the puck into the open half of the cage for the tying tally.
• Niagara pulled Veltri with 2:47 left in regulation in hopes of tying things up. With six skaters on the ice, the Purple Eagles generated eight shots – including three on goal – but were unable to poke one through before time ran out.
• Jack Zielinski (4) and Reed Robinson (3) led the Purple Eagles in blocked shots, accounting for nearly half of the team total (15).

 
Up Next

• Niagara returns home for another series against a military academy, as Army West Point comes to Dwyer Arena on January 24-25. Friday's game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m., while Saturday's 4:05 p.m. game will be followed up by the final open skate of the season. 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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