NIAGARA UNIVERSITY MEN'S HOCKEY
Niagara Purple Eagles (4-9-3, 4-5-3-2 Atlantic Hockey) at No. 8 Penn State (12-6-0, 8-4-0 Big Ten)
GAME 17	Friday, January 3 | 7 PM
GAME 18	Saturday, January 4 | 6 PM
LOCATION	Pegula Ice Arena – University Park, PA
LIVE VIDEO	BTN+
LIVE AUDIO	PurpleEagles.com
RADIO	1340 AM / 105.3 FM WLVL
GAME NOTES	Niagara
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats

The Niagara men's hockey team hits the ice for the first time in the new year when they travel to Penn State this weekend. The Purple Eagles' final non-conference series of the regular season will pit them against the eighth-ranked team in the nation.

Matchup Preview

• This marks the second consecutive season the Nittany Lions play host to the Purple Eagles. Last year, Niagara dropped 8-2 and 4-1 decisions at Pegula Ice Arena on October 19-20.
• The Purple Eagles have never won in four trips to Happy Valley, losing by a combined margin of 22-5 in those four contests.
• Since the Nittany Lions became a varsity squad in 2012, Niagara holds an 0-4-1 record against Penn State. The lone tie came in a 1-1 overtime result on November 6, 2015 at Dwyer Arena.

 
Niagara Notes

• In their last series before the winter break, the Purple Eagles took two out of six points from AIC. The Yellow Jackets won the series opener on December 13 by a 3-1 score. The following day, both teams skated to a 0-0 tie before Niagara ultimately won in their first-ever shootout.
• Prior to the opener at AIC, Niagara had scored first in eight straight games, earning a record of 4-2-2-1 in those outings.
• Ryan Naumovski's 11 points (11 A) lead the Purple Eagles. Naumovski's point total ranks third among Atlantic Hockey rookies, and his assist total is tied for sixth among all Division I rookies.
• Brian Wilson's .929 save percentage ranks second in the conference and 12th in the nation. His goals-against average of 2.23 is the seventh-best total in the AHA.

Scouting The Nittany Lions

• Penn State has split each of their previous four weekends, most recently on the road at No. 15 Notre Dame on December 13-14.
• The Nittany Lions are 3-0 this season against Atlantic Hockey teams. Sacred Heart was swept on October 11-12, while Robert Morris was dropped on October 25.
• Nate Sucese, the team's leading scorer (8 G, 16 A) is tied for third in the country with 24 points.
• With 77 goals in 19 games this season, Penn State more goals than any other team in the country. They also lead the nation in assists per game (7.26) and shots on goal per game (38.06).
• The Nittany Lions boast a .297 success rate on the power play, the second-best percentage in the country.

 
 
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