NIAGARA UNIVERSITY MEN'S HOCKEY
Niagara Purple Eagles (9-17-4, 9-11-4-2 Atlantic Hockey) vs RIT Tigers (17-11-4, 13-7-4-1 Atlantic Hockey)
GAME 31	Friday, Feb. 21 | 7:05 PM
LOCATION	Dwyer Arena – Niagara Univ., NY
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats
TICKETS	Ticketmaster
GAME 32	Saturday, Feb. 22 | 7:05 PM
LOCATION	Gene Polisseni Center – Rochester, NY
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats
LIVE VIDEO	flohockey.tv
LIVE AUDIO	PurpleEagles.com
RADIO	1340 AM / 105.3 FM WLVL
GAME NOTES	Niagara | RIT

With 16 points in its last eight outings, the Niagara men's hockey team is hoping to continue its ascension in the Atlantic Hockey standings when it takes on RIT in a home-and-home this weekend.

Matchup Preview

• This will be the second home-and-home of the season between the two schools. At RIT on November 8, both teams skated to a 2-2 overtime draw, but Niagara won the third bonus point on a brilliant, highlight-reel effort by Eric Cooley. The Tigers struck back the next night, taking the return game, 4-1.
• Since RIT moved to Division I in 2005, the Purple Eagles are 18-11-13-1 against their I-90 rivals.
• Niagara holds a 3-5-1-1 record at the Gene Polisseni Center since it opened in 2014.
• Since Jason Lammers was named head coach of the Purple Eagles prior to the start of the 2017-18 season, the team holds a 3-3-3-1 mark against the Tigers, including a 2-1-2-0 at Dwyer Arena.
• Overall, Niagara has a 20-13-15-1 record against the Tigers since the two teams first met in 1996.

 
Niagara Notes

• The Purple Eagles are coming off a split weekend at Sacred Heart. The Pioneers opened with a 6-0 win on February 15, but Niagara nearly returned the favor the following day with in a 6-1 victory that helped knock Sacred Heart out of the national rankings.
• The win was Niagara's first over a ranked opponent since February 27, 2015 when they defeated No. 20 Robert Morris at home, 2-1. It was also the first time the Purple Eagles beat a nationally ranked team on the road for the first time since a 2-1 win on October 29, 2011 at No. 16 Colgate.
• With a goal and an assist at Sacred Heart, Brandt registered his first career multi-point game. He also blocked four shots on the back end.
• Cam Cook also recorded his first career multi-point game by collecting two assists.
• Ben Sokay had two assists to earn his third multi-point game in his last four appearances. Since January 24, the senior has 11 points (5 G, 6 A) in the team's last eight games, and is tied for eighth in the country for points over that span.
• For Jack Billings, points come in pairs. The redshirt junior has recorded seven two-point outings since January 10 for a total of 14 points (5 G, 9 A). On the year, Billings has notched points in 11 games, garnering multiple points on nine of those occasions.

Playoff Picture

• With 16 points in their last eight outings, the Purple Eagles have climbed from 10th to seventh place over the past four weeks of play, and are now just three points back of fifth place and a first round bye.
• With 33 points on the year, Niagara is now tied with Air Force for seventh place in the Atlantic Hockey standings. With a 2-1-1-1 head-to-head record over the Purple Eagles this season, the Falcons hold the tiebreaker for the higher seed should these two teams finish in a tie at the end of the season.
• Niagara is three points back of Robert Morris, who currently holds the fifth position in the conference table. The Colonials will pay a visit to Dwyer Arena to close out the regular season on February 28-29.

 
Scouting The Tigers

• RIT has won six of its last eight games, most recently taking both games from Bentley on February 14-15 in Rochester.
• The Tigers have 44 points in 24 conference games and currently reside in fourth place in the AHA standings.
• Shawn Cameron leads RIT scorers with 27 points (17 G, 10 A) in 32 games played.
• Logan Drackett has played 93 percent of the minutes in goal for the Tigers this season. In 31 appearances, the junior has a 2.74 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.

 
Milestone Watch
Player.......... Needs     To Reach............ Note (if applicable)                                    
Noah Delmas. 1 goal      20 career goals.... Would tie Chris Mackenzie for most by Niagara defenseman
Noah Delmas. 2 assists   77 career assists.. Would tie Chris Mackenzie for most by Niagara defenseman
Noah Delmas. 3 points   97 career points.. Would tie Chris Mackenzie for most by Niagara defenseman
Jack Billings.... 5 points   100 career points
Ryan Cook.... 5 games   100 career games
Noah Delmas. 6 games   148 career games Would become Niagara's all-time leader in appearances
Ben Sokay..... 6 games   100 career games
 
Brian Wilson.. 1 win       29 career wins.... Would tie Chris Noonan for fifth-most in Niagara history
Brian Wilson.. 1 shutout 6 career shutouts Would put him in sole possession of fourth-most in Niagara history
 
For The Fans

• Fans interested in attending Friday's game can purchase tickets through Ticketmaster or contact the ticket office at 716-286-TIXX (8499). Following the game, head coach Jason Lammers will also be available for postgame comments and questions.

 
 
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