NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara men's hockey team added to its point push by taking down RIT in front of the largest home crowd of the season. 912 loud and boisterous fans cheered the Purple Eagles to a 4-1 win over the fourth-place Tigers, further aiding its cause in the hunt for a first-round bye in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs.
 
Game Recap

• Jared Brandt opened the scoring 7:36 into the game. Jack Billings carried the puck to the boards at the right of the RIT goalie, then wristed a quick pass to Brandt, who was charging into the slot. Under duress, Brandt still managed a shot that deflected off a skate as it weaved through the defense and into the net.
• Niagara appeared to make it 2-0 later in the period, but Eric Cooley's fast break chance was overturned following a lengthy review after officials deemed Niagara had too many skaters on the ice.
• Early in the second, Jon Hill forced a turnover along the boards and just outside of the RIT defensive zone. Hill recovered the puck and carried it in with Nic Mucci and Ryan Cox in a 3-on-2, then took it to the net himself. The sophomore went low glove side and snuck the puck through for a 2-0 lead.
• After RIT made it a 2-1 game, the Purple Eagles restored their two-goal edge when Ryan Cook hammered home a Ben Sokay rebound from the top of the slot.
• With 1:15 left in the second, RIT found itself with possession deep in the Niagara zone. The Tigers laced a long pass from the wall and straight across to an open man sitting to the left of Chad Veltri. The shot was taken uncontested, but Veltri recovered and snatched the puck with the glove to deny RIT at the doorstep.
• Three minutes into the final frame, Dylan Mills nearly scored what could have been a candidate for goal of the year. A pass from down low to Ryan Cook was quickly sent over to Dylan Mills at the left of the RIT netminder. The puck came in about a foot off the ground, and Mills was able to get some wood on it, just not quite enough to force it past the goalie.
• Sokay proceeded to add to his point total by making it 4-1 Niagara 7:50 into the third. Eric Cooley worked a puck free from along the boards and sent it to Noah Delmas at the top of the zone. Delmas took a heavy shot through traffic, and Sokay was able to redirect it up and into the net for his ninth goal of the year.

 
Stat Spotlight

• With his assist in the third, Noah Delmas tied Chris Mackenzie ('00) for the most assists (77) and points (97) by a defenseman in program history. Delmas already has 20 career goals, which also equals the high-water mark set by Mackenzie.

 
Up Next

• The series shifts to Rochester tomorrow for the fourth and final regular season meeting between the Tigers and Purple Eagles. Puck drop at the Gene Polisseni Center is set for 7:05 p.m.

 
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