Skip To Main Content

Niagara University Athletics

Glebs Cellys In Front of Students
Nick DeMarchi
3
RIT RIT 19-9-1, 15-5-1
4
Winner Niagara NIA 14-12-3, 8-10-3
RIT RIT
19-9-1, 15-5-1
3
Final
4
Niagara NIA
14-12-3, 8-10-3
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
RIT RIT 0 1 2 3
Niagara NIA 2 0 2 4

Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey |

Purple Eagles Score In Final Minute To Down #18 RIT

Niagara University, N.Y.—The Niagara hockey team welcomes No. 18 RIT into Dwyer Arena on Thursday night. The Purple Eagles came away with their first win over a ranked opponent of the season as they bear RIT 4-3 in regulation.
Game Recap
First Period
  • The Purple Eagles came out of the locker room flying as they outshot the Tigers 11-8 in the first period.
  • At the 7:36 of the first, the Purple Eagles struck to take the early lead. Albin Nilsson scored his ninth of the season, Ryan Naumovski won a race to the puck on the forecheck and got it to Glebs Prohorenkovs. Prohorenkovs found Nilsson who fired a wrister through traffic that found the back of the net for the early goal.
  • Later in the period at the 15:38 mark of the period, RIT took an interference penalty. Just 27 seconds into the man advantage, the Purple Eagles struck. The play started behind the Purple Eagle net as Noah Carlin fed it to streaking Naumovski. The passed it Carter Randklev who entered the zone with the puck. Randklev found Casey Carreau on the far side and Carreau made no mistake as he rifled it home his seven goal of the season.
  • Neither team found the back of the net for the remaining of the period as Chad Veltri turned away eight RIT shots.
Second Period
  • The second period was a back and forth frame as both teams tallied 11 shots on goal.
  • RIT was the lone team to score in the frame as they scored at the 17:28 mark of the period.
  • Niagara had two power plays in the period and generated two shots while holding RIT to one shot on their lone attempt.
  • After two periods, Prohorenkovs had a team best 10 faceoff wins while having a 62.5 winning percentage.
Third Period
  • The Purple Eagles extended their lead early in the third period as Prohorenkovs scored his eighth of the season. Nilsson found Naumovski on a break out pass and the senior entered the zone on a two on one with Prohorenkovs. Naumovski slung a tape to tape pass to the back post and Prohorenkovs finished the play to give the Purple Eagles a 3-1 lead.
  • RIT took advantage of a deflected puck in their own end and went in a on a break-a-way at the 7:30 mark of the period to make it 3-2 Niagara.
  • RIT had a man advantage following it's second goal of the night. With the score 3-2 and the Tigers on the power play, Lane Brockoff saved the game tying goal with 11 minutes left in regulation to help kill the penalty.
  • Niagara had just killed off the penalty but the Tigers tied the game at three 10 seconds after the penalty expired.
  • The game looked destined for overtime but the trio of Prohorenkovs, Lucas Bahn, and Naumovski had other plans with less than a minute left.. With the faceoff deep in the RIT zone, Prohorenkovs won the draw back to Noah Carlin to fed it to defense partner. Bahn threw it towards the net and hit a couple bodies in front. Prohorenkovs found the loose puck and hammered into the net for his second of the night and ninth of the season.
  • Niagara held off the Tigers for the remaining 30 seconds to take the three points.
Niagara Notes
  • It is the first time this season that the Purple Eagles have faced a team ranked in the top 20 in either college hockey poll. It is the first top 20 win the Purple Eagles have had since beating No. 10 Notre Dame on Jan. 1, 2022. Niagara had won two of it's last three games against ranked opponents.
  • Veltri turned away 26 shots in the win while the Purple Eagles blocked 12 shots in the win. Bahn, Carlin, and Randklev all blocked two shots.
  • Naumovski had four assists in the game and is just the fourth Atlantic Hockey player to have four assists in a game this season. He extended his point streak to five games.
  • Prohorenkovs has now registered a goal in three of his last four games and has four goals in that span. The fourth goal was his third game winning goal of the season which is tied for the team lead with Ryan Cox.
  • With his goal, Carreau now has 21 points to lead the Purple Eagles.
  • It is the first time Niagara had beaten RIT in a one goal game since defeating the Tigers in the 2019 AHA Semifinals at Harborcenter by the score of 1-0 in overtime.
  • Niagara has now led after the opening 40 minutes in 15 games this season, they are 12-1-2 in those games this season.
  • The Purple Eagles have scored four or more goals in 11 games and are now 10-0-1 in those contests.
  • After the win, Niagara has jumped to the fifth spot in the AHA standing with five AHA games left.
Up Next
  • The two teams now get a day off before squaring off again on Saturday at 7 PM at Dwyer Arena.
Print Friendly Version