Fairfield, CT—The Niagara hockey team opened the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals on Friday as they took on No. 3 Sacred Heart in the first game of a best of three series. Niagara scored five goals in the third period to take a 6-3 win over the Pioneers.

First Period

The Purple Eagles controlled play for the opening 10 minutes as they used physical play to set the tone for the game.

Despite having an early power play, it was Sacred Heart who took a 1-0 lead with a power play goal.

Niagara had six shots in the opening period while winning 11 faceoffs. Glebs Prohorenkovs had a team high five faceoff wins.

Second Period

Sacred Heart made it a 2-0 game early in the second period just past the four-minute mark.

Niagara answered at the 13:25 mark of the period. Lane Brockhoff fired a breakout pass to Jay Ahearn who tipped the puck to Tyler Wallace who sped into the Sacred Heart zone on a two on one with Carter Randklev. Wallace passed it to Randklev who fired it back to Wallace and Wallace fired it into the wide open net as the goalie was out of position. Wallace picked up his team leading 12^th goal of the season. Randklev picked up his team leading 17^th assist of the season as Ahearn notched his 13^th assist.

Neither team scored the rest of the period as Niagara trailed 2-1 after 40 minutes. Niagara outshot Sacred Heart 11-8 in the second period while also going 12-8 in faceoff circle.

Third Period

The Purple Eagles tied the game at 1:21 mark as Randklev got his ninth goal of the season. Wallace gained the zone and took a shot which produced a rebound that came to Noah Carlin in the corner. Carlin threw the puck towards the net and the puck bounced to Randklev in front of the net who fired it into the top of the net to tie the game at two. Ahearn picked up his 14^th assist of the season as he got a piece of the puck in front while Carlin notched his eighth assist.

Just 30 seconds later at the 1:51 mark Randklev gave the Purple Eagles a 3-2 lead. Niagara had pressure in the zone and Randklev played the puck in the high slot to Carlin. Carlin fired a shot but missed the net, Wallace was on the side of the net and attempted to jam it home. The puck squirted out to the front of the net as Randklev picked up the puck and fired home his second goal of the night to give Niagara the lead. Wallace picked up his 14^th assist of the season while Carlin got his ninth assist.

Niagara scored their fourth goal of the game just 13 seconds later as Jonathan Ziskie took a pass at the point from Jack Richard. Ziskie took a wrister that deflected off a Sacred Heart player into the net to give Niagara a 4-2 lead. It was Ziskie's second goal of the season and the third of his career. Richard earned his 10^th assist of the season.

Sacred Heart got one back at the 8:49 mark of the third period to make it a one goal game once again.

Just ahead of the halfway mark of the period, Niagara regained its two goal lead at the 9:58 mark. Niagara was on the power play and Sacred Heart attempted to clear the puck. The puck was stopped on the half wall by Lars Rodne. Rodne skated towards the net and fired a cross-ice pass to Richard. Richard fired home his ninth goal of the season to give Niagara a 5-3 lead. Rodne picked up his 11^th assist and team leading 12^th power play point of the season.

The Purple Eagles iced the game at the 19:11 mark of the third as Glebs Prohorenkovs scored his ninth goal of the season on the empty net. Olivier Gauthier blocked a shot and Prohorenkovs picked up the loose puck and fired it into the empty net.

Niagara Notes

·       Jarrett Fiske made 32 saves in the win. He now has a 2.00 goals against average in the postseason while making 74 of 78 saves for a .949 save percentage.

·       Niagara generated 17 shots in the third period while having 34 total shots.

·       The Purple Eagles went 1-4 on the power play while having six shots.

·       Niagara went 37-31 in the faceoff circle. Prohorenkovs won 12 faceoffs while Richard went 7-2 and Drew Vieten went 8-3.

·       Randklev had three points in the win. In the last two playoff games against Sacred Heart dating back to last season he has four goals and four assists in the two games.

·       With Niagara's second and third goals being scored just 30 seconds apart it marked the fastest two goals in AHA postseason history. Niagara then broke that record just 13 seconds later as they scored their fourth goal. It is the fastest three goals in Atlantic Hockey Postseason history. It is the fastest three goals by an AHA team this season.

·       Randklev scored just 30 seconds apart, it is the fastest that a player has scored two straight goals in the AHA this season.

·       For the second time this season, Niagara overcame a two-goal deficit to win. Niagara won 4-2 against AIC on Feb. 9 after trailing 2-0.

·       Niagara is now 21-17-2 against Sacred Heart in program history.

·       Niagara is 4-2-0 in Martire Family Arena since its opening in Jan. 2022.

·       The Purple Eagles are 14-0-2 this season when scoring four or more goals.

·       It is the first time since Nov. 17, 2018 that Niagara has scored five goals in a period. Niagara defeated Canisius 9-6 at Dwyer Arena.

·       It is the first time in Niagara postseason history that Niagara has scored five goals in a period.

·       Niagara now leads the series 1-0. With a win on Saturday or Sunday, Niagara will advance to their seven Atlantic Hockey Semifinal round.

Up Next

Niagara looks to complete the sweep of Sacred Heart on Saturday with puck drop scheduled for 7 PM.

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