BUFFALO — Senior forward Stephen Pietrobon netted a pair of goals on home ice for the Purple Eagles hockey team, but Niagara was defeated 5-2 by rival Canisius in the fourth and final Battle of the Bridge game Friday night at Dwyer Arena.
Canisius drew first blood in Friday night’s Battle of the Bridge matchup, taking a 2-0 lead midway through the first period on goals by Dylan McLaughlin and Nick Hutchison. Stephen Pietrobon got Niagara on the board during a five-minute Niagara power play with 4:30 before the first intermission, burying the rebound of a point shot from Niko Kovachis. Stanislav Dzakhov appeared to have tied the game with a late first-period goal after redirecting Johnny Curran’s pass to the slot past Canisius netminder Charles Williams, but the goal was waved off and Niagara trailed 2-1 after 20 minutes. The Golden Griffins seized control early in the second period, scoring three times in less than five minutes to take a 5-1 lead. Guillaume Therien was pulled for Jackson Teichroeb at the 6:37 mark of the second period after allowing five goals on 17 shots. Teichroeb was perfect in his relief effort, making 16 stops in 33:20 between the pipes, but Niagara was unable to narrow the deficit until late in the game. Canisius backup goaltender Simon Hofley made a stop on the doorstep against Kevin Patterson in the final three minutes, but Pietrobon collected the rebound for his second goal of the night, the final goal in a 5-2 decision.
Niagara turns its attention now to the final series of the regular season, a two-game swing against the Robert Morris Colonials. The series begins Feb. 25 with a 7:05 p.m. puck drop for Senior Night. After that, Niagara and Robert Morris will head outside to Heinz Field in Pittsburgh for the second outdoor game in Niagara history. The Purple Eagles and Colonials are slated to begin the outdoor game on Feb. 26 at 7:05 p.m.
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT