The Purple Eagles hockey team returns to action for the first time since Jan. 31 with two road games this weekend. Niagara heads to West Point to take on the Army Black Knights on Friday, Feb. 10 and Saturday, Feb. 11, with both games set for a 7:05 p.m. The two-game weekend slate starts a three-game road trip for the Purple Eagles, which wraps up next week with a Wednesday matchup at Canisius on Feb. 15.
Jeremy White has the radio play-by-play live from Tate Rink on 1340 AM WLVL both Friday and Saturday. Saturday’s game will be broadcast live throughout New York State on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel (Ch. 52/323 in Buffalo) with Cameron Close and Dan Fridgen calling the action.
The Niagara hockey team was off from game action last weekend after completing a stretch of six games in 12 days. This weekend, the Purple Eagles return to action on the road against the Army Black Knights. Niagara is 13-3-0 all-time against the Black Knights. In Niagara’s last trip to Tate Rink, the Purple Eagles earned a weekend sweep with wins of 5-0 and 4-1 on Nov. 9 and 10 2012. Army was victorious in both games at Dwyer Arena last season as Niagara was defeated by scores of 4-2 and 3-2 (OT) on Jan. 29 and 30, 2016. Kris Spriggs (4+1), Nicolas Carrier (3+2), and Vinny Muto (3+2) tied for the team scoring lead in January, all scoring five points in 10 games. Jackson Teichroeb started four straight games in goal to close the month of January, posting a 3.81 goals-against average and .887 save percentage. The Purple Eagles will look to close the regular season on a high note heading into March’s Atlantic Hockey postseason. Niagara went 2-3-3 in the month of February, including a five-game unbeaten streak, last season.
The Purple Eagles concluded their 10-game January slate at home against the Canisius Golden Griffins on Jan. 31. Niagara jumped out to a 2-1 lead midway through the first period on goals by Kris Spriggs and Sam Rennaker. Canisius tied the game to make it 2-2 at the first intermission. Both teams battled to try and reclaim the lead in the second period, and Canisius took the lead with 4:50 left in the second with a power-play goal that ricocheted into the Niagara goal off a defender’s skate. Niagara pushed the Golden Griffins in the third period looking to tie the game, but Canisius scored twice in the final four minutes, including an empty-net tally, to make it a 5-2 final.
Freshman forward Kris Spriggs has taken control of Niagara’s team scoring lead, recording 13 points (7+6) in 25 games this season. Spriggs had a season-best three-game point streak snapped at Canisius on Jan. 24, scoring a goal in three consecutive games for Niagara and adding an assist in a 3-1 win over Bentley back on Jan. 14. Spriggs leads the Purple Eagles with three multiple-point games this season, tallying one goal and one assist versus Holy Cross (Oct. 8, 2016), at Union (Oct. 22, 2016) and versus Bentley (Jan. 14). Spriggs missed three games due to injury in November after opening the year with seven points (3+4) in nine games. After scoring just one assist in eight games after his return, Spriggs has regained his scoring touch and has five points (4+1) in Niagara’s last eight contests. A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Spriggs was named the Travel Team USA Rookie of the Week by Atlantic Hockey on Oct. 11, and he was also named Atlantic Hockey’s Rookie of the Month for October after leading conference freshmen with six points (2+4) in seven games during the first month of the 2016-17 campaign.
The Army Black Knights return to their home rink after a four-game road trip to Atlantic Hockey leaders Air Force and Canisius. Army, who was voted fifth in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, currently sits fourth in the AHC with 24 points in conference play. The Black Knights went 0-3-1 in their recent four-game road trip, earning a 2-2 tie at Canisius on Feb. 4. A pair of freshmen lead Army in scoring. Dominic Franco leads the team with 19 points (8+11) in 26 games. Buffalo native Zach Evancho is second with 17 points (10+7) in 27 games. Evancho’s 10 goals and seven power-play goals are tops among the Black Knights, and Tyler Pham leads the team with 12 assists. Defensemen Alex Wilkinson, Ryan Nick, and Dalton Macafee rank in the team’s top 10 in scoring this season. In goal, Buffalo native Parker Gahagen has started all 27 games for the Black Knights. Gahagen leads Atlantic Hockey with five shutouts, and he ranks second in goals-against average (1.88) and third in save percentage (.936).
from PurpleEagles.com via IFTTT
