Niagara Drops Overtime Heartbreaker in the Bluegrass State

The Purple Eagles hopes for a weekend split fell short in Lexington on Saturday night. The Purps downed in their second game of the season 5-4 in overtime.

Niagara played with great energy and work ethic competing with the emotionally charged, hard hitting Wildcats.

Patrick Jankowski (Queens, NY/ Long Island Royals MJHL Jr. B) made his first collegiate start and played very well.

Several highlights were away from the scoresheet in Saturdays’ tilt. Shane Mueller (Buffalo, NY/Nichols Prep School) and Dan Fitzgerald (Hamitlon, ONT/Paris Mounties GOHL) both exhibited sensational penalty killing. Joe Finelli (Hamilton ONT./Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs) scored a highlight reel goal in his first start of the season. The Purple Eagles also played a much more crisp and fast skating style of hockey Saturday night. Drew Mencer (Hamburg, NY/Buffalo Stars CHA Jr. B) finished the weekend with a +2 ratiing while blueliner veterans Kevin Morrison and Patrick Roth logged close to 30 minutes of ice time per game. 

The Coaching Staff were all very impressed with the teams’ play on Saturday night.

Overall, the weekend was a great experience for the young Purple Eagles. Playing in front of a few thousand rabid fans, facing adversity, and rolling with some line up changes as the coaches tweaked the combinations. This experience will be both memorable and beneficial as the team prepares for the rigors of ECHL play.

Associate Coach Clay Miller commented after the game “this was a great experience for all. We were able to play the majority of our 13 new players, we were able to move around some of the lines and see what worked and what didn’t…Kentucky is one heck of a team. They would be able to compete for Top 25 rankings in the [ACHA] Division 1 level. Saturday night our team gave what we asked of them, 110%. We would have liked to come out of the Bluegrass State with two wins but I think more importantly this early in the season we came out with some valuable experience and glimpses of the potential of this team. With a team as young as ours what you really want to see is growth and adjustments. I think some of our younger guys were a bit shell shocked on Friday but really came ot play on Saturday. The boys did everything we asked of them last night and for that we are proud and excited to get back home and prepare for next weekend.”

Head Coach Larry Brzeczkowski would like to thank all the family members who traveled several hundred miles to take in the experience of playing the University Kentucky. The Purple Eagles skipper asserted, “this was one heck of atmosphere. It was by far the most hostile crowd I have ever experienced, in any type of sports setting.”

For a full recap of the goal scoring and time please visit the team twitter page.

Game Notes

·        The Purple Eagles were with out Sophomore standout and team Captain Trevor Kenney (South Burlington, VT/Dixie Beehives OPJHL Jr. A). Trevor who plays on the NCAA Div 1 Golf Team for Niagara had a commitment on the links.

·        Shane Mueller who was rushed to the hospital after blocking a shot during a penalty kill was released early this morning. Shane is expected to make a full recovery and rejoin the team shortly.