WORCESTER, Mass. – Five unanswered goals from the Holy Cross Crusaders led to a 5-1 loss on Friday night for the Niagara Purple Eagles.
The game was tight out of the gate with both shots (10-9 Holy Cross) and face-offs (11-10 NU) being decided by one at the end of the opening 20 minutes. The line of Dan Kolenda, Chris Lochner, and Stanislav Dzakhov combined to give their team the lead 1:59 into the game. Dzakhov controlled the puck in the offensive zone until he could work it down low to Lochner who found Kolenda at the top of the crease. The junior went top shelf over the goaltender’s glove to give NU the 1-0 lead and collect his fifth goal of the year. Holy Cross tied the game with five minutes left in the opening period after a Crusader found himself all alone in front of the NU net to send the game into the first intermission tied at 1-1.
Holy Cross added two goals in the second to take a 3-1 lead into the third period. The first tally came halfway through the period on a giveaway on a breakout pass. The other goal of the frame came with just 1.7 seconds left on a point shot that found its way through traffic.
Another pair of goals in the third and the Crusaders skated away with a 5-1 win.
NU’s penalty kill unit went a perfect 2-for-2 and Adrian Ignagni made 42 saves in his first start since Oct. 25.
The Purple Eagles return home for the front-half of a home and home with the RIT Tigers next Friday at 7:00 p.m.
