DATE: October 27, 2006
Purple Eagles score three goals in first six minutes, build 6-0 lead en route to win in CHA opener

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. (Dwyer Arena) - Niagara scored three goals against Bemidji State in the first 5:17 of the contest and built a 6-0 lead after two periods, helping the Purple Eagles cruise to a 6-2 victory over the Beavers in the College Hockey America opener for both programs.

Layne Sedevie (Bismarck, N.D.) lasted just 5:17 in goal for the Beavers, surrendering three goals on the first four shots he faced.

BSU’s Riley Weselowski (Pilot Mound, Manitoba) was called for obstruction-hooking just 15 seconds after the game’s opening faceoff, and Les Reaney put the Purple Eagles on the board 10 seconds later.

Ted Cook pushed Niagara’s lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal following a boarding penalty to Tyler Scofield (Prince George, British Columbia), scoring at the 2:30 mark of the first period, and Egor Mironov scored an even-strength marker at 5:17 to chase Sedevie from the game.

Matt Climie (Leduc, Alberta) entered in relief of Sedevie, and would save 19 of 22 shots faced in 54:43 of relief work. He saved all five shots he faced in cleaning up the final 14:43 of the first period, but allowed three goals on 10 shots faced as Niagara pushed its lead to 6-0 in the second.

The three-goal second for the Purple Eagles included another pair of power-play goals. Cook picked up his second marker on the power play at 2:54, and Reaney matched his cohort with his second power-play goal of the contest at 5:54. Scott Langdon extended Niagara’s lead to 6-0 with his first goal of the season, an even-strength tally at 10:58.

Bemidji State broke up the shutout by scoring the game’s only two goals of the third period.

Luke Erickson (Roseau, Minn.) gathered his fourth power-play goal in BSU’s first three games to open the season to snap the Niagara shutout. Niagara’s Nate Bostic was given two minutes and a five-minute major for contact with Climie at 7:50 of the third period, and Erickson picked up his fourth goal of the season with assists from Scofield and Weselowski at 10:23 of the third.

Blaine Jarvis (Gladstone, Manitoba) helped the Beavers take advantage of an interference call against Cook, scoring his first goal of the season on the power play with 46 seconds remaining in the contest to pull BSU to the game’s final 6-2 margin.

Sedevie took the loss in goal for BSU, falling to 0-2-0 on the season. Niagara’s Juliano Pagliero went the distance for the Purple Eagles, saving 36 of 38 shots faced and evening his season record at 3-3-0.

The 2006 CHA Co-Rookies of the Year, Cook and Reaney, finished with two goals apiece to lead the Purple Eagle offense. Pat Oliveto had three assists, while Chris Moran and Sean Bentivoglio added two assists apiece in the Niagara win.

With the loss, Bemidji State falls to 11-16-4 in its all-time series with Niagara, including a 3-11-1 mark in games played at Niagara. The Purple Eagles have won each of the last three meetings in Niagara and have won five of the last six regular-season meetings between the programs overall.

Bemidji State remained winless on the season with the loss, falling to 0-3-0 and 0-1-0 in College Hockey America play. BSU is 0-3-0 to open a season for the first time since 2000-01, when the Beavers opened 0-10-0. Niagara improved to 3-4-0 and moved to 1-0-0 in CHA play. The teams wrap up their two-game CHA series tomorrow night, with opening faceoff from Niagara’s Dwyer Arena slated for 7:05 p.m. Eastern time.

--beavers--