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Chris Moran |
NIAGARA UN, N.Y. – The men’s hockey team (18-12-5, 9-5-5 CHA) clinched its second-straight College Hockey America regular season title despite a 3-1 loss at Alabama-Huntsville, Friday. A Robert Morris loss at home to Wayne State secured the title before three Charger third-period tallies.
Despite the loss, the Purple Eagles clinch the top seed in next week’s CHA Tournament. Niagara will face the winner of Alabama-Huntsville and Wayne State, March 10, in Des Moines, Iowa. Bemidji State earns the No. 2 seed and faces No. 3 Robert Morris in the other semifinal matchup.
"A goal that we set in the preseason was to win the regular season title," Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder said, "but there still is some work that we have to do to reach our ultimate goal."
Freshman forward Chris Moran (Buffalo, N.Y.) gave Niagara a 1-0 lead with a power-play tally in the third period, but UAH would add two goals before an empty-netter sealed the victory at Von Braun Center.
Sophomore Juliano Pagliero (Dalroy, Alb.) made 30 saves in the loss, moving into third place on the single-season save chart with 821 stops.
Niagara and Alabama-Huntsville conclude the regular season with an 8:35 ET start, Saturday at Von Braun Center.
