Bruns Comes up Big in Tie with Niagara

Saturday, February 3

West Point, NY

7:05 PM

Army West Point

11-11-6, 8-8-6AHA

Niagara

11-16-3, 10-11-3AHA

OT 1

Niagara

Army West Point

Bruns Comes up Big in Tie with Niagara

February 03, 2018 | Hockey

Box Score

WEST POINT, N.Y. – After excellent goal tending by Cole Bruns, the Army West Point hockey team tied with Niagara 1-1 on Saturday night in front of a sold out crowd at Tate Rink.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

The Black Knights gained one point with tonight's tie and now total 22 in Atlantic Hockey standings.
They rank sixth with six league games remaining on the docket.
Army led for a majority of the game after scoring with 53 seconds left in the first period.
Niagara netted the equalizer with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
It was the Black Knights' seventh overtime game of the year and sixth tie.
Dominic Franco scored for the Cadets on the power play for his second man-advantage goal of the season.
It marked the sophomore's 22nd career point and fifth on the power play.
Michael Wilson and Dalton MacAfee assisted on the play.
Wilson has a team-high 24 points, while MacAfee boasts the team's most assists with 16.
Bruns had an incredible performance in net with a season-high 41 saves. He was two saves away from tying his career-high (43).
The senior netminder had two saves in particular that stood out including a save with his blade towards the end of regulation and a stop on Niagara's penalty shot.
It was Army's first penalty shot against since 2014 versus Holy Cross on No. 15. This attempt also came against Bruns and he made the save then as well.
Army has yet to lose in its alternate uniforms and are now 1-0-2 in the gold sweaters.

HOW IT HAPPENED
PERIOD ONE (ARMY 1 – NIAGARA 0)

Wilson attempted a breakaway up the boards within the first minute of the game, but the official wasn't quick enough to get out of the way and denied the play.
At the 13:33 mark, Bruns was successful in stopping multiple shots during chaos in front of the net.
Bruns continued to make point-blank stops throughout the period including two with under 10 minutes remaining.
Army was granted its second power play of the game with 2:06 left in the period.
MacAfee moved the puck inside from on top of the right circle. Wilson had an unselfish move where, instead taking a low angle shot, he dropped the puck back to Franco who had a wide open look at the net and buried his shot for the first goal of the game.

PERIOD TWO (ARMY 1 – NIAGARA 0)

One minute into the frame, Fidler had a point-blank shot on Brian Wilson, but he picked up the save.
The Black Knights had back-to-back penalty kills beginning at the 15:48 mark. Niagara could not convert on either.
There was someone in the box for the next eight minutes between the two teams.
Bruns continued to excel and picked up a save after a tip in got dangerously close on his glove side as the seconds ticked down in the period.

PERIOD THREE (ARMY 1 – NIAGARA 1)

Ten minutes into the stanza, Niagara was awarded a penalty shot after Army was called for hooking.
Derian Plouffe of the Purple Eagles took the shot, but Bruns made the save with his right pad to maintain Army's 1-0 lead.
The Black Knights then went on a 5-on-3, but did not get the puck across the goal line.
Niagara changed goalies with five minutes left to Guillaume Therien.
Bruns picked up yet another big save on the night when he denied a Purple Eagles goal with his left skate blade.
The Purple Eagles pulled their netminder with two minutes on the clock and scored 51 seconds later on the advantage to force overtime.

OVERTIME (ARMY 1 – NIAGARA 1)

Bruns picked up back-to-back saves within the first two minutes of the extra time.
The Black Knight went on the penalty kill at 3:15, but one minute later the Niagara goalie tripped Franco to cause four-on-four.
Army then had one minute of a power play, but the score remained knotted at 1-all.

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