SLU STUNS NIAGARA

CANTON — Niagara University men's ice hockey did not have a good weekend.

After losing in overtime to Clarkson on Friday night, the Purple Eagles were enjoying a 3-1 lead heading into the third period of Saturday night's nonconference game with St. Lawrence at Appleton Arena.

Then, SLU's seniors — and freshman Kyle Flanagan — took over, scoring four unanswered goals to win, 4-3. No goal was bigger than Flanagan's last, which was also his fourth point of the game.

"(George) Hughes gave me a good pass," Flanagan said. "The 'D' just peeled off and gave me a lane and I shot ... lower blocker."

The goal came with 14.5 seconds on the clock. St. Lawrence goalie Robby Moss, who made 42 saves the night before, stopped his 21st shot in the final seconds to secure the win.

"They showed poise with a little bit of a gun to their head," St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh said of the comeback. "It's one thing to do it when you're up by one, it's another to do it when it's a dire situation."

Niagara (0-2-1) started the scoring at 7 minutes, 35 seconds of the first period when Egor Mironov deflected CJ Chartrain's one-timer. The Purple Eagles took that lead into the second period.

Then another deflected shot got by Moss. This time, it was Hughes who stuck a stick out at Tyler Gotto's shot, launching it over Moss's shoulder.

The Saints weren't without opportunities, however, but Niagara's Chris Noonan stopped everything.

"I didn't think we had to change all that much, we just had to take the shots when we had them," Marsh said. "I think we were trying to be a little too precise at times."

Marsh added that the Saints (3-1) were getting good shifts from every line and thought it would eventually pay off.

"We were skating well and I thought we had good energy line-to-line," Marsh said. "There isn't a guarantee that anything good is going to come out of it, though."

Niagara added one more score at 17:15 of the second period when Jeff Hannan scored.

Flanagan took off from there.

He started with a power-play goal at 18:53 of the second off assists from Mike McKenzie and Derek Keller.

Then, he fed McKenzie at 9:33 of the third to pull St. Lawrence within 3-2.

"Our line's played well for the last couple of games, (but) we just haven't gotten the bounces," McKenzie said. "Tonight was different and we capitalized on our chances. It kind of helped get into a flow and the rest is history."

Flanagan factored in the game-tying score as well, finding Jeremiah Cunningham for the team's second power-play goal, which came 17:18 into the final period.

"I was playing with two seniors," Flanagan said. "They make the job pretty easy. We just get better together every game."

That's exactly why McKenzie said the Saints really beat Niagara.

"It takes a couple of games to get used to each other," he said. "(Flanagan) showed tonight that he's an extremely special player."

He also continued to impress Marsh, who said the freshman is a perfect complement to McKenzie and Cunningham up front.

"I think he's a pretty good fit there right now," he said. "He's an extremely talented player. He's got a huge role on this team."

For the Saints, it was the second come-from-behind triumph in as many nights — a statistic Marsh said isn't necessarily a bad thing.

"I think every win is big, particularly in a situation when you have to come back and it's your building," he said. "It's an emotional win. It's something you can build off of, certainly. The guys worked so hard and I'm happy for them to get something to show for it."

nNOTES:Jacob Drewiske, who left Friday's game with a knee injury, missed Saturday night's contest with Niagara. He had swelling in his right knee prior to the game and coaches say he is day-to-day. The injury took play when Drewiske's kneepad shifted as he hit the boards.Mike McKenzie's goal and two assists lifted his career point total to 82.Kyle Flanaganleads St. Lawrence with five points on three goals and two assists this season.

To watch video of player interviews and see Flanagan's game-winner, visit the "Casstle of the Saints" blog online at: http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/section/blogs05.