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Men's Hockey October 2, 2013

Clarkson Opens Season With Two-Game Series at Niagara

Sunday's Game Live on Time Warner Sports TV

PDF of weekly release

The 92nd edition of Clarkson University Hockey opens this weekend when the Golden Knights travel to Western NY to take on Niagara University in a two-game series at Dwyer Arena in Niagara Falls. Clarkson battles the Purple Eagles on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and then again on Sunday in a 2:00 p.m. contest.
Sunday's game will be broadcast live on the Time Warner Sports Channel (Albany – Channel 1803, Buffalo – Channel 713, Syracuse – Channel 324 (alternate) Manhattan – Channel 198).

Can't make it to the game? Follow the Golden Knights over the Internet at
Clarkson Hockey Broadcast Central
with live video, internet radio broadcast and live in-game scoring.


Guided by third-year head coach Casey Jones and assistants Phil Roy '00 and Andy Jones, the Knights will look to raise their level of play this season and improve upon last year's 9-20-7 overall record. A 36-game schedule featuring a potential 13 games against teams that earned a bid to the 2013 NCAA Tournament awaits the Green and Gold, beginning with the opening series against Niagara.

Senior captain Ben Sexton (Kanata, ONT) leads a Clarkson squad, which returns 19 lettermen, highlighted by a seven-member senior class. Mixed in with the veterans is a promising group of eight freshmen that provides the Knights with a deep roster and competition for playing time at all positions.

Clarkson returns its top seven scorers from last year, including senior Allan McPherson (Kinburn, ONT) who earned team MVP honors after posting 25 points on nine goals and 16 assists. Classmates Jarrett Burton (Echo Bay, ONT) and Sexton followed with 20 points each, including 12 and five goals, respectively. Junior Joe Zarbo (Grand Island, NY) was the Knights' top goal scorer last winter with 13 tallies to go along with four assists. Sophomore Pat Megannety (Oakville, ONT) also recorded 17 points (7-10) in a solid rookie campaign. Freshman Troy Josephs (Whitby, ONT), a 7th-round NHL Draft choice of the Pittsburgh Penguins this past summer, could make a big impact this season.

Defensively, the Green and Gold will feature a blueline unit with size and experience. Six of the Knights' seven defensemen stand at six-foot or taller. The team leader in penalty minutes the past three seasons, Alex Boak (6-1, 214), (Norwood, NY) is the lone senior on the blueline. Junior James Howden (6-2, 208), (Edgeley, SASK) and sophomore Paul Geiger (6-3, 215) (Stouffville, ONT) also bring plenty of size and strength. After missing all of last season recovering from injuries, sophomore Kevin Tansey (6-3, 216) (Hammond, ONT) should provide an immediate boost to the lineup. Junior Sam Labrecque (Granby, QUE), who was slowed by injuries last winter, led the Clarkson blueline in scoring as a freshman with 23 points (8-15) in 2011-12. A pair of rookie rearguards will also contribute this season. Teammates last year with the Penticton Vees in the BCHL, James de Haas (6-3, 205), (Mississauga, ONT), a 2012 sixth-round NHL Draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, and Bryan Sinz (6-0, 208), (Anchorage, AK) will add to the toughness and grit on the Clarkson blueline.
Sophomore Greg Lewis (Mars, PA) returns in the Clarkson goal after a solid rookie campaign when he started 34 games. He will be challenged for playing time by freshmen Steve Perry (Ligonier, PA) and Ville Runola (Raisio, Finland).

Guided by 13th-year head coach Dave Burkholder, Niagara is coming off a 23-10-5 overall record and an appearance in the 2013 NCAA Tournament where it was edged out by North Dakota, 2-1, in the West Regional. The Purple Eagles with 18 lettermen back from that squad are expected to have another highly successful campaign in 2013-14. Niagara has been picked to repeat as Atlantic Hockey regular-season champions and is ranked 20th in the nation by the preseason USCHO.com poll. The Purple Eagles were nearly flawless at Dwyer Arena last year with a 15-0-2 home mark.

Knight Notes:
This will mark the seventh straight season, and the 14th time in the past 15 years, that Clarkson has officially opened the season on the road … Since the 1999-2000 campaign, the Knights are 4-9-1 in official season openers ... Last season, Clarkson suffered a pair of 5-4 loss at Colorado College ... The Knights' last season-opening win was a 6-4 victory at RIT on October 17, 2008 ... Last season, Clarkson was 0-3-4 against Atlantic Hockey teams with a pair of ties against Canisius, (3-3, 2-2) a draw against Niagara (4-4) and a deadlock at RIT (3-3). The Knights suffered losses to Holy Cross (3-1), Niagara (2-0) and Mercyhurst (3-1) … After this weekend's games Clarkson travels to the Midwest to play in the IceBreaker Tournament at the University of Minnesota's Mariucci Arena.

The Series:
Clarkson and Niagara have played 11 times with Clarkson holding a slim 5-4-2 lead in the series, which started with a 5-1 win for the Green and Gold on December 28, 1997 in the consolation game of the Syracuse Invitational Tournament. In their last meetings on October 26 and 27 last season, Niagara came away with a win and a tie at Cheel Arena. The Purple Eagles posted the first shutout in the series, blanking the Knights 2-0 and gained a 4-4 tie.
Clarkson's last win in the series was a 4-3 overtime triumph in Potsdam on October 16, 2009. Niagara is 2-1 over the Knights in Western NY. In their last game at Dwyer Arena, the Purple Eagles skated to a 4-3 victory on October 18, 2008. The Knights' lone win on Niagara's home ice was a 5-2 triumph on October 8, 2005. Ben Sexton has a team-high three points, all assists, for Clarkson against the Purple Eagles. In two starts against Niagara, Greg Lewis holds a .885 save percentage and a 2.93 goals against average.
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