The Eagles entered the game with a three-game winning streak, while the Saints came in with a 3-0 record on the season. The last time these two teams faced each other was on Dec. 27, 1998, at the Syracuse Invitational Tournament, where the Eagles shut out the Saints, 7-0. Friday night, the Saints returned part of the favor, shutting down Niagara's offense for a 2-1 victory.

Said Blaise MacDonald, Niagara head coach, before the game, "This will be one of [our] few times being the underdog playing at home -- I'm sure they would like payback for us beating them 7-0 last year."

Indeed. In the first period, the Eagles, a bit loose coming off a week's break, were dominated by the Saints' skill. The team, said Eagle goalie Greg Gardner, was "a bit too emotional" playing for a sold-out crowd of 1,600, the first-ever at the Dwyer Ice Arena.

Early on, the Saints kept the Eagles to the boards, denying them the passing lanes. At first, the Eagles seemed to have a problem getting themselves out of their zone as the Saints' puckhandling denied Niagara possession.

Gardner was watchful, though, making sure nothing got past his crease. As the second period began, the Eagles gained a more physical presence, despite which the Saints were able to notch the first goal of the game on sophomore Jack O'Brien's first collegiate tally, assisted by freshman Jim Lorentz and junior Matt Desrosiers.

At that point, the energy of the game increased dramatically, with rushes and outstanding saves, including one by Niagara's Mike Isherwood, who was able to stop what seemed like the entire Saint line in the second period by deflecting a shot that Gardner was unable to see.

At the other end, the Eagles now found opportunities to rush, but the quick hands of SLU freshman netminder Derek Gustafson stopped them short.

Early in the third, the Saints scored their second goal. On the power play, senior defenseman Dale Clarke nailed the goal with an assist from Desrosiers, making it 2-0.

Gardner would come out of the Niagara nets with a minute to go in regulation, and the resulting six-on-five produced Niagara's first home goal seconds later. Senior forward Peter DeSantis scored on assists from Isherwood and senior forward Jay Kasperek.

However, the effort was only enough to narrow the margin, leaving the final score St. Lawrence 2, Niagara 1.

"The game could have gone either way," said SLU head coach Joe Marsh, who credited Niagara's hard work and effort.

Saturday, both the Saints and the Eagles play at Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo at the Punch Imlach College Hockey Showcase. The Saints go against Wayne State at 4 pm, and then Niagara follows in a 7 pm nightcap against Princeton.

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