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Lest week Buffalo extended their winning streak to four games by shutting out John Carroll University 3-0. UB's next two games are crucial to both their national ranking and the team's standings within the NECHL.
| Team | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niagara | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Syracuse | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| BUFFALO | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Cortland | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Oswego | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Binghamton | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Canisius | 7 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| St. Bonaventure | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ithaca | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| RIT | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
This week UB hosts Niagara and next week the Bulls will host Syracuse. Those two games represent 15% of the Bulls league schedule. UB, The Purps, and Syracuse are the last three NECHL teams that are undefeated in league play.
UB's next two foes are also further along in the league schedule than the Bulls.
They are also both ranked nationally in the 20's. Back-to-back home wins could help UB improve upon their #14 ranking.
This Friday Niagara comes to the Northtown Center at Amherst. Game time is set for 7:30pm. Niagara is ranked #23 in the ACHA with an overall record of 6-3, while Buffalo is ranked #14 with an overall record of 10-2
The UB-Niagara rivalry is one of the more passionate relationships you can find in the NECHL. Besides geographical proximity and the fact the two very good teams have been trading blows there is the Big Four connection which spans many Division One sports and bleeds to this club setting.
Two seasons ago Niagara was undefeated in league play and looked to roll through the NECHL tournament. In the championship game NU jumped all over UB in the first period to take a 4-0 lead. but Ben "Nitro" Lantz led the Bulls back. Nitro scored a hat trick, his third goal coming very late in the third and bringing UB even with NU at 4-4.
Then Chris Covel pulled this off in the second overtime period;
You never know what's going to happen at a game between UB and Niagara.
We encourage all hockey fans to come out to the Northtown Center this Friday for a great night of college hockey. Admission is free for all UB Students with valid student ID, for all others the cost of admission is just $5.
Being that it is Halloween the guys at WRUB will feature the best costume on the Hockey Night In Amherst intermission! Share your pictures on twitter with the hashtag #HNIA and if there are enough we will get a gallery up here on Bull Run.