NIAGARA, N.Y.-The Niagara Purple Eagles used a dominating second period to catapult themselves to a 5-0 victory over American International ice hockey, ending the weekend with a split.

AIC now sits at 5-14-0 and 5-8-0 in the Atlantic Hockey Association, while Niagara improves to 5-12-3 and 5-5-3 in league play.

The winning goal came just 6:52 into the first frame on a tip by Niagara senior Ryan Rashid in an otherwise even first period that saw both teams register seven shots on goal. There were plenty of hits thrown by both sides in a period that had a decidedly physical edge to it.

In the second, Niagara junior Issac Kohls took over the game, firing home a wrist shot at 2:07 and then netting a power-play goal on a rebound at 4:26 to put his side up 3-0. His linemate, sophomore Hugo Turcotte, assisted on both tallies, and Kohls returned the favor on a goal by Turcotte at 17:36.

In the final frame, freshman T.J. Sarcona scored the lone marker of the period at 10:49.

Freshman Jackson Teichroeb earned his second career shutout with 12 saves; AIC rookie Hunter Leisner stopped 17 of 21 in 40:00 in the loss, while senior Ryan Kerpan was 10 for 11 in the final 20:00 of play; AIC's defense also blocked 24 shots.

The Yellow Jackets return to action Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at the Mullins Center when they battle UMass Amherst for the first time since 2008; they return to AHA play Friday and Saturday when they head to Pittsburgh to take on Robert Morris University.