SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College ice hockey team defeated Niagara University 4-3 in overtime in an Atlantic Hockey Association matchup to earn a series split in the regular season finale for both teams on Saturday, February 26.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score: RV AIC 4, Niagara 3 (F/OT)
Records: AIC improves to 18-12-3 overall and finishes the AHA campaign at 17-7-2-0-1-2; Niagara drops to 11-20-3 with a 10-13-3-1-2-2 AHA mark
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts

KEY STATS:
Niagara:
Ryan Cox: One goal
Ryan Naumovski: One goal
Jack DeBoer: One goal
Chad Veltri: Loss (10-12-2), 32 saves in 63:28

AIC:
Chris Van Os-Shaw: One goal, one assist
Brian Rigali: One goal
Hunter Johannes: One goal
Luis Lindner: One goal
Luka Maver: One assist
Matt Rickard: One assist
Justin Young: One assist
Jake Stella: One assist
Chris Dodero: One assist
Jake Kucharski: Win (12-7-3), 27 saves in 63:28

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Yellow Jackets took an early lead on a breakout play. Luka Maver intercepted the puck at the AIC blue line in front of his bench on an attempt to keep the zone by Niagara and passed it to Brian Rigali to start a two-on-one. Rigali closed on target and, using Maver as a decoy, was able to wrist home his 11th of the season at 7:41.
• Niagara tied the game late in the period as Ryan Cox pushed a rebound in on a Brandon Stanley attempt at 17:10.
• AIC took the lead back less than a minute later. Chris Van Os-Shaw passed back to the point for a slap shot by Matt Rickard, and though Chad Veltri saved that bid, Hunter Johannes flipped the rebound into the net at 18:01 for his third of the campaign.
• Niagara tied the game for a second time in the middle frame. Ryan Naumovski cut across the slot from left to right before firing the puck home at 7:07.
• An odd bounce put Niagara ahead at 15:05, as Jack DeBoer dumped the puck toward the net and it bounced over the goal line.
• With time winding down, AIC drew even on a three-on-two. Jake Stella entered the zone along the left-wing boards, sliding the puck under a defender to Justin Young. Young then crossed to Van Os-Shaw, who placed his sixth of the season under the bar at 19:01.4.
• Niagara drew an early power play in the third, and carried the momentum with it throughout the period, but Jake Kucharski did not crack again; the netminder turned back all 11 shots he faced, helping the game get to overtime.
• With one point secured, AIC was able to take the second as well. Niagara won a faceoff in AIC's end but the puck bounced, and Chris Dodero took advantage of the lapse in puck control to spring Luis Lindner. The rookie blueliner's shot found the net at 3:28 for the win and his fourth of the season.

NUMBER 100 FOR LANG:

• The victory marked the 100th win of Eric Lang's tenure as AIC's head coach, making him the third to reach the mark with the team in the program's history.
• William Turner, who was the program's first coach and ran the team from 1948-57 and again from 1964-70, reached the mark in the 1967-68 season.
• Lang's predecessor, Gary Wright, earned his 100th win in his first victory of the 1991-92 campaign. Wright earned his 100th Division I-era win on January 28, 2012 at Sacred Heart University.
• Lang's AIC record stands at 100-85-17.

SENIOR DAY SALUTE:

• Prior to the contest, the team honored the 11 members of the Class of 2022.
• Five of the ten skaters in the class notched a point in the season finale.
• Collectively, the group accounts for 757 games played at AIC.

NEXT UP:

• The Yellow Jackets await their opponent in the Atlantic Hockey Association Championship Tournament Quarterfinal, which will be held March 11-13 at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield, Massachusetts.
• Tickets are available at http://bit.ly/2022AICPlayoffTix for both Game 1 and Game 2 of the series.