NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (Dwyer Arena) -- A regulation hockey game spans three periods and a total of 60 minutes, but tonight Niagara University needed a window of less than a minute to get all the scoring it would need to prevail over Bemidji State. The Purple Eagles scored a pair of second period goals just 46 seconds apart, and despite a marker by Tyler Scofield (Sr., F, Prince George, British Columbia) as the third period got underway, the Beavers were unable to ground the Eagles who gained a 3-1 victory in the College Hockey America match up.

The contest, the Purple Eagles' CHA opener, was a match up of the league's 2007-08 regular-season champion in the Beavers and NU, the 2008 conference tournament champion in a rematch of the tournament title game from last spring.

A pure first period of play saw just one penalty called and the teams skate to the locker rooms after 20 minutes locked in a scoreless tie.

Ted Cook got the Purple Eagles on the board at the 10:28 mark of the second period when he threw the puck towards the net and got a lucky bounce off BSU goaltender Matt Dalton's (So., Clinton, Ontario) skate and into the back of the net. Chris Moran and Armondo Scarlato were credited with assists on the goal.

The goal was not only the first of Cook's senior season, his 72nd career marker also made him Niagara's all-time goal scoring leader.

After a slight delay to clear the ice of debris, play continued, but only for 12 seconds before Graham McManamin (Jr., D. Anchorage, Alaska) was whistled for tripping putting NU on the power play for the third time in the game. The Purple Eagles would need just 34 seconds before they went up 2-0. Brian Dowd fired a shot that was tipped over the shoulder of Dalton by Egor Mironov at the 11:14 mark.

The Beavers cut the NU led in half in the opening moments of the third period. Scofield netted his team-leading fourth goal of the season just 29 seconds into the final stanza. Chris Peluso (Jr., D, Wadena, Minn.) continued his hot hand versus NU recording his seventh helper in six career games versus the Purple Eagles. Matt Read (So., F, Ilderton, Ontario) also added an assist on the play registering his eighth point of the season (2g,3a) to hold onto the team' scoring lead.

NU's Paul Zanette recorded a back breaking goal, putting NU up 3-1 with just over five minutes to go in the game. David Ross did the dirty work slicing down the left side to set the forward up for the insurance goal.

Despite a spirited third period in which Bemidji State held a 17-3 advantage in shots on goal and called time out to pull Dalton for an extra attacker late, the Beavers' solid scoring chances were few and BSU was unable to pull the Purple Eagles any closer.

Bemidji State out shot NU 36-19 including a 29-8 margin in the final two periods.

Mironov's power-play goal midway through the second period was the game' only special teams goal as NU was 1-for-4 and BSU failed to score on four power-play opportunities.

Dalton falls to 2-4-0 on the season with the loss making 16 saves in the game.

Juliano Pagliero stumped the Beavers turning away 35 shots, while allowing one goal in 60 minutes of play. The win lifts the senior to 5-4-1 on the season.

Bemidji State (2-7-0; 1-2-0 CHA) will attempt to square the series tomorrow as the Beavers and Purple Eagles (5-5-1; 1-0-0 CHA) wrap up the series with a 7 p.m. (CST) start at Niagara's Dwyer Arena.