Oct. 28, 2001

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - Paul Ciovacco scored twice and Jonathan Hicks recorded a shutout as Siena knocked off Niagara 2-0 Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Saints (6-8-2, 5-3-1 MAAC) lock up a berth in the MAAC Tournament to be held November 9th and 11th at Rider.

Ciovacco (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) got the scoring started less then five minutes into the game when he scored off an assist from Kevin Purcell (Albany, N.Y./Guilderland). Ciovacco scored his ninth goal of the season early in the second half. With 22 points, Ciovacco is second in the conference in scoring.

Jonathan Hicks (Merrick, N.Y./Chaminade) recorded his second straight shutout, making four saves in the victory. Siena outshot Niagara (4-13-1, 2-7 MAAC) 12-5.

The Green and Gold qualified outright for the MAAC Tournament as one of the top four teams for the first time since 1997. In 1999, all 10 teams made the conference tournament.

Siena will play either Loyola or Fairfield in the semifinals on November 9th. The winner of the MAAC Tournament receives an automatic bid into the 48-team NCAA Tournament.

Siena 1 1 2

Niagara 0 0 0

SIE-Paul Ciovacco (Kevin Purcell) 4:56

SIE-Paul Ciovacco 50:37

Goalies:

Siena-Jonathan Hicks (4 SV, 0 GA)

Niagara-Dan O'Shea (8 SV, 2 GA)

Shots: Siena-12, Niagara-5

Corner Kicks : Niagara-2, Siena-1

Fouls : Niagara-12, Siena-8