The Niagara men's hockey team left Dwyer Arena bright and early Thursday morning to head to Albany for a 1st round NCAA Hockey Tournament matchup with Michigan. The Purple Eagles will face quite a challenge Friday night--the Wolverines are the top-ranked team in the country and have 12 NHL draft picks. Niagara is hoping to draw inspiration from tiny Appalachian State's football victory over Michigan in the fall.

Niagara comes into Friday's game with a record of 1-2 in two previous trips to the NCAA's. Faceoff Friday is at 7:30pm, the winner will play again Saturday night at Albany's Times Union Arena for the right to advance to the Frozen Four in Denver.

7 News has a crew in Albany with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the Purple Eagles. Watch for the latest on 7 News throughout the week, with a recap coming on Sunday Sports Final.