| 1/31/2004 9:33:39 PM

ROCHESTER, NY -- Special teams was the name of the game as the RIT (10-4-4, 4-0-1) men's hockey team defeated ECAC West rival Hobart College, 6-1 this evening at Ritter Arena. The ninth ranked Tigers converted 4-of-8 power play opportunities, while holding Hobart to 1-for-7 on the man-advantage. The win tonight gave head coach Wayne Wilson his 100th carreer win at RIT. His record in five season behind the Tigers bench is an impressive 100-18-10 (.781).

The first period went back and forth as both squads generated some good scoring chances. Then, late in the period RIT finally got on the scoreboard. The Tigers converted on the power play when Ryan Fairbarn (Innisfil, Ont./Georgetown Raiders) (Innisfil, Ont.) ripped a shot from the point that beat Hobart's Thomas Kelliher (Rochester, NY), giving RIT a 1-0 lead. RIT made it 2-0 just 50 seconds later when Mike Walling (Oxford, Mich./Chatham Maroons) (Oxford, MI) intercepted an attempted clearing pass and scored his fourth goal of the season.

RIT kept the offensive pressure on in the second period. Tristan Fairbarn (Innisfill, Ont./Newmarket Hurricanes) (Innisfil, Ont.) intercepted another pass by the Statesmen and skated in alone on Adam Lavelle (Chelmsford, MA), who relieved Kelliher at the start of the second, beating him with a slap shot that went over the shoulder of Lavelle, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead. At the 9:14 mark of the second RIT scored their second power play goal of the evening when Ryan Francke (Long Point, Ont./St. Thomas Stars) (Long Point, Ont.) lit the lamp on assists from Tristan Fairbarn (Innisfill, Ont./Newmarket Hurricanes) and Mike Tarantino (Oakville, Ont./Oakville Blades) (Oakville, Ont.). Brad Harris (Portage La Prairie, Man./Leamington Flyers) (Portage La Prairie, Man.) rounded out the second period scoring at the 13:45 mark on another power play. He took a pass from Marc Hyman (Thornhill, Ont./Thornhill Rattlers) (Thornhill, Ont.) and beat Lavelle cleanly for a 4-0 RIT lead. George Eliopoulos (Markham, Ont./St. Michaels Buzzers) (Markham, Ont.) made nine saves in the second two from point-blank range by Craig Levey (Mississauga, Ont.), keeping the Statesmen off the board.

Hobart finally got a goal midway through the third period. Mike McCarthy (Medfield, MA) redirected a shot by Greg Gallagher (Framingham, MA) that found an opening, making it 5-1 RIT. The Tigers their fourth power play goal of the evening with 59 seconds remainingin the third. Tony Bifulco (Falmouth, Maine/Tulsa Crude) (Falmouth, ME) spotted Rob Tarantino (Oakville, Ont./Oakville Blades) (Oakville, Ont.) next to the net and fired a pass right on the tape that Tarantino just had to re-direct into the net for his fifth goal of the season. Eliopoulos had to make 13 saves in the third on 14 Hobart shots.

Hobart outshot RIT 33-29 but RIT's special teams were dominant. Tristan Fairbarn (Innisfill, Ont./Newmarket Hurricanes) led RIT with three points on a goal and three assists. Tony Bifulco (Falmouth, Maine/Tulsa Crude) added a pair of assists, while Eliopoulos stopped 32 of the 33 shots he faced. RIT hits the road next weekend. On Friday the Tigers face Utica College at 7 p.m., while Saturday RIT faces arch rival Elmira College at 7 p.m.