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SCHENECTADY, NY – The RIT Men’s hockey team (4-10-1) was shutout for the first time as a Division I program and first time since November 26, 1996 as Union scored two third period goals to hand the Tigers a 2-0 loss on Saturday night before 1,395 fans at Massa Rink on Saturday night.

 

The game was scoreless into the third period.  Union took a 1-0 led with 11:34 remaining in the final period.  Augie DiMarzo blocked a Tiger shot at the Union blue-line and sped into the RIT zone.  He curled just inside the face-off circle, and found Jake Schwam in the slot streaking towards the Tiger net.  Schawm’s backhander eluded Tiger goaltender Jocelyn Guimond (St.-Edouard-de-Lotbiniere, PQ/Williams Lake) (Quebec City, PQ), going just inside the right goal post for the game-winning tally.

 

The Dutchmen  (9-5-2) nearly made it 2-0 just a minute later, as Scott Seney and Jason Visser broke in on a 2-on-1.  Guimond made a pad save on Seney’s original shot.  The rebound then came to Visser, whose shot was stopped by the toe of Guimond. 

 

Union did get the clincher with just 3:34 remaining, as Josh Coyle broke in on a partial breakaway after coming out of the penalty box, and put a low shot past Guimond that went off the post and then off the arm of the outstretched arm of the Tiger goaltender to make it 2-0 Dutchmen.

 

Union out-shot RIT 36-16 in the game.  Guimond was outstanding in net for the Tigers, stopping 33-of-35 Dutchmen shots.  Mayotte stopped all 16 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season and eighth of his career.

 

The first period was littered with penalties and power-plays.  Both teams had a two-man advantage.  RIT went on a two-man advantage for 1:25 just two minutes into the contest, but were unable to convert.  The Dutchmen went up two men soon after, and RIT was equal to the task, killing off 1:35 of 5-on-3 time.

 

Both teams had excellent chances over the first 20 minutes of play.  Jake Schwan tipped a point shot that Guimond got a piece of, with the puck trickling just wide of the far post.  Brent Patry (Ottawa, ON/Cumberland Grads) (Nepean, ON) flipped a puck towards the net on a Tiger power-play late in the period that changed directions on Mayotte.  Mayotte got a piece of the shot, and watched the puck go by, just wide of the Union goal.   Tristan Fairbarn (Innisfill, ON/Newmarket Hurricanes) (Inisfill, ON) found himself alone in front of Mayotte late in the period, but could not get a shot off, as the puck rolled off his stick.

 

Guimond was excellent in the period, stopping all 12 shots he faced.  Mayotte was equal to the task, stopping all eight RIT shots.

 

RIT’s penalty killing was outstanding in the second period, killing off seven Union power-plays, as the game was scoreless after 40 minutes of play.

 

George Eliopoulous (Markham, ON) replaced Guimond for 2:24 midway through the second period due to an equipment problem.  Eliopoulous only faced one shot, but it turned out to be Union’s best chance of the period, as T.J. Fox stepped into the slot and ripped a shot marked for the top right hand corner.  Eliopoulous stuck his glove out a deflected the shot into the corner, keeping the game scoreless. 

 

Guimond then robbed Jonathan Poirier with a tremendous glove with 3:40 left in the period.  Poirier walked out of the corner on a Union power-play and snapped a shot that Guimond snatched with his left glove hand.  

 

Union swept the weekend series from RIT, winning 3-2 on Friday night in Rochester. 

 

The Tigers are back in action on Friday night, as they host Division III foe Geneseo State at the Frank Ritter Arena.  Face-off begins at 7 p.m.