ROCHESTER, NY -- Senior co-captain Darren Doherty (Douro, ON/Cobourg Cougars) (Douro, ON) scored two goals to lead the RIT men's hockey team (6-15-2) to a 5-3 win over SUNY Fredonia (9-7-2) on Tuesday evening at the Ritter Arena.

 

Tiger head coach Wayne Wilson was much more pleased with his squad's effort this evening.

 

"We played really well tonight," said Wilson.  "The effort was there all night, but we just couldn't capitalize.  We missed four or five open nets, which would have made the score a little one-sided in our favor."

 

RIT could not shake the Blue Devils early on, as the Tigers took three consecutive one-goal leads, only to see Fredonia come back and tie the game with a power-play goal.

 

Brennan Sarazin (Nepean, ON/Nepean) (Nepean, ON) gave the Tigers the lead for good, netting his eighth goal on the year, on the power-play to give RIT a 4-3 lead with 2:57 second left in the second period.  He received a perfect goal mouth pass from Jesse Newman (Westbank, BC/Trail) (Westbank, BC) and roofed a backhander over a sprawling Rick Cazares.

 

Doherty scored his second of the game, and eighth of the season, converting a perfect pass from Sarazin on a 3-on-1 and ripping a shot into the gaping net with 4:22 left in regulation to give RIT some insurance with a 5-3 lead.

 

Darrell Draper (Tigard, OR/Cowichon Capitals) (Tigard, OR) gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead, just 1:14 into the contest, taking a feed from Simon Lambert (Ste.-Therese, PQ/Cumberland Grads) (St. Therese, PQ) and roofing a shot over Cazares, just under the crossbar for his ninth tally of the season.

 

Kraig Kuzma scored the first of SUNY Fredonia's three power-play goals on the evening, 3:33 into the game, as he slipped a loose puck just past the extended pad of George Eliopoulous (Markham, ON) to tie the game at 1.

 

Just 1:30 later, Doherty put RIT back up one goal, converting a feed from Steve Pinizzotto (Mississauga, ON/Oakville Blades) and slipping the puck past Cazares.  Marc Hyman (Thornhill, ON/Thornhill Rattlers) (Thornhill, ON) also assisted on the goal.

 

Neal Sheehan scored the first of his two goals on the evening to tie the game at 2 with 5:10 left in the period.

 

RIT carried play throughout most of the second period, but were unable to convert several golden opportunities.  While the Tigers were shorthanded, Lambert got the Tigers back into the lead, picking off an errant Blue Devils pass at center ice, streaking in on a breakaway and sliding a backhander past Cazares for his team-leading 13th goal of the year right before the midway mark of the period.

 

RIT out-shot Fredonia 42-28.  Eliopoulous made 25 saves to pick up his second win of the season.  Cazares stopped 37 shots in defeat.

 

The win snapped a six-game winless streak (0-5-1) and was the first victory for the Tigers since Dec. 9, when RIT upended SUNY Geneseo, 6-1.

 

RIT is now 11-5-4 all-time against the Blue Devils.

 

Pinizzotto dished out two assists, while Lambert and Sarazin finished with a goal and assist apiece for RIT.  Kyle Bozoian had three assists and Sheehan scored two goals and added a helper for the Blue Devils.

 

RIT played its first non-weekend game of the season tonight, and drew a season-low 593 fans.  Wilson said despite the lack of fans in the seats, the players found ways to get motivated.

 

"Tonight's game was a true test of our character, with few fans there to motivate us," said Wilson."

 

The Tigers are back in action on Friday and Saturday evening, as they host Quinnipiac University.  Game time for both contests will be 7 p.m.