| 12/8/2007 9:14:17 PM
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WEST SPRINGFIELD, MA – Junior Jesse Newman (Kelowna, BC/Trail Smokeeaters) (Westbank, BC) and Matt Crowell (Kelowna, BC/Williams Lake Timberwolves) (Kelowna, BC) scored two goals each, while sophomore netminder Louie Menard (Chicoutimi, PQ) stopped all 17 shots he faced to lead the RIT men's hockey team (6-6-3, 5-4-3, Atlantic Hockey) to a 5-0 win over American International College (4-9-2, 4-7-1 Atlantic Hockey) at the Olympia Ice Arena on Saturday evening.
It was the first multi-goal effort of Newman's career. He had one goal in the season coming into tonight's contest. Crowell jumped into a tie for the team-lead with eight tallies.
Menard recorded his first shut-out of the 2007-08 season and third of his collegiate career.
RIT scored four goals in the first 22:05 of the contest to break the game open.
Unlike Friday, the Tigers got off to an excellent start, out-shooting AIC 15-7 and holding a 2-0 lead after one period of play.
Newman put RIT in the board 2:17 into the contest, as he took a feed from Dan Ringwald (Oakville, ON/Oakville Blades) (Oakville, ON) after Stevan Matic (Burnaby, BC/Langley Hornets) (Burnaby, BC) won a face-off in the neutral zone. Ringwald found Newman streaking behind the AIC defense. Newman whistled a shot off the right post and just under the crossbar for his second goal of the season.
RIT upped its lead to 2-0 with 2:34 left in the frame, as Anton Kharin (Twin Lake, MI/Bay State Breakers) (Moscow, Russia) picked up a rebound off the back boards after a shot from Bobby Raymond (Lucknow, ON/Owen Sound Greys) (Lucknow, ON) was blocked. Simon Lambert (Ste.-Therese, PQ/Cumberland Grads) (Ste. Therese, PQ) also assisted on the goal. The goal was Kharin's first of the season. He had 14 goals as a freshman last season.
Brent Alexin (West Seneca, NY/Buffalo Jr. Sabres) (West Seneca, NY) almost made it 3-0 late in the period, as he took a feed from Mike Janda (Glen Ellyn, IL/Chicago Steel) (Winfield, IL) and raced in alone. He tried to go to the backhand, but AIC netminder Dan Ramirez made a great poke check to keep it a two-goal lead.
RIT made it 3-0 just 23 seconds into the second period, as Matt Crowell (Kelowna, BC/Williams Lake Timberwolves) tallied his seventh goal of the season and second into two games. Kharin banked a shot off the side of the net to Lambert in front, who backhanded a pass to Crowell, who had an open net.
Newman tallied his second goal of the game 1:42 later, as Ramirez misplayed a puck sent into the zone by Matic. Brennan Sarazin (Nepean, ON/Nepean Raiders) (Nepean, ON) started the play by intercepting a pass in the neutral zone. Newman crashed the net and put the loose puck home.
Crowell completed the scoring with a rebound goal with 14 seconds left.
Tiger Head Coach Wayne Wilson was much more pleased with his team's effort this evening.
“It was big for us to get back on track and get guys like Anton (Kharin) and Stevan (Matic) on the board,” said Wilson. “It's huge for us as we try to make up ground in the Atlantic Hockey standings. We have to create out own identity and work hard if we are going to be successful and we did that tonight.”
With the win, RIT moved into sole possession of fourth place in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
Kharin busted out of a 14-game scoreless streak with a career-best equaling three points. Matic had his first two assists of the season.
RIT out-shot AIC 35-18. Ramirez made 30 saves for the Yellow Jackets. Menard is now 6-5-3 this season.
RIT was 0-for-4 with the man-advantage, while AIC was scoreless in three attempts.
RIT leads all-time series between the two teams, 9-1-1. The Tigers are 6-1-0 against AIC since the move to Division I in 2005.
Last season, RIT won all four meetings between the two schools, out-scoring AIC 25-7. The Tigers won 8-3 and 8-0 in Rochester in October, then traveled to Springfield and picked up 6-2 and 3-2 wins in late January.
Last night, AIC picked up its first ever win over RIT, winning 4-1. Chad Richardson had a goal and two assists to lead the Yellow Jackets. Crowell scored RIT's lone goal.
The Tigers are back in action on Saturday, December 29, when they face nationally-ranked University of Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Dodge Holiday Classic.
