| 2/23/2008 9:16:22 PM
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ERIE, PA – Simon Lambert (Ste.-Therese, PQ/Cumberland Grads) (Ste. Therese, PQ) scored two goals to lead the RIT men's hockey team (15-11-6, 13-8-6 Atlantic Hockey) to a 4-2 win over Mercyhurst (11-17-6, 11-9-6 Atlantic Hockey) on Saturday. The Tigers clinch home ice for the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, from March 7-9.
Mercyhurst trailed 3-0 heading into the final period, before roaring back with two quick power-play goals to cut RIT's lead to 3-2. Matt Pierce and Steve Cameron tallied for the Lakers.
Lambert received a pass from Andrew Favot (King City, ON/Aurora Tigers) (King City, ON) with just under seven minutes left and threw a harmless looking shot towards the net on an attempted wrap around. The shot caught Lakers goaltender Ryan Zapolski napping and landed just inside the right post for his 19th goal of the year.
Lambert, the senior captain, now has a seven-game point scoring streak. He now has a career-best 19 goals and 42 points to lead all of Atlantic Hockey.
RIT held on from there to extend their unbeaten streak to three games. RIT is 3-1-2 over their last six games. They remained in a tie for second in Atlantic Hockey, two points behind Army and a point ahead of Air Force. The Tigers and Sacred Heart are deadlocked in second.
The Tigers out-shot Mercyhurst 33-26. Louis Menard (Chicoutimi, PQ/Ottawa Jr. Senators) (Chicoutimi, PQ) stopped 24 shots to pick up his 14th win of the year. Matt Lundin took the loss for Mercyhurst, stopping 18 shots. Zapolski, who relieved Lundin with 5:12 left in the second, stopped 11 shots.
Mercyhurst was 2-for-10 with the man advantage.
RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson thought his team played well.
“I thought we played pretty well,” said Wilson. “We took some undisciplined penalties, but were able to kill off a 5-on-3. “They got the two goals early in the third on bad penalties, which we have to avoid. Hopefully we learned something tonight. The margin of error in our league is minimal. Anyone can win on any given night.”
The Tigers came out with a much stronger effort in the first period on Saturday, out-shooting the Lakers 11-7 and scoring the lone goal.
Dan Ringwald (Oakville, ON/Oakville Blades) (Oakville, ON) opened the scoring with 4:25 left in the period, on the power-play, as he ripped a slap-shot over the shoulder of Lundin from the top of the left face-off circle. Al Mazur (Burnaby, BC/Merritt Centennials) (Burnaby, BC) and Sean Murphy (Rochester, MN/Green Bay Gamblers) (Owatonna, MN) also assisted on the goal. The goal was Ringwald's third of the season and extended his point scoring streak to seven games.
Ringwald leads the nation in assists (28) and points (31) by a defenseman.
It marks the seventh straight game that the Tigers have scored a power-play goal. They are 13-for-30 with the man advantage during that span.
Menard made a handful of big stops during the frame and received a little help from the goal post.
The Tigers penalty killing took center stage in the second period, as they killed off five Mercyhurst power-plays, including a 1:48 of a 5-on-3. RIT allowed just three shots on the five second period power-plays and scored their second shorthanded goal in as many games.
Lambert scored his 18th goal of the season, with 6:07 left in the period to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Lambert took a feed from Mazur in the neutral zone, skated in over the Lakers line and slipped a wrist shot against the grain and past the glove side of Lundin. Lambert extended his point streak to seven games.
Brennan Sarazin (Nepean, ON/Nepean Raiders) (Nepean, ON) enjoyed a tremendous period for RIT on the penalty kill, getting hauled down early in the period to create a penalty shot. He came in on Lundin and deked to the backhand, but could not lift the puck past the sprawling goaltender. Later in the period, however, Sarazin would get his revenge, as he came into the zone with Darrell Draper (Tigard, OR/Cowichan Capitals) (Tigard, OR) on a 2-on-1, kept faking the pass, slipped to the middle and put the shot past Lundin for the shorthanded tally. Draper and Brent Patry (Ottawa, ON/Cumberland Grads) (Ottawa, ON) assisted on the goal.
That goal prompted Mercyhurst Head Coach Rick Gotkin to pull Lundin in favor of Zapolski.
RIT out-shot Mercyhurst 11-9 over the 20 minute frame, despite killing off five penalties.
RIT clinched home ice for the first round of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, a best of three series that be held from March 7-9. Their opponent will be determined after next weekend's contests.
Draper first goal of the season, shorthanded, with 5:37 left in the third period, helped RIT rally from a 3-1 third period deficit and earn a hard-fought 3-3 last night. RIT out-shot Mercyhurst 48-37. Mazur and Smith also scored for the Tigers.
Tonight's contest was the fourth and final regular season meeting between the two teams this season. RIT won the season series, 2-1-1. The teams split a pair of games at Ritter Arena on Nov. 16-17. Brandon Coccigmiglio recorded a hat-trick, as the Lakers erased a 3-2 third period deficit and won 6-3 on Nov. 16. The following night, Lambert's goal with 1:49 left in overtime lifted the Tigers to a 3-2 victory. The Tigers fired 177 shots on net in the four contests.
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 21-12-4. The Tigers are 5-3-1 against the Lakers since moving to Division I in 2005.
The Tigers wrap-up the 2007-08 regular season next weekend, as they host Bentley for a pair of games. Both Friday and Saturday's contests start at 7:05 p.m.
