Men's Hockey | 3/13/2009 10:48:38 PM

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ROCHESTER, NY – The #2 seed RIT men's hockey team came into game one of the best-of-three quarterfinal round with a 10-game Division I winning streak versus Holy Cross. The Tigers had beaten the Crusaders four times in the regular season and eliminated Holy Cross in the quarterfinals last season. That all ended tonight as RIT fell to Holy Cross 5-3 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

“They wanted it more tonight,” said RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson. “We didn't meet their energy level and took a best-of-three series and turned it into a single elimination game.”

After a slow start by the Tigers, RIT took a 1-0 lead at 8:53 of the first period. Anton Kharin (Twin Lake, Mich./Bay State Breakers) (Twin Lakes, MI) tallied his ninth of the season and first of the post-season on a wrap-around. Brent Alexin (West Seneca, N.Y./Buffalo Jr. Sabres) (West Seneca, NY) and Stevan Matic (Burnaby, British Columbia/Langley Hornets) (Burnaby, BC) worked the cycle deep in the Holy Cross offensive zone. Matic fed a pass to Kharin who sped to the front of the net and beat Ian Dams to the post giving the Tigers an early advantage.

Matt Crowell (Kelowna, British Columbia/Williams Lake Timberwolves) (Kelowna, BC) made it 2-0 RIT with his seventeenth of the season and first of the post-season. Jesse Newman (Kelowna, British Columbia/Trail Smokeeaters) (Kelowna, BC) fired a shot that Dams saved, but the rebound came right to Crowell who was parked in front of the net and he one-timed it home for the Tigers.

Holy Cross pulled to within one goal with a power play goal at 13:10 of the second period. Brodie Sheahan had three pokes from the side of the net. His third shot snuck passed Louis Menard (Chicoutimi, Quebec/Ottawa Senators) (Chicoutimi, PQ) for his eleventh of the season.

Sheahan tied the score at 2-2 with his second power play goal of the period. He ripped a wrist shot from the face-off dot that Menard never saw.

Holy Cross took the lead just one minute and seven seconds into the third period on a power play goal by Jay Silvia.

Jordan Cyr fired a shot on goal that Menard saved. The rebound came right to Silvia who was driving to the net and he one-timed it home for a 3-2 Crusaders lead.

J.P. Martignetti made it 4-2 Crusaders at 4:58 of the third. Again the goal was scored off a shot that Menard saved but he gave up a rebound that went right to a Holy Cross player, this time Martigentti, who poked it into the open net.

RIT cut the lead to 4-3 on a goal by Andrew Favot (King City, Ontario/Aurora Tigers) (King City, ON). At the end of a RIT power play Matt Crowell (Kelowna, British Columbia/Williams Lake Timberwolves) fired a puck towards the net. The puck found Favot who was parked in front, scoring his ninth of the season and first of the post-season.

Holy Cross put the game away with an empty-net goal. Matt Celin out-raced Justin Hofstetter (Bright, Ontario/Cambridge Winterhawks) (Bright, ON) to the puck and scored the empty-netter making it 5-3 Holy Cross.

RIT out shot the Crusaders 37-34. The Crusaders, who came into the game tenth in the AHA in power play efficiency, went 3-for-7 with the man advantage. RIT, who came into the game third in Division I in power play efficiency, went 0-for-6 with the man advantage.

Louis Menard (Chicoutimi, Quebec/Ottawa Senators) got the start for RIT. He took the loss, allowing four goals, making 29 saves. Ian Dams was outstanding for Holy Cross. He picked up the win allowing three goals and making 34 saves.

RIT will try to stave off elimination on Saturday night when they face Holy Cross in game two of the best-of-three series. The winner will advance to the semifinals next weekend at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester.