Men's Hockey | 2/27/2010 10:20:06 PM

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ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT men's hockey team (22-11-1, 22-5-1 AHA) ends the 2009-10 regular season by picking up its sixth straight game, defeating Canisius (15-14-5, 13-11-4 AHA), 5-4 before 1,632 fans at Ritter Arena on Saturday evening. Five different Tigers scored a goal.

Chris Tanev (Toronto, Ontario/) scored the eventual game-winning goal with 17:48 left in regulation to give RIT a 5-2 lead.

Canisius made the game interesting with a pair of power-play goals 44 seconds apart late in the third period to cut the Tiger lead to 5-4. RIT would hang on from there to pick up the win and complete the weekend sweep of the Golden Griffins.

RIT led 3-2 heading into the third period and needed to kill 31 seconds of a Canisius power-play. Mark Cornacchia (Unionville, Ontario/) turned the tide by scoring a shorthanded goal just 11 seconds into the period after Brent Alexin (West Seneca, NY/) caused a Canisius turnover to make it 4-2 RIT. It was the fastest goal to start a period by RIT in the Division I level.

RIT ends the regular season with AHA records of 22 conference wins and 45 points. Last season, RIT and Air Force recorded a then record 20 wins and 42 points. RIT's 22 regular season wins are a Division I team record. They need just more win to tie the mark for most wins in a season, set last season.

Adam Hartley (West Vancouver, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles), Chris Haltigin (Oakville, Ontario/), Tyler Mazzei (Kelowna, British Columbia/), Cornacchia, and Tanev scored for the Tigers. Hartley chipped in with a pair of assists, giving him a career-best three-point night. Hartley was named the game's first star. Scott Knowles (Riverside, Ontario/) added two assists. Haltigin also recorded a two-point night.

Tanev was named the second star after a two-point night and plus-3 rating. He is now plus-28 this season, best in the AHA.

The Tigers went 2-for-6 with the man-advantage. RIT has now scored a power-play goal in 10 straight games.

Canisius scored all four of its goals with the man advantage. The Golden Griffins were 4-for-7 on the power-play.

RIT out-shot Canisius, 39-29. Jared DeMichiel (Avon, CT/) stopped 25 shots to earn his 21st win of the season. Andrew Loewen stopped 34 shots in defeat for the Golden Griffins.

Josh Heidinger scored a goal and added two assists for the Golden Griffins. Cory Conacher added three assists. Carl Hudson, Preston Shupe and Dave Kostuch also scored.

“(Canisius) came out a lot grittier tonight,” said Wilson. “I liked where we were until the two late power-plays. It's a great learning lesson for the guys, knowing that in a single-game elimination, a game can change very quickly.”

Both RIT and Canisius scored one goal during the first period. The Golden Griffins got on the board first, at the 11:09 mark of the first period, as Heidinger ripped a slap-shot from the left half boards past a screened DeMichiel. Vincent Scarsella and Cory Conacher assisted on the power-play goal.

The Tigers rallied to tie the game at with 2:44 left in the period, as Hartley centered a pass to the front of the net the deflected off a Canisius defenseman's stick and past Loewen for his seventh goal of the season. Knowles and Tanev assisted on the goal.

DeMichiel made the save of the game just moments later. Conacher fired a shot on the rush from the left wing that DeMichiel stopped with the left pad. The rebound came right to Scarsella, who looked to have an open half of the net. DeMichiel stuck his left arm out to make a dazzling save on Scarsella, keeping the game tied.

RIT scored a pair of power-play goals in the second period to take a 3-1 lead.

Haltigin ripped a shot from the point that eluded a screened Loewen, giving RIT a 2-1 lead, 5:53 into the period. Hartley fed Mike Janda (Glen Ellyn, IL/), who found Haltigin at the right point. Haltigin's shot went over the shoulder of Loewen after Mazzei set a perfect screen in front for his eighth tally of the season.

Mazzei scored at the 9:19 mark to give RIT a 3-1 lead. Alan Mazur (Burnaby, British Columbia/) ripped a shot from the right point that went off the crossbar and dropped in the crease. Mazzei was able to slide the puck in while getting hit by a Canisius defenseman. The goal was Mazzei's ninth of the season.

The Golden Griffins cut the Tiger lead in half, 3-2, at the 11:48 mark, once again on the power-play, as Shupe slid home a loose puck after DeMichiel made the initial save on a shot by Carl Hudson. The initial shot slid through DeMichiel to the side of the net, where Shupe was all alone to tap the puck in.

RIT held a 28-14 edge in shots after two periods of play.

“It's a great accomplishment to win the regular season title and know we played well over the 28-game regular season'" said Wilson. "Our seniors have now won three in the last four seasons and can pass this down to our younger players. It's now time to prepare for the playoffs.”

RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 49-14-1. Since the start of the 2005-06 season, RIT is 10-4-0 against the Golden Griffins. Last night, the Tigers used seven different goal scorers to defeat Canisius, 8-0. Mike Janda (Glen Ellyn, IL/) scored twice to lead RIT.

RIT finished 7-1 in February, outscoring foes, 36-15.  The Tigers are 13-2-0 at home this season.

The Tigers will host a best-of-three series against a yet to be determined team starting on Friday, March 12 at 7:05 p.m. RIT will play the lowest remaining seed after the play-in round on Saturday, March 6.  Tickets will go on sale next week.