Men's Hockey | 3/12/2010 10:28:08 PM

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ROCHESTER, NY - Chris Haltigin (Oakville, Ontario/) scored 9:56 into overtime to lift the RIT men's hockey team (23-11-1) to its seventh straight win, 4-3 over Connecticut (7-26-3) in game one of the Atlantic Hockey Association quarterfinals on Friday at Ritter Arena. RIT tied a Division I team record with its 23rd win of the season.

The top-seeded Tigers squandered a three-goal lead, but were able to get the win over the No. 9 Huskies and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Haltigin took a feed from Tyler Mazzei (Kelowna, British Columbia/) at the right point, took one step in and ripped a hard slap shot over the shoulder of Connecticut goaltender Garrett Bartus, who was screened.

RIT had several chances to win the game earlier in the overtime period, but Bartus was able to keep the puck out of the net. Daniel Naurato had Connecticut's best chance in the overtime period, firing a shot from the high slot that skittered off the glove of RIT goaltender Jared DeMichiel (Avon, CT/) and slid just wide.

Bartus was sensational in goal for the Huskies, stopping 51 shots to be named the game's first star. He made 33 consecutive saves from the 7:36 mark of the second period until Haltigin's goal.

RIT dominated throughout, out-shooting the Huskies 55-18, including 9-5 in overtime, and 18-1 in the third period. The 55 shots on goal is a Division I team record. RIT fired 54 shots against Mercyhurst on Nov. 17, 2007.

Dan Ringwald (Oakville, Ontario/), Scott Knowles (Riverside, Ontario/), Andrew Favot (King City, Ontario/), and Haltigin scored for RIT. Haltigin added an assist, while Tyler Brenner (Linwood, Ontario/) dished out two assists.

Tiger goaltender Jared DeMichiel (Avon, CT/) made 15 saves to earn his 22nd win of the season.

Jim Gallagher, Evan Carriere, and Andrew Olson scored for the Huskies. Mike Coppola recorded two assists.

The Tigers were 2-for-9 with the power-play, but allowed their sixth shorthanded goal of the season. Connecticut was 1-for-7 with the man-advantage.

RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson was relieved to get the win.

“When someone is playing as well as (Bartus) was, you can't just stop shooting,” said Wilson. “We needed to keep shooting and generate as much as we could. We have a few guys that can certainly rip the puck and Chris (Haltigin) is one of them. We gave them some opportunities and they capitalized. We've got to try and play mistake free. We were a bit sloppy at times. We have to play better tomorrow, be focused, and ready to go.”

RIT jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play, out-shooting the Huskies, 15-4. The Tigers allowed very little in the way of scoring chances, and held a strong advantage in scoring chances.

Bartus made a great save just a few minutes, robbing Mazzei with a left arm save, sprawling across the crease.

RIT connected twice in a span of 25 seconds midway through the first period. On the power-play, Ringwald roofed a shot from the right face-off circle over the shoulder of Bartus, off the crossbar and in for his 11th goal of the season at the 11:10 mark. Chris Tanev (Toronto, Ontario/) fed Brenner at the left side of the goal. Brenner fired a perfect cross ice pass to Ringwald for the goal.

Knowles took a perfect feed from Adam Hartley (West Vancouver, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles), while streaking towards the Huskies net and redirected a shot past Bartus from in close to make it 2-0 RIT. Brent Alexin (West Seneca, NY/) stripped a Connecticut defenseman at the blue-line and fed Hartley, who was coming down the right side. Knowles beat his man to the net and was able to convert for his fifth goal of the season.

Connecticut's best chance of the period came on a power-play, when DeMichiel was able to slide across and rob Jason Krispel at the side of the net.

The Tigers looked to run away with the game, taking a 3-0 lead 7:36 into the period on the power-play, as Favot tried to center a pass to Ringwald that went off a Connecticut defenseman and past Bartus.   Cameron Burt (Detroit, MI/) and Haltigin assisted on the goal, Favot's 12th of the season.

Connecticut came roaring back with three straight goals in a 9:17 span to tie the game at 3.

Gallagher tallied a power-play goal just 1:29 after Favot's tally to make it 3-1. He jammed in a one-timer from in tight past DeMichiel off a feed from Naurato.

Carriere made it 3-2 at the 16:24 mark, slipping a shot past DeMichiel off a giveaway in the Tigers zone. Jeff Sapieha and Coppola assisted on the goal.

Just 1:58 later, Olson tied the game, shorthanded. Jason Krispel carried the puck into the Tiger zone and fired a harmless shot that looked to be going wide. DeMichiel attempted to glove the puck, but could not corral it, and bounced into the crease. Olson was there to bury the rebound, silencing the Ritter Arena crowd.

The Tigers dominated the third period, out-shooting Connecticut 18-1, but Bartus was the story. He made several highlight reel saves, including a glove save on Burt, as he came in all alone.

He made a handful of big saves during a Tiger power-play midway through the period, including a pair on Tyler Brenner (Linwood, Ontario/) in tight.

RIT nearly won the game with just over a minute left in regulation, as Hartley redirected a shot that looked to have Bartus beat, but just slid wide.

RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 13-6-1. Since the start of the 2005-06 season, RIT is 8-4-1 against the Huskies. The Tigers are now 4-1 against the Huskies this season, outscoring them, 21-7. RIT defeated Connecticut earlier in the season at Ritter Arena, 6-2 and 7-0. Alan Mazur (Burnaby, British Columbia/) and Ringwald recorded back-to-back hat-tricks in those two contests.

RIT is now 5-3 all-time in the postseason at the Division I level, and 5-1 at Ritter Arena. RIT has scored 32 goals in six Ritter Arena playoff games.

The Tigers are 14-2-0 at home this season, outscoring foes 69-29.

The Tigers and Connecticut will play game two of the best-of-three series on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. If necessary, game three will be on Sunday at 7:05 p.m.