Men's Hockey | 3/15/2010 2:06:51 PM

ROCHESTER, NY - The top-seeded RIT men's hockey team has advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals for the third straight year and will play the No. 5 Canisius Golden Griffins at Blue Cross Arena on Friday, March 19 at 4:05 p.m. If RIT wins, they will play in the Atlantic Hockey Association Championship against Sacred Heart or Air Force at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday, March 20 at 7:05 p.m.

No. 2 Sacred Heart will face No. 3 Air Force in the second semifinal at 7:35 p.m. on Friday. Air Force has won three straight Atlantic Hockey Association Championships.

The winner of the AHA Championship on Saturday will earn an automatic berth into the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

Tickets are available for this weekend's games at the Gordon Field House and Blue Cross Arena box offices or ticketmaster.com. The two-day, four-game pass (which includes the Section V Exceptional Senior game on Saturday at 2 p.m.) is $32 for adults and $22 for students. Single-day passes are $18 and $12.  Ticket prices for children ages 2-12 are $5 per day, or $10 for the weekend pass.

The Tigers (24-11-1, 20-5-1 Atlantic Hockey Association) enter this weekend's contests having won eight straight games, outscoring foes 35-12 during the streak. The 24 wins are a Division I team single-season team record. Last weekend, the Tigers swept No. 9 Connecticut in the AHA quarterfinals, winning 4-3 in overtime on Friday, and 4-1 on Saturday. Chris Haltigin (Oakville, Ontario/) scored 9:56 into overtime on Friday, while Adam Hartley (West Vancouver, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) tallied a goal and an assist on Saturday.

RIT is tied for fourth nationally, allowing just 2.17 goals per game. RIT's offense is ninth in the nation, averaging 3.50 goals per game. Goaltender Jared DeMichiel (Avon, CT/) is among the national leaders in wins (23), goals against average (2.10), and save percentage (.919). Andrew Favot (King City, Ontario/) and Cameron Burt (Detroit, MI/) are tied for the team lead in scoring with 38 points apiece. Burt has a team-best 14 goals, while Favot has 26 assists. The Tigers have nine players with at least 20 points this season. Senior defenseman Dan Ringwald (Oakville, Ontario/) has 30 points on 11 goals and 19 assists. It is his third straight season with at least 30 points. He is seventh nationally among all defensemen in scoring.

Canisius (17-14-5, 13-11-4 AHA) was the lone road team to win an AHA quarterfinal series, sweeping No. 4 Mercyhurst, 5-1 on Friday, and 5-4 in double overtime on Saturday. Ben Parker scored seven minutes into double overtime on Saturday, allowing Canisius to advance. Cory Conacher leads the Golden Griffins and Atlantic Hockey, and is second nationally in scoring with 53 points (20-33-53). Canisius has four players with at least 30 points. Goaltender Dan Morrison earned both wins at Mercyhurst and has played in 26 games this season. He is 12-10-3 with a 3.12 goals against average and .907 save percentage.

Sacred Heart (20-12-4, 16-9-3 AHA) earned the sweep in its AHA quarterfinal series over No. 7 Holy Cross, 4-0 on Friday, and 4-3 in overtime on Saturday. Matt Gingera scored 4:53 into overtime on Saturday, allowing Sacred Heart to advance. Nick Johnson leads the Pioneers, is second in Atlantic Hockey, and third nationally in scoring with 52 points (27-25-52). He is tied for the national lead with 27 goals. Dave Jarman leads the team with 35 assists. Canisius has five players with at least 30 points. Goaltender Stevan Legatto earned both wins against Holy Cross and has played in 31 games this season. He is 18-9-3 with a 3.07 goals against average and .908 save percentage.

Air Force (16-14-6, 14-8-6 AHA) swept No. 6 Army in its AHA Quarterfinal series, 3-0 on Friday, and 4-2 on Saturday. Jacques Lamoureux scored with 1:25 in regulation on Saturday, allowing Air Force to advance. Lamoureux leads the Falcons in scoring with 41 points (21-20-41). He is tied for second in the nation with 13 power-play goals. Derrick Burnett leads the squad with 22 assists. Goaltender Andrew Volkening earned both wins against Army and has played in all 36 games this season. He is 16-14-6 with a 2.46 goals against average and .918 save percentage.

RIT finished 2-0 against Canisius this season, winning 8-0 and 5-4 at Ritter Arena on Feb. 26-27. 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. The Tigers are 3-1 against Sacred Heart, and 2-2 versus Air Force this season.

Saturday's championship game will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports channel 26, with Gene Battaglia and John Ditullio bringing you the action.

Come out and support the Tigers in their quest for the 2010 Atlantic Hockey Championship.