Men's Hockey | 10/15/2011 10:04:00 PM

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ROCHESTER, NY – Sophomore forward Adam Mitchell (Crofton, MD/Baystate Breakers) scored just 14 seconds into overtime to lift the RIT men's hockey team to a wild, 6-5 win over St. Lawrence (0-4-0) in front of a loud, orange clad, sellout crowd of 10,556 fans at Blue Cross Arena on Saturday night.  RIT rallied from a 5-3 deficit in the third period, highlighted by Adam Hartley (West Vancouver, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles)'s goal with nine seconds left to force overtime.  The game was the focal point of RIT's Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend.

Right off the opening faceoff of overtime, Daniel Spivak (Thornhill, Ontario/) forced a turnover in the neutral zone.  Cameron Burt (Detroit, MI/) carried the puck into the St. Lawrence zone, made a nifty move around a forward and fed Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles), creating a 2-on-1 with Adam Mitchell (Crofton, MD/Baystate Breakers).  McGowan fed Mitchell, who came in and slipped a shot to the far side of the net past St. Lawrence goaltender Matt Weninger, sending the sellout crowd into an absolute frenzy.

Hartley tied the game at 5-5 with just nine seconds left in regulation.  With RIT goaltender Shane Madolora (Salinas, CA/) pulled for the extra attacker, Cameron Burt (Detroit, MI/) lunged to barely keep the puck in the St. Lawrence zone with 13 seconds left.  He collected the puck and fired a shot that deflected off a St. Lawrence defensemen and the skate of Greg Noyes (Lucan, Ontario/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) in front right to Hartley, who was all alone in tight, stuffing a shot past Weninger to the open right side.

With the game tied at 3-3 to start the third period, Patrick Doherty scored twice in a span of 1:41 early in the frame to give the Saints a commanding 5-3 lead.  His first goal came on the rush, as he poked the puck through the legs of Madolora, as the goaltender was attempting a poke-check.  Doherty then ripped a shot top shelf over the shoulder of Madolora on a power-play from the slot.

RIT cut the St. Lawrence lead in half, 5-4 with 11:14 left, as Bryan Potts (Niagara Falls, Ontario/Markham Waxers) scored his second goal of the game on the power-play, after an attempted centering pass went off a skate of a Saints defender and past Weninger.  Noyes and Burt assisted on the goal.

The Tigers, who had struggled on the penalty-kill all evening came up big, killing off a five-minute major assessed to Nolan Descoteaux (Dallas, TX/South Shore Kings) with 8:45 left.

Burt tied a RIT Division I team record with five points on two goals and three assists.  It is the second time in his career he has reached that milestone with both occurring at Blue Cross Arena.  Burt also reached that milestone in the 2010 Atlantic Hockey Association Championship game against St. Lawrence.

Potts tied a career-high with three points on two goals and an assist.  Mitchell finished with a goal and an assist, while Noyes and Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) dished out two assists apiece.  McGowan and Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) recorded their first collegiate points.

RIT out-shot St. Lawrence, 30-28.  Madolora picked up his first win of the season, stopping 23 shots.  Weninger made 24 saves for the Saints.

St. Lawrence went 3-for-5 with the man-advantage, while RIT was 2-for-3. 

RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson was relieved that the fans were able to celebrate a win at Blue Cross Arena. 

“That was one of the more exciting games we've had, and to comeback and win in front of such a great crowd was very rewarding,” said Wilson.  “It's great to get a win for the fans here tonight.”

Both teams had good chances during a quickly played first period, in which both teams scored once.

Burt scored RIT's first goal of the season, 3:23 in, as he converted a rebound off a point shot by Daniel Spivak (Thornhill, Ontario/).  Spivak took a feed from Mitchell at the left point and fired a low, hard shot that Wenninger stopped.  The rebound came right to Burt at the left side of the crease and he quickly put the shot into the open side for the goal.

St, Lawrence tied the game just over five minutes later, while shorthanded, as Flanagan stole the puck in the defensive zone and broke out with Jacob Drewiske on a 2-on-1 rush.  Flanagan fed Drewiske, who played the give-and-go perfectly, getting the puck back to Flanagan who went top shelf on Madolora, who had very little chance.

Descoteaux had a great chance for RIT late in the period, but was denied by Weninger.

Both teams scored twice in a wild second period that featured several good chances from each side.

Flanagan tallied his second goal of the game 5:05 into the period, on the power-play, as he walked out of the corner, went around a Tiger player, came out and front and deked Madolora to the far post for his fifth of the year.

RIT rallied with a power-play goal of its own a little over five minutes later, as McGowan fed a cross ice, back door pass to Burt who was all alone in tight.  Burt made no mistake, slipping the pass between the legs of a sliding Weninger for his second tally of the night.  Noyes started the play by feeding Potts at the right wing boards.  Potts, who fed McGowan down low, also assisted on the goal.

RIT took a 3-2 lead at the 13:43 mark, as Potts jammed in a shot from in tight after coming out of the corner for his first goal of the year.  Good cycling by Taylor McReynolds (Sherwood Park, Alberta/) and Garbowsky kept the puck down low for Potts to get the scoring chance.

With just one second left on a St. Lawrence power-play and just 57 seconds left in the period, Essery tallied his first goal of the season.  Rick Carden held the puck in and fired a shot that was deflected by Jeremy Wick right to Essery in front, who had an open net after Madolora committed to the original shot.

Less than 30 seconds later, Eliot Raibl (Vancouver, British Columbia/Quesnel Millionaires) almost gave RIT its lead back as his shot from the left point went through traffic and eluded Weninger, but clanged off the inside of the left post and out.

Tonight's win was just the second for the Tigers all-time against St. Lawrence and are now 2-7-0 all-time against the Saints, including 2-4-0 at the Division I level.  RIT last defeated the Saints on Oct. 28, 2005. 

RIT is now 5-6-1 all-time at Blue Cross Arena during the Division I era.   

Tonight's sellout at Blue Cross Arena was the second in as many years, tying RIT's regular season record for the largest crowd.  This season, the game was sold out 54 hours before the puck drop.

The Tigers return to action on Thursday, as they make the quick trip West on I-90 to face Atlantic Hockey Association rival Canisius at Buffalo State Ice Arena.  The contest gets underway at 7:05 p.m.