Men's Hockey | 1/25/2012 10:01:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY -- The RIT men's hockey team plays its first home games in 48 days, as Atlantic Hockey Association leader Mercyhurst University comes to Ritter Arena for a pair of exciting Atlantic Hockey Association contests on Friday, January 27 and Saturday, January 28, with both games starting at 7:05 p.m.

It is a battle of the top two teams in Atlantic Hockey, as Mercyhurst leads the conference with 25 points, with RIT right behind in second with 24 points.
 
Tim Horton's is the sponsor for Friday's game, while Park Point will sponsor Saturday's contest. Tim Horton's will have free coffee and hot chocolate on Friday.

RIT (14-8-2, 11-4-2 AHA), who is 31-2-6 at home against AHA foes dating back to the start of the 2009-10 season, enter this weekend riding a four-game winning streak. Last weekend, the Tigers moved into sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Hockey Association standings with a pair of road wins at Bentley, 2-0 on Friday and 2-1 on Saturday.

Goaltender Shane Madolora (Salinas, CA/) is tied for the Division I lead with six shutouts, third nationally with a .935 save percentage and fourth with a 1.82 goals against average. He leads the AHA with a 1.38 goals against average, .951 save percentage, and .808 winning percentage in league play. Senior defenseman Chris Haltigin (Oakville, Ontario/) tallied three assists and was plus-4 over the weekend. He is currently riding a four-game points streak with six assists and is plus-8 during that span. Freshman forward Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) has three goals and three assists over the last four games.
 
The Tigers are third nationally in Division I, allowing just 2.04 goals per game. In AHA play, RIT has the league's stingiest defense, allowing 1.65 goals per contest.
 
Mercyhurst (14-9-3, 11-3-3 AHA) enters the weekend with a 6-1-1 mark over its last eight games to move into first place in the conference standings. Last weekend, the Lakers went on the road to defeat Holy Cross, 3-2 in overtime on Friday, then skated to a 5-5 draw the following evening. The Lakers are the highest scoring team in AHA play, averaging 3.47 goals per game. Three of Mercyhurst's top four scorers are freshmen, led by Nardo Nagtzann and Daniel Bahntge, who have 23 points apiece to lead the squad. Paul Chiasson and Derek Elliot lead the squad with 10 goals apiece. In goal, Max Strang has seen the majority of playing time, and is 12-9-3 with a 2.80 goals against average and .922 save percentage.  He also has two shutouts this season.
 
Tickets are available for Friday and Saturday's games at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center Box Office or by phone at (585) 475-4121. Fans can also purchase tickets via ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for RIT faculty, staff and alumni and $5 for students with ID. Fans can also buy special reserved seats in Section 100 or 101 for $13 (adults), $11 (faculty/staff/alumni) or $8 (students). Buying a reserved section ticket will guarantee you a seat for the game.

It will be the second and third meetings between the two schools this season, as Mercyhurst defeated RIT 2-1 at the Mercyhurst Ice Arena behind 49 saves from Max Strang on October 28. RIT is 27-14-5 all-time against the Lakers and are 11-5-2 against Mercyhurst since moving to Division I in 2005. 

Friday and Saturday's games will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports channel 26 or 1026 for high definition subscribers, with Gene Battaglia and John Ditullio bringing you the action. In addition, the game will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu.  There will also be live stats.
 
Come out and support the Tigers as they continue their quest for the 2012 Atlantic Hockey Championship.