Men's Hockey | 12/7/2012 9:56:00 PM

Box Score

ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT men's hockey team (3-8-3, 2-5-2 AHA) snapped a six-game winless streak and won its first home game of the season, defeating the visiting Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-13-2, 0-10-2 AHA) 5-3 in front 1,711 fans at Ritter Arena on Friday evening.

The trio of Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies), Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA/Sioux City Musketeers), and Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) combined for nine points. Colavecchia scored two goals and added an assist to be named the game's third star. Kuqali was named the first star after scoring his first collegiate goal, while adding two assists. Mitchell was the game's second star after recording a career-best three assists. All three players were plus-2 on the evening.

Adam Hartley (West Vancouver, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) and Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) also scored for the Tigers, who won for the first time in 34 days and improved to 1-3-1 at Ritter Arena this season. In goal, Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) made 25 saves to pick up his first win of the season.

Ben Ketchum, Mitchell Stretch, and Ben Lake scored for the Pioneers, who have now allowed 71 goals in 15 games this season. In goal, Steven Legatto made 39 saves.

With RIT leading 4-2 on a power-play late in the third period, Lake intercepted an errant pass by Colavecchia at the Sacred Heart blue-line and came in all alone on Ruby. Lake made a tremendous deke on the RIT goaltender and slipped the puck into the open side of the net for the shorthanded goal with 2:18 left, cutting the RIT lead to 4-3.

Just 14 seconds later, McGowan put the game away, blasting a one-timer from the right-circle off a great passing play from Kuqali and Brad Shumway (Lafayette, CO/Chicago Steel) to make it 5-3 Tigers. Shumway went across to Kuqali from the right to left point. Kuqali then one-timed a perfect pass to McGowan, who was all alone and buried the shot past a sliding Legatto for his second tally of the season.

RIT out-shot Sacred Heart 44-28, including 38-13 over the first and third periods. RIT was 1-for-5 with the man-advantage, while Sacred Heart was 1-for-7. The Pioneers did tally a shorthanded goal. Sacred Heart snapped a 0-for-43 drought on the power-play with the second period goal.

RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson is happy to see his team back in the win column.

"We just wanted to play our game and for the most part we did," said Wilson. "I thought our freshman played really well tonight, and Jordan (Ruby) came up with a couple of really good saves. We have to stay out of the penalty box tomorrow night, continue to play well 5-on-5 and play hard-fought Tiger hockey."

RIT came out and dominated the first period, firing a season-high 22 shots, while scoring the first two goals of the contest.

Ruby had to make a big save early on a good low shot by Ben Ketchum.

RIT thought they had the early lead, as Dan Schuler (Webster, NY/Powell River Kings) was wide open in front with an open net after Legatto made a save on a shot by Greg Noyes (Lucan, Ontario/Salmon Arm Silverbacks), but the rookie forward fired the puck through the goal mouth and wide.

RIT struck twice in a span of 38 seconds late in the period to take the 2-0 lead. Colavecchia slammed home a rebound after Legatto made a tremendous save on a chance by Nolan Descoteaux (Dallas, TX/South Shore Kings). Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) fired a cross-ice pass to Descoteaux, who snuck behind the Pioneers defense. Descoteaux tried to deke Legatto, but the goaltender made a great save. The puck squirted out to Colavecchia in front, who chipped a shot over the fallen goalie for his third goal of the season.

Hartley made it 2-0 at the 15:48 mark, as he took a feed from Schuler in close, and tapped the puck into the open net past Legatto for his third tally of the year. Mitchell fired a pass that Schuler tapped to Hartley for the tally.

Ruby ended the period with a great shoulder save on a hard slap shot by Matt Solomon from the top of the circle to keep it 2-0 Tigers.

Both teams scored twice in a penalty-filled second period in which Sacred Heart held a 15-6 edge in shots. The Pioneers also hit two posts in the frame.

RIT made it 3-0 just 1:19 into the period, as Colavecchia tallied his second goal of the game and fourth of the season. RIT kept the puck in the Sacred Heart zone for well over 30 seconds, punctuated by a great diving effort by Greg Noyes (Lucan, Ontario/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) at the point to keep the play alive. The puck came to Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs), who found Kuqali in close. The freshman defenseman made a move towards the net and slid the puck through the legs of Legatto, where Colavecchia tapped it in, just before it went over the goal line.

Sacred Heart got on the board at the 3:37 mark, as Ketchum finished a nice passing play from in tight, sliding the puck past Ruby for his third goal of the season. Chad Fliateau fed Kyle Verbeek behind the net, who then fired a perfect pass to an open Ketchum on the doorstep.

Kuqali recorded his first collegiate goal to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead at the 13:39 mark. At the side wall, Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) once again found Colavecchia, who then fed Kuqali in the slot. Kuqali put the shot past Legatto to give RIT the three-goal cushion.

The Pioneers scored their first power-play goal in 10 games at the 18:21 mark, on a 5-on-3, as Stretch took a pass from Jared Eng at the left point and blasted a high-hard slapshot over the glove of Ruby and just inside the right post to make it 4-2.

Ruby had to come up with a couple of big saves early in the third period, as he stopped Matt Solomon on a shot from the point and then robbed Verbeek on the enusuing rebound at the doorstep to keep it a two-goal game.

The Tigers lead the all-time series between the two schools, 13-4-2 and are riding a six-game unbeaten streak against the Pioneers. Last season, the Tigers recorded back-to-back shutouts against Sacred Heart on the road, 10-0 and 3-0. The 10 goals scored are the most in a single-game for RIT at the Division I level. Colavecchia had a hat-trick and an assist in that contest, while Greg Noyes (Lucan, Ontario/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) tallied two goals and dished out two assists.

RIT's six-game winless streak heading into tonight's game was the longest such streak for the team at the Division I level.

The two teams conclude their regular season series on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m.