Men's Hockey | 2/14/2012 2:30:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – Playoff positioning is on the line this weekend, as the RIT men's hockey team hosts Atlantic Hockey Association rival Robert Morris for a pair of exciting AHA contests at on Friday, February 17 and Saturday, February 18, with both games starting at 7:05 p.m.

RIT enters the weekend second in Atlantic Hockey, one point behind Air Force, with 31 points, while Robert Morris is tied for sixth with 27 points. Just five points separates the top seven teams in the conference standings.
 
Austin Spencer Collision is the sponsor for Friday's game, while Wilshire Catering and At Home Builders will sponsor Saturday's contest.

RIT (17-10-3, 14-6-3 AHA), who is 33-2-7 at home against AHA foes dating back to the start of the 2009-10 season, enter this weekend riding a two-game winning streak. Last weekend, RIT earned four hard fought points in a two-game sweep over Canisius, picking up a 3-1 win in Buffalo on Thursday, then returning to Rochester to garner a 5-3 win on Saturday.

Freshman Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) scored two goals and added two assists and was plus-4 in a pair of wins over Canisius last weekend to earn AHA Rookie of the Week honors. On Saturday, he tallied a career-high three points on a goal and two assists.  Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies) leads the team in scoring with 25 points on 12 goals and 13 assists. Cameron Burt (Detroit, MI/), who is just four points away from RIT's all-time Division I scoring record, leads the squad with 17 assists. In net, Shane Madolora (Salinas, CA/) has a 15-6-2 record and is tied for the Division I lead with six shutouts, fifth nationally with a 1.91 goals against average and sixth with a .932 save percentage.  The Tigers are second nationally in Division I, allowing just 2.10 goals per game.
 
Robert Morris enters this weekend looking to move back into the top four of the league standings. The Colonials are 2-4 over their last six games, all against Western pod teams. Last weekend, the Colonials split against Mercyhurst, losing 3-1 on the road, then rebounding to win 4-2 at home. Cody Crichton leads the team in scoring with 16 assists and 23 points. Cody Wydo leads the squad and all AHA rookies with 12 goals. In net, Brooks Ostergard and Eric Levine have shared time. Ostergard is 8-9-2 with a 2.37 goals agianst average and .930 save percentage, while Levine is 6-4-1.
 
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.

This will be the second and third meetings between the two schools this season. On Dec. 17, the Colonials shutout RIT, 4-0 at the RMU Island Center, as Brooks Ostergard stopped 32 shots. Adam Brace scored a pair of goals, while Cody Crichton recorded three assists. RIT is 2-3-1 all-time against the Colonials.

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.