Men's Hockey | 1/29/2013 1:58:00 PM

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ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's hockey team plays a pair of crucial home games against Atlantic Hockey Association rival Connecticut on Friday and Saturday. Both games at Ritter Arena will get underway at 7:05 p.m.

Taylor the Builders and Austin Spencer Collision at RIT are Friday's game sponsors, while M and T Bank is Saturday's sponsor. The Tigers and Huskies are tied for eighth in the AHA standings with 16 points apiece, just five points out of second. Niagara leads the conference with 30 points, nine ahead of Air Force.

RIT (8-11-5, 6-7-4 AHA) recorded a tie and a loss vs. No. 17 Niagara last weekend, skating to a 3-3 draw at home against the Purple Eagles on Friday, and falling by a score of 6-4 on the road on Saturday.  On Friday, Brad Shumway (Lafayette, CO/Chicago Steel) scored his first collegiate goal with 5:42 left in regulation to rally RIT to the tie, while Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) had a goal and an assist. On Saturday, RIT got down 3-0 in the first period and could not recover. Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies) and Chris Saracino (St. Louis, MO/Green Bay Gamblers) tallied a goal and two assists apiece, while Greg Noyes (Lucan, Ontario/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) had a goal and an assist.

The Tigers have five home games and five away games remaining. The RIT power-play is up to second nationally at 26.1 percent (24-for-92).  Colavecchia is second nationally with seven power-play goals and has 15 points (8-7-15) over his last 10 games. Saracino is third nationally among all defensemen, averaging 0.92 points per game (22 points in 24 games).

Connecticut (10-11-3, 7-8-2 AHA) enters this weekend's contests fresh off a three-point weekend against American International. Last Friday, the Huskies earned a 3-1 win at home, while the two teams skated to a 1-1 draw the following night. Sean Ambrosie leads the Huskies in scoring this season with 20 points on six goals and 14 assists. Both Brant Harris and Trevor Gerling have a team-best seven goals. Connecticut have been outscored by its opponents, 62-53 this season. In net, Garrett Bartus and Matt Grogan have both seen ample minutes. Grogan is 5-2-2 with a 1.89 goals against average and .941 save percentage, while Bartus is 5-9-1 with a 2.70 goals against average and .917 save percentage.

RIT is 18-7-1 all-time against Connecticut, and 13-5-1 since 2007. Last season, the two teams split the season series at Connecticut with the Huskies winning 3-2 and RIT securing a 2-1 victory. The Tigers are 13-2-0 all-time against Connecticut at Ritter Arena, including nine in a row.

Tickets are available for both games at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center Box Office or by phone at (585) 475-4121. Fans can also purchase tickets at www.rithockey.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.

Fans can visit the RIT United Way booth at both games this weekend to participate in a raffle to win a customized 2012-13 RIT Hockey jersey and or autographed sticks by the men's and women's hockey teams. All money goes towards the United Way fund. Each ticket is $1.00, while 20 tickets will be $5.00. Winners will be announced during the second intermission on Saturday.

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 from Ritter Arena.  In addition, both games will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu. Live stats are also available here.

Come out and support the Tigers as they continue their quest for the 2013 Atlantic Hockey Championship.