Men's Hockey | 10/29/2013 10:55:00 AM

Click here for RIT Game Notes --- Click here for Air Force Game Notes

ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT men's hockey team opens up Atlantic Hockey Association play and looks for its first victory of the 2013-14 season, as perennial rival Air Force Academy comes to Ritter Arena for a single contest on Friday at 7:05 p.m. RIT plays 27 of its final 29 games against AHA opponents.

Last Friday, RIT skated to a 3-3 draw at Penn State in front of a sellout crowd of 6,211 fans at brand-new Pegula Ice Arena. Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies) and Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) had a goal and an assist apiece, while Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) dished out a pair of assists. Adam Mitchell (Crofton, MD/Baystate Breakers), playing in his first game of the season, scored a power-play goal. In net, Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) made 32 saves for the Tigers, who were out-shot, 35-25. RIT was 2-for-6 with the man-advantage, while Penn State was 1-for-5. McGowan's goal with 7:19 left in regulation tied the game and sent it into overtime.

Penn State is a Big Ten school and under Big Ten rules, all regular season games that are tied after overtime must go to a shootout. Despite the shootout having no bearing on records or stats, the two teams competed in a best-of-three shootout, RIT's first all-time. RIT won the shootout, 2-0 in two rounds, thanks to goals from Alex Perron-Fontaine (St. Mathieu de Beloeil, Quebec/Chilliwack Chiefs) and Colavecchia. Adam Mitchell (Crofton, MD/Baystate Breakers) was slated to be the third shooter if it went to a third round.

Colavecchia leads the team in scoring with six points on four goals and two assists. RIT is off to an excellent start with the man-advantage this season, with seven goals in 24 attempts, a 29.2 percent conversion rate, fifth nationally. RIT has scored two power-play goals three different times this season.

Tonight's game is RIT's 2013-14 AHA opener. RIT has an impeccable 117-50-26 mark in AHA play since joining the league at the start of the 2006-07 season, including a 64-19-13 mark at home. RIT has won four AHA regular season titles in its seven previous years in the league. RIT's non-AHA contests come on Nov. 22-23 at home against St. Lawrence.

Air Force enters Friday's contest fresh off a pair of wins over AHA foes Canisius and Niagara last weekend. Last Friday, the Falcons earned a 3-2 win at home against Canisius, and on Sunday, defeated Niagara by a score of 7-4. Air Force has out-scored its opponents, 21-19 this season. Chad Demers leads the Falcons in scoring with nine points on two goals and seven assists. Cole Gunner has a team-best five goals and is second with eight points.  In net, RIT nemesis Jason Torf is 4-2-0 with a 2.87 goals against average and .897 save percentage.

RIT and Air Force have one of the most competitive rivalries in Division I. Air Force leads the all-time series between the two schools, 19-15-3. The teams met in the last 2011 and 2012 AHA Championship games and combined to win the last six of the last seven league titles. Since the start of the 2005-06 season, RIT is 12-17-3 against Air Force. The Tigers have an 9-4-1 mark against the Falcons at Ritter Arena during that span.

Tickets are available for Friday's game 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.

Friday's game 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, the game will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu. Live stats are also available here.

On Saturday, the 2013 RIT Men's Hockey Meet and Greet: Reaching Out at RIT will be hosted at Barnes & Noble @ RIT to support Hockey Coaches Care, the official charitable foundation of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA), from noon to 1 p.m. at Park Point in Henrietta.  The RIT and local community will have the opportunity to meet their favorite players from the men's RIT Division I hockey team and support the Hockey Coaches Care Relief Fund. The event is free and open to the public.
 
Support the RIT men's hockey team as they reach out to help the amateur hockey community and pursue the 2013 Atlantic Hockey Championship. Autographed hockey memorabilia will be sold at auction in conjunction with raffle prizes provided by the Park Point businesses. A $2 minimum donation will score you a FREE 2012-2013 team photo, and a $5 dollar donation will buy you 10 tickets towards gift certificates from local businesses.  Attendees can watch season highlights on the big screen, while enjoying refreshments, courtesy of the Barnes & Noble @ RIT Café.

Come out and support your Tigers in their final season at Ritter Arena, as they make a push towards the 2014 AHA Championship.