Men's Hockey | 1/13/2015 4:00:00 PM
Click here for RIT Game Notes --- Click here for Sacred Heart Game Notes
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's hockey team returns to action this weekend with a pair of Atlantic Hockey contests at Sacred Heart. Both games will start at 7:05 p.m., Friday and Saturday, from the Milford Ice Pavilion.
The Tigers will look to extend their unbeaten streak to three games on Friday. Last weekend, the Tigers took three points from American International, skating to a 3-3 tie on Friday, while winning 3-2 on Saturday. RIT fired 85 shots in the two wins, most for RIT over a two-game stretch since firing 87 in a two-game series against Mercyhurst on Feb. 14-15, 2014. On Friday, RIT held three different one-goal leads, but the Yellow Jackets would send the game to overtime with seven seconds left in regulation.
Caleb Cameron (Sunridge, Ontario/Listowel Cyclones),
Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles), and
Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) scored for RIT, while
Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) made 21 saves. On Saturday, Mitchell and
Andrew Miller (Chicago, IL/Chicago Steel) scored in the first 2:08 to give RIT a 2-0 lead and
Garrett McMullen (Churchville, NY/Trail Smoke Eaters) scored the game-winning goal in the second period.
Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) made 14 saves in the win, as RIT held a 40-16 edge in shots.
RIT extended its unbeaten streak to 12 games against American International and lead the all-time series between the two schools, 25-3-3.
Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) is second nationally with 320 face-off wins, tied for third with 14 goals, and tied for fifth with 26 points. Garbowsky has had a hand on 49.1 percent (26-of-53) of RIT's goals this season, highest in the nation. Mitchell is second on the team in scoring with 21 points on seven goals and 14 assists, while McGowan has 17 points on six goals and 11 assists.
Sacred Heart (6-13-3, 5-8-3 AHC) enters the weekend looking to snap a three-game winless streak. Last weekend, the Pioneers were swept by league foe Mercyhurst, 7-2 and 4-2. Its opponents are outscoring Sacred Heart, 80-55 this season. Zach Luczyk leads the team in scoring with 20 points on eight goals and 12 assists. Five other Pioneers have between 11 and 14 points. In goal, Andrew Bodnarchuk and Alex Vazzano have split time this season. Bodnarchuk is 4-6-3 with a 3.28 goals against average and .898 save percentage, while Vazzano is 2-7-0 with a 3.61 goals against average and .892 save percentage.
It will be the third and fourth meetings between the two schools this season, as RIT is 17-5-2 all-time against the Pioneers. The two teams met previously this season on Nov. 21-22 at the Gene Polisseni Center, with RIT winning 5-1 on Nov. 21 and Sacred Heart earning a 2-1 victory on Nov. 22. On Nov. 21, the Tigers scored two shorthanded goals for the first time in nearly six years. Garbowsky tied a career-high with four points on two goals and two assists, while McGowan added a goal and two assists. The next night, Drew George and Jordan Minello scored goals 2:18 apart early in the first period to give Sacred Heart a 2-0 lead and goaltender Andrew Bodnarchuk made 25 saves. That snapped RIT's 10-game unbeaten streak against Sacred Heart.
Both games will be
aired online and
WITR 89.7 FM will cover each contest. Live stats will be available for both
Friday and
Saturday's contests.
