Men's Hockey | 12/8/2015 11:05:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's hockey team plays its final two games of the 2015 calendar year this weekend, embarking on a home-and-home series against Atlantic Hockey foe Niagara. Friday's game from the Gene Polisseni Center begins at 7:05 p.m., while Saturday's contest from Dwyer Arena in Niagara also gets underway at 7:05 p.m.
 
Tickets are available for both games online at www.rithockey.com, the Gene Polisseni Center Box Office, or by calling (585) 475-4121. Friday is "Star Wars Night" night. Fans are encouraged to dress up like their favorite Star Wars characters and will be able to meet various characters from the movie in the Polisseni Center lower level concourse. In addition, Bill Gray's will be giving away vouchers for a free cheeseburger. Author Scott Pitoniak will be on hand to sign copies of his new book "Frozen in Time: The History of RIT Hockey", published by RIT Press, from 5:30-7 p.m. in the main lobby.
 
On Sunday, Dec. 13 at 12 p.m., RIT will hold its annual Skate With the Tigers event at the Polisseni Center. Admission is $5.00 and includes the event, a team picture, and autographs from your favorite players. Skate rental is available at the Polisseni Center. All proceeds from the event will go to "Hockey Coaches Care", the official charitable foundation of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA). Everyone in attendance will be given a ticket with the chance to win various prizes, including a game-worn jersey.
 
It was a tale of two different nights last weekend, as RIT fell to Robert Morris, 4-0 on Friday and rebounded to tie a season-high with six goals in a 6-3 win on Saturday. On Saturday, Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals) scored a pair of goals, while Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) added a goal and an assist. Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA/Sioux City Musketeers), Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers), and Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) also scored for the Tigers, while Brady Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) and Greg Amlong (O'Fallon, MO/UMass Lowell) dished out two assists each. In goal, freshman Christian Short (Vaughan, Ontario/Surrey Eagles) stopped 21 shots for his second collegiate win.
 
The Tigers (4-8-2, 4-3-1 Atlantic Hockey) play their final 20 regular season games against league opponents. Mark Golberg (Ottawa, Ontario/Cumberland Grads) leads RIT in scoring with 12 points on two goals and 10 assists in 13 games. Amlong is second on the squad with nine points and is tied for the team lead in goals with Powell. Both players have five goals on the season. In goal, Short is 2-2-0 with a 2.75 goals against average and an .884 save percentage, while Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) is 2-6-2 with a 3.33 goals against average and an .888 save percentage.
 
Niagara enters the weekend with a 2-10-2 record, including a 2-5-1 mark in league play. Last weekend, the Purple Eagles split a two-game series against Atlantic Hockey foe Bentley, winning 6-4 on Friday and losing 3-1 on Saturday. Niagara is being out-scored by its opponents, 58-32 this season. Dan Kolenda and Nick Farmer lead the team in scoring with nine points apiece. Derian Plouffe has a team-best six goals, while Farmer and Vinny Muto both have seven assists to lead the way.  In net, Joe O'Brien is 2-2-1 with a 3.07 goals against average and an .888 save percentage, while Guilliame Therien is 0-8-1 with a 4.84 goals against average and a .872 save percentage.
 
Niagara leads the all-time series between the two schools, 14-5-11, 12-3-9 in the Division I era. RIT went 2-0-2 against the Purple Eagles in 2014-15 and won for the first time at Dwyer Arena on Feb. 6 by a 7-3 score. In the last meeting on Feb. 7, Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) scored with 30 seconds left in regulation to salvage a 4-4 tie.

Both games will be aired on Time Warner Cable Sports with Gene Battaglia and John DiTullio on the broadcast Friday and Sloane Martin along with Chris Panek on Saturday. Friday's game will also be aired via tape delay on TSN2 in Canada, starting at 11 p.m.
 
In addition, both contests will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu. Online video is also available, along with live stats Friday and Saturday.

Come out and support the Tigers as they look to repeat as Atlantic Hockey Champions.