ROCHESTER, NY – For the second consecutive evening, the RIT men's hockey team (3-5-1, 3-3-0 Atlantic Hockey) held a big advantage in shots on goal, but could not get the victory, falling to Canisius College (4-5-1, 3-0-1 Atlantic Hockey) 2-1 in front of 2,838 fans at the Gene Polisseni Center on Saturday.

RIT out-shot Canisius 44-20, one night after holding a 41-23 edge in shots. Canisius goaltender Charles Williams was brilliant in net, stopping 43 of 44 RIT shots, including several big saves late in regulation when the Tigers were buzzing in the Canisius zone. Overall, he made 84 saves on 85 shots over the weekend.

Joshua Gabriel scored the game-winning goal 2:07 into the third period for Canisius. Casey Jerry scored his first collegiate goal in the first period.

Caleb Cameron (Sundridge, Ontario/Listowel Cyclones) scored RIT's lone goal, midway through the second period. In net, Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) took the loss, stopping 18 shots.

Both teams were 0-for-4 with the man-advantage. RIT would end the game on the power-play, as Canisius was assessed a major penalty for contact to the head with 1:38 left in regulation.

"I was disappointed in the result, but happy with how we played," said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. "I thought we generated a lot of opportunities and had momentum nearly the entire game, but things didn't go our way tonight."

RIT came out physical and held a distinct edge in shots on goal during the opening period, 16-5, but Canisius would be the only team to hit the back of the net.

RIT held Canisius without a shot on goal over the first 10:31, but the Golden Griffins would score on their first shot, as Jerry would take a long stretch pass from Jimmy Mazza that would skip off a Tiger stick, come in on a 2-on-1, and from in close, beat Rotolo short side for his first collegiate goal.

RIT would continue to pepper Williams with shots, but mostly from long range. Brady Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) would get a good chance from the slot later in the period, but Williams was able to knock that aside.

The Tigers would knot the score at 1-1 after two periods of play, as they held a 29-14 edge in shots.

RIT's penalty-killing unit did an excellent job killing off three Canisius power-plays in the period, limiting the Golden Griffins to just a pair of shots on the three man-advantages.

Cameron would tie the game 8:27 into the period, tallying his fourth goal of the season. RIT kept the puck in the Canisius zone for close to a minute, as hard work down low and by the pinching defensemen led to the goal. Michael Holland (Rye, NH/Chicago Steel) would slide the puck down low, where it was chopped back to the point. Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) chipped the puck along the wall to Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes), who fed Cameron, who was open in the slot. Cameron ripped a perfectly placed wrist shot just under the crossbar and past Williams.

Canisius would gain the lead back just 2:07 into the third period, as Gabriel was left all alone in front to bury a rebound after Cameron Heath's point shot was tipped in front by Matt McLeod.

From there, RIT would spend what seemed to be the rest of regulation in the Canisius zone, attempting 33 shots. The Golden Griffins defense would block nine, while Williams made 15 saves, including a handful of key stops on great chances in tight.

RIT would get a power-play with 6:37 left and pepper the Canisius net, firing five shots on goal during the man-advantage. During one sequence late on the power-play, Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) had one shot stopped by Williams and two more in succession blocked from the slot. The puck came around to Matt Abt (Leduc, Alberta/Whitecourt Wolverines ) at the left face-off circle, who fired a shot that looked to have Williams beat, but glanced off the post and out.

With just over two minutes left, RIT had another series of chances on a scrum in front, with Williams and the Canisius defense doing everything to keep the puck out of the net. With nine of the 10 skaters on the ice within five feet of the net, a Canisius defender knocked the net off its moorings to stop play.

RIT would get a golden chance with 1:38 left, receiving another power-play, this time a major, and Wilson pulled Rotolo, giving the Tigers a 6-on-4 advantage. Canisius was up to the task, however, clearing the puck out of the zone four different times, while not allowing the Tigers to setup any sustained pressure before the final buzzer sounded to end the game.

RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 60-22-2, including a 21-12-1 edge since the Tigers moved to Division I in 2005. The two teams also meet for a home and home series on Jan. 20-21, 2017.

Last night, Williams made 41 saves in a 1-0 Canisius win at HARBORCENTER in downtown Buffalo. Rotolo was excellent in defeat for the Tigers, stopping 22 shots, including several point-blank chances.

The Tigers are right back in action next weekend, as they head across two time zones to take on Air Force Academy in a pair of Atlantic Hockey contests on Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12.

"These two losses will help us refocus for next weekend (at Air Force)," said Wilson. "Those will be two tough games for us, but we look forward to the challenge."