Men's Hockey | 12/21/2016 10:25:00 AM
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's hockey team plays its final game of the 2016 calendar year at 5:07 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 against Bowling Green State University at the Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio.
This marks RIT's final non-conference game of the regular season. RIT will play its final 15 regular season contests against Atlantic Hockey foes. The Tigers are currently tied for second in league play with 16 points.
RIT (8-9-1) will look to get back into the win column after suffering a pair of home losses on Dec. 9-10 against Providence College of Hockey East. The Tigers have 10 players with at least 10 points this season.
Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals) leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and 16 points, while
Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73's),
Caleb Cameron (Sundridge, Ontario/Listowel Cyclones), and
Brady Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) are right behind with 15 points each. Norrish leads the team with 15 assists. In goal,
Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) has played in all 18 games with a 2.62 goals against average and an .899 save percentage.
The Tigers are in the top-15 nationally in shots on goal per game (35.2), shots on goal against per game (26.0), goals scored per game (3.39), power-play percentage (22.9%), power-play goals (19), and face-off winning percentage (53.4%).
Bowling Green, members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) enters Friday's game with a 9-11-2 record. The Falcons last played on Dec. 16-17, splitting a weekend series at WCHA foe Alaska. Bowling Green is outscoring its opponents, 68-64. Mitchell McLain leads the team in scoring with 22 points on 11 goals and 11 assists in 21 games. Bowling Green has 10 players with at least 10 games this season. In net, Chris Nell has appeared in 17 games with a 6-8-2 record, 2.69 goals against average, and an .888 save percentage.
Both RIT head coach
Wayne Wilson and associate head coach
Brian Hills played collegiately at Bowling Green. Wilson (1980-84) was a captain on the Falcons when they won the 1984 NCAA Division I National Championship. Hills (1979-83) was a Hobey Baker Finalist in 1983 and is the university's second all-time leading scorer.
Bowling Green leads the all-time series between the two schools, 4-0-1. The two teams last met in 2015, a 2-2 tie at Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester as part of RIT's Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend.
Todd Skirving (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Sioux Falls Stampede) scored both RIT goals, 25 seconds apart in the first period.
Friday's game will available to
watch online. Scott Biggar and Ed Trefzger will also be on the call for
WITR 89.7 FM.
Live stats will be available.
Friday's game is part of Toledo's Winterfest, as one ticket gets fans into not only the RIT vs. Bowling Green contest, but also the Toledo Walleye vs. Brampton Beast ECHL game that begins at 8 p.m. that evening. Combo tickets are available and include admission to both games. Fans can purchase tickets online
www.toledowalleye.com or at the box office by calling 419-725-WALL. Tickets can also be purchased at
BGSUFalcons.com/tickets, by phone at 877-BGSU TICKET, or by visiting the BGSU Ticket Office at the Stroh Center.
