Men's Hockey | 12/5/2016 2:20:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's hockey team puts its five-game winning streak on the line, hosting Providence College for a pair of non-conference games on Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10 from the Gene Polisseni Center. Game times for both contests are at 7:05 p.m.
 
Tickets for both games are available at the Gene Polisseni Center and Gordon Field House Box Offices, or by calling (585) 475-4121 or by visiting www.rithockey.com. On Saturday, RIT will hold its annual Tiger toss. RIT fans are asked to bring a new stuffed animal to the game to throw out onto the ice after RIT's first goal. There will also be stuffed Tigers for sale at the game. All stuffed animals will be donated to the Rochester Regional Health System's Children's Unit. In addition, Friday is a RIT Tiger Den event for all students.
 
RIT will also hold its annual Skate With the Tigers Event on Sunday, Dec. 12 at 12 p.m. Fans can come skate with their favorite Tiger players and receive autographs. More information will be available at www.ritathletics.com.
 
RIT (8-7-1, 8-5-0 Atlantic Hockey) extended its winning streak to five games after sweeping Niagara last weekend by scores of 7-1 and 6-2. On Friday, RIT tied a Division I team record with six power-play goals in the win. Liam Kerins (Caledon, Ontario/North York Rangers) scored twice and added an assist while Ryan Kruper (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) scored a pair of goals. On Saturday, RIT scored six unanswered goals in a 6-2 win as Danny Smith (Edmonton, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) scored twice. RIT held Niagara to a Division I franchise low 14 shots on goal Saturday.
 
The Tigers have scored 25 goals over their five-game winning streak and are now averaging 3.69 goals per game, which is tied for sixth nationally. Nine players have at least 10 points for RIT this season. All nine players have between 10 and 15 points, which include six forwards and three defensemen. RIT has scored 10 power-play goals over its last three games and boasts the third best power-play in Division I at 24.1 percent.
 
Providence enters the weekend with a 5-6-3 record overall as a member of Hockey East. Last weekend, the Friars earned one point in a tight series against nationally-ranked Boston University, losing 2-1 at home on Friday, while skating to a 2-2 tie on Saturday. Erik Foley leads the Friars in scoring with six goals and 14 points. Jake Walman and Jacob Bryson lead the squad with eight assists each. In net, Hayden Hawkey has played in all 14 games, with a 5-6-3 record, 2.61 goals against average and an .891 save percentage. Providence, who won the 2015 NCAA Division I Championship, has nine NHL draft picks on its roster.
 
This weekend marks the first ever meetings between the two schools.
 
Both games will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports 26 in Rochester, with Gene Battaglia and John DiTullio on the call from the Polisseni Center. The new pregame show with host Kevin Roche airs at 6:30 p.m. In addition, both contests will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu, while streaming video and live stats will available.

Come on out and support the Tigers in their final two home games of the 2016 calendar year.