Men's Hockey | 2/27/2017 2:02:00 PM

ROCHESTER, NY – The two-time defending Atlantic Hockey Champion RIT men's hockey team begins the 2017 postseason by hosting Niagara University in a best-of-three first round series on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4, and if necessary, Sunday, March 5. All weekend contests from the Gene Polisseni Center will begin at 7:05 p.m.
 
Tickets for all three 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.
 
RIT is the No. 6 seed in the 2017 Atlantic Hockey Tournament, while Niagara is the No. 11 seed. The winner of this weekend's series will advance to the best-of-three Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals, which will take place from Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 12. The league semifinal and championship will be at Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester March 17-18.
 
RIT enters the postseason with a 13-20-1 overall record, while finishing 13-15-0 in Atlantic Hockey play during the regular season. The Tigers enter the postseason on a high note after defeating Mercyhurst University, 7-1 in the regular season finale last Saturday.  Twelve different Tigers hit the scoresheet. Matt Abt (Leduc, Alberta/Whitecourt Wolverines ) scored twice, while adding an assist for a three-point night. Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) and Garrett McMullen (Churchville, NY/Trail Smoke Eaters) had a goal and an assist apiece, while Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals), Ryan Kruper (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders), and Shawn Cameron (Sherbrooke, Quebec/Cumberland Grads) also scored for RIT. Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) made 20 saves to earn his 13th win of the season.

Abt was named the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Seven different Tigers have at least 20 points this season. Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73's) leads the Tigers in scoring with 15 goals and 26 points, while Powell is right behind with 12 goals and 22 points. Girduckis, Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings), Caleb Cameron (Sundridge, Ontario/Listowel Cyclones), Liam Kerins (Caledon, Ontario/North York Rangers), and Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) have 20 points apiece. In net, Rotolo has played in 33 games this season and has a 2.66 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. Rotolo recorded a .935 save percentage in seven February starts.
 
Niagara enters the postseason with a 3-28-3 overall mark, while finishing 3-23-2 in Atlantic Hockey play during the regular season. The Purple Eagles have lost 12 straight entering the postseason, including a pair last weekend in a home and home against Robert Morris. Stanislav Dzahkov and Noah Delmas are tied for the team lead in scoring with 14 points. Dzakhov, Kris Spriggs, and Johnny Curran are tied for the team lead with seven goals. In net, Jackson Teichroeb, Guillaume Therien, and Joe O'Brien have all played at least 10 games. Teichroeb has played a team-high 18 games with a 4.19 goals against average and an .878 save percentage.
 
The Tigers won both regular season meetings against Niagara earlier in the season, both at Dwyer Arena, 7-1 on Dec. 2 and 6-2 on Dec. 3. The Tigers tied a Division I team record with six power-play goals in a 7-1 win. RIT is 6-1-3 against Niagara since the start of the 2014-15 season. Niagara leads the all-time series between the two schools, 15-9-12.
 
RIT has won eight straight Atlantic Hockey Tournament games over the last two years. Overall, the Tigers are 28-13 in the postseason at the Division I level, and are appearing in their tenth Atlantic Hockey Tournament. RIT has won three Atlantic Hockey Championships, played in five title games, and made seven semifinal appearances.
 
All three 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, each contest will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu, while streaming video and live stats will available.
 
Come out and support the Tigers as they attempt to win their straight Atlantic Hockey Championship.