LOWELL, MA – Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs) scored 46 seconds into overtime to lift the RIT men's hockey team (1-1-0) to its first win of the 2018-19 season, 5-4 over host UMass Lowell (1-1-0) at the Tsongas Center on Saturday evening.
 
Lowell led 2-0 after one period before RIT exploded for four second period goals to lead 4-2 after 40 minutes of play. The Riverhawks scored two power-play goals in the third period, including the game-tying marker with 1:14 left.
 
In overtime, Jake Hamacher (Corona, CA/Dubuque Fighting Saints) stole a loose puck in the neutral zone and slipped around a Riverhawks defender, creating a 3-on-1 rush. Hamcher found Dupuis streaking down the slot. Dupuis had his first shot stopped, but was able to tuck in the rebound at the side of the net for his second career overtime winner.
 
Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) scored a power-play and shorthanded goal, while Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers), Jordan Peacock (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Cougars) and Dupuis also scored. Jake Hamacher (Corona, CA/Dubuque Fighting Saints) and Brody Valette (Calgary, Alberta/Whitecourt Wolverines) dished out a pair of assists apiece. Goaltender Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) was strong in net, stopping 38 shots, while recording his first collegiate assist.
 
Kenny Hausinger scored twice for Lowell, while Sam Knoblauch and Reid Stefanson also scored. Christoffer Hernberg made 25 saves in the loss.
 
Lowell out-shot RIT, 42-30. RIT was 2-for-4 on the power-play and scored a shorthanded goal. The Riverhawks were 2-for-7 with the man-advantage.
 
"I thought this was a good character win for us," said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson, who won his 350th game at the university this evening. "We had our backs up against the wall a couple of times, but we kept fighting. We found a way to win and capitalized when we needed to.
 
Despite a strong start for RIT, Lowell would score twice in a span of 32 seconds late in the opening period to take a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
 
Chris McKay (Edmonton, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) had a point-blank chance off a Lowell turnover but had his shot stopped by Hernberg. Later in the period, Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario/Chilliwack Chiefs) fired a shot from the left circle off a turnover that Hernberg denied.
 
Drackett had to come up with a few key saves from the slot with 11 minutes left in the first.
 
Lowell would get on the board with 2:41 left in the period, as Connor Wilson fired a pass off the boards in the neutral zone, sending Hausinger in on a 2-on-1 rush. Hausinger came in on the right side and fired a shot over Drackett's glove and just under the crossbar for the goal.
 
Just 32 seconds later, Wilson found Knoblauch in the slot and with a player on him, fired a shot past Drackett for his first collegiate goal.
 
RIT would break out with four goals, three different ways in the second period and lead 4-2 after 40 minutes of play.
 
Peacock would get RIT on the board 2:31 into the period, crashing the net and taking a feed from Jake Hamacher (Corona, CA/Dubuque Fighting Saints) for his first goal of the year. Drackett started the play with a long stretch feed to Hamacher to get the rush going and was credited with his first collegiate assist.
 
Moments after Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs) was robbed on a shorthanded breakaway, Girduckis would even the game on a breakaway of his own on the same Lowell power-play. Valette chipped a dump off the boards that hit the linesman and went right to Girduckis, Girduckis came in alone and chipped a shot over Hernberg for his first goal.
 
RIT would strike late in the period with two straight power-play goals to grab the lead. First, Valenzuela fired a shot from the slot through the legs of Hernberg from Chris McKay (Edmonton, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) and Valette to make it 3-2 with 1:35 left. Just 1:20 later with 15.9 seconds left in the period, Girduckis redirected a pass from Dan Willett (Bayville, NY/Bloomington Thunder) in or his second goal of the game.
 
Lowell would claw back and score two power-play goals, as RIT took four third period penalties. The River Hawks would cut the RIT lead to 4-3 with 18:36 left, as Hausinger one-timed a feed from Ryan Dmowski for his second goal of the night. Stefanson would score his first collegiate goal with 1:14 left in regulation, slipping a rebound off a shot from Dmowski past Drackett to tie the game at 4-4.
 
Tonight marked RIT's first win over Lowell in 35 years. The Tigers defeated Lowell in the 1983 NCAA Division II Semifinals en route to winning their first national championship.
 
The two teams opened the regular season last night, as Lowell scored two third period power-play goals to erase a 1-0 third period deficit and defeat the Tigers, 2-1. Mark Logan (Calgary, Alberta/Brooks Bandits) scored for RIT, while Drackett made 19 saves.

RIT is back in action on Saturday, Oct. 20, hosting Colgate University at Blue Cross Arena as part of Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend. Opening puck drop from downtown Rochester is 7:05 p.m. Don't miss out on Rochester's hottest ticket. Members of the 1983 and 1985 National Championship hockey teams will be honored between periods.