Men's Hockey | 10/30/2018 11:45:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT men's hockey team heads back to Pennsylvania on Nov. 2-3 for a pair of games at Atlantic Hockey rival Mercyhurst University. Both Friday and Saturday's contests from the Mercyhurst Ice Center get underway at 7:05 p.m.
 
RIT (3-2-0) earned a hard-fought split in its first two Atlantic Hockey contests of the season at Robert Morris last weekend, losing 3-0 and earning a 2-1 overtime win Saturday. Friday, Robert Morris scored three second period goals which proved to be the difference. RIT goaltender Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) made 25 saves. Saturday, Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) scored a first period power-play marker and Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) tallied with 23 seconds left in overtime, also with the extra man, to lift RIT to a 2-1 win. Drackett was tremendous in goal, stopping 33 of 34 shots for his third win of the season.
 
Girduckis leads the team in scoring through five games this season with seven points on three goals and four assists. Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) has a team-high five assists, while Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73's), Valenzuela and Girduckis all have three goals apiece to lead the squad. Drackett has played in all five games in net and has a 2.17 goals against average and a .934 save percentage.
 
Mercyhurst enters the weekend with a 1-5-1 overall record and is 0-2-0 in league play. Last weekend, the Lakers opened up AHA competition with a pair of home losses against Army West Point by scores of 5-1 and 3-2 in overtime. Joseph Duszak leads the Lakers with seven points on a goal and six assists, while Derek Barach is right behind with six points. Dalton Hunter and Matthew Whittaker have three goals apiece to lead the team. In goal, Stefano Cantali is 1-3-0 with a 2.72 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.
 
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 40-23-6. Mercyhurst won three of four meetings last season. The two teams were also former rivals at the Division III level in the 1990s.
 
Both games will be aired online and feature live stats. In addition, Ed Trefzger and Scott Biggar will be on the call for WITR 89.7 FM and Fox Sports 1280 from the Mercyhurst Ice Center.