BOSTON, MA – The RIT men's hockey team (6-4-1) had its four-game unbeaten streak snapped, falling to No. 13 Northeastern University (8-3-1), 4-3 from Matthews Arena on Saturday evening. Northeastern scored two third period goals in a span of 3:47 to erase a 3-2 deficit and extend its winning streak to four games.
 
Grant Jozefek and Tyler Madden scored third period goals to give Northeastern the lead. RIT would pull goaltender Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) with 1:48 remaining in regulation and had several tremendous chances to tie the game, firing six shots on goal, while Will Calverly hit the post from the slot.
 
The Tigers thought they had tied the game with 1:02 remaining, as a shot by Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) went through a maze of bodies in front, then off Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) and past Cayden Primeau towards the goal line. The puck looked like it was going over the line before Primeau covered it. The referees called no goal on the ice. RIT challenged the ruling, but after video review, the call stood and RIT lost its timeout.
 
RIT won the ensuing draw and had a handful of chances, but Primeau and the Northeastern defense made the lead stand up, holding on for the win.
 
Jozefek, Madden, Liam Pecararo and Zach Solow scored for the Huskies, while Jeremy Davies and Jordan Harris had two assists apiece. Primeau made 28 saves, including 16 in the third period.
 
Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) scored a goal and added an assist for the Tigers, while Brody Valette (Calgary, Alberta/Whitecourt Wolverines) and Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs) also tallied. Drackett made 27 saves in net.
 
Both teams fired 31 shots on goal and were 0-for-3 on the power-play.
 
"I thought we responded well after giving up the two early goals," said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. "We played a really strong second period, but got caught on our heels a little bit in the third. We definitely had our chances late. Overall I thought we hung right with Northeastern, who is one of the best teams in the country."
 
Northeastern would opening the scoring with two goals 1:25 apart before the game was three minutes old.
 
Just 1:24 in, Solow chipped a puck off a RIT defender from the side of the net that eluded Drackett and laid on the goal line before the Tigers cleared it away. The referee in the corner emphatically signaled a goal and went to the replay. After a long replay, the goal would stand for Solow and the Huskies.
 
The Huskies would add to the lead 1:25 later, as Harris dumped the puck in along the right wing boards. Drackett went out to play the puck, but it hit a stanchion in the boards and bounced right to the front of the net, where Pecararo was there for the easy tap-in with the open net to make it 2-0 Huskies.
 
RIT picked up its intensity and had a few good chances later in the period. Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) redirected a feed from Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) on the rust that Primeau got a piece of. Mark Logan (Calgary, Alberta/Brooks Bandits) had a good chance from the circle gobbled up by Primeau.
 
The Tigers would carry over their strong play from the end of the opening period to the second, scoring three times in a span of 5:26 to take a 3-2 lead.
 
Valette would work a give and go with Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario/Chilliwack Chiefs) to perfection for his first goal of the season at the 2:41 mark. Kobe Walker (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Bobcats) fed Valette in the neutral zone, who then sent a pass to Calverley at the Northeastern line. Calverley sent a perfect pass to Valette, who was crashing the net. Valette was able to chip the pass over Primeau to make it 2-1 Northeastern. Kobe Walker (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Bobcats) also assisted on the goal.
 
Brubacher would tie the game at 2-2, 5:25 into the frame, intercepting a Northeastern clearing pass at the line before firing a shot through traffic and past Primeau for his first goal of the season.
 
Dupuis would give RIT its first lead of the game 2:42 after Brubacher's goal, taking a cross-ice feed from Jake Hamacher (Corona, CA/Dubuque Fighting Saints) on his way to the net and redirecting it past Primeau for his third goal of the season. Brubacher, who started the play, who also earn an assist.
 
Drackett would be called up on to make two big saves right at the end of the period from in tight. First, he denied Austin Plevy on the doorstep and right before time expired, stuck out the pad to rob Ryan Shea.
 
RIT come out firing in the third period, out-shooting Northeastern 10-2 over the first eight minutes, but were unable to add to its lead. Drackett came up big on a breakaway by Jozefek early in the perios to keep it 3-2.
 
Tonight was the second meeting in the last two seasons between the two schools. RIT and Northeastern met for the first time last season, a 3-3 tie from Blue Cross Arena as part of Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend. Brown scored a pair of goals for the Tigers, while Drackett made 41 saves in his first collegiate start.

 RIT returns home to play five straight home games to close out the fall semester and 2018 calendar year. Next weekend, RIT hosts Atlantic Hockey foe Air Force Academy for a pair of games. Both Friday and Saturday's games from the Gene Polisseni Center begin at 7:05 p.m.