ROCHESTER, NY – Mike Lee scored his second goal of the game with 5.1 seconds left in regulation to lift visiting Sacred Heart University (4-8-2, 4-6-1 AHA) to a 4-3 win over the RIT men's hockey team (6-7-1, 4-5-1 AHA) from the Gene Polisseni Center Friday night.
 
In overtime, RIT had kept the Pioneers hemmed in their own zone for most of the final minute. Sacred Heart won a defensive zone face-off with 19.4 seconds left and chipped the puck out, gaining a 2-on-1 odd-man rush. Marc Johnstone pushed a pass over to Jason Cotton, who fired a shot that RIT goaltender Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) made a clutch blocker save on. Cotton chased the puck to the back boards and centered it back out in front. The puck went off a Tiger defender and was batted out the air by Lee off the back of Drackett, just over the goal line. The goal was confirmed after video review to see if it was put in with a high stick and crossed the goal line.
 
Lee, who also gave Sacred Heart a 2-1 lead in the second period, led the way with a pair of goals, while Cotton, who tied the game with 8:21 left in the third period, had a goal and an assist. Marcel Godbout also scored for the Pioneers. Goaltender Josh Benson made 30 saves in the win.
 
Ryan Kruper (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders), Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) and Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs) scored for the Tigers, while Regan Seiferling (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) dished out a career-best two assists. Drackett made 34 saves in defeat.
 
Sacred Heart out-shot RIT, 38-34. Sacred Heart was 1-for-5 on the power-play, while RIT was 0-for-2. The Tigers scored their fourth shorthanded goal of the season, tied for the most in Division I.
 
"We need to do a better job creating more offense," said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. "I thought Bryson Traptow's (Calgary, Alberta/Camrose Kodiaks) line was our best line tonight, but we need to get our top lines going. We can't feel sorry for ourselves, we need to dig in and work harder and be better tomorrow."
 
RIT and Sacred Heart scored goals 1:19 apart late in the first period, as the two teams headed to the dressing rooms tied at 1-1 after 20 minutes of play.
 
The Tigers had a golden chances with 6:30 left in the period, as a nifty three-way passing play between Kruper, Kobe Walker (Lloydminster, Alberta/Lloydminster Bobcats) and Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario/Chilliwack Chiefs) resulted in a great save by Benson front close.
 
Later on that same shift, Seiferling would strip a Sacred Heart player of the puck in neutral zone with the carom going to Walker. Walker would spot Kruper streaking up the ice and with a Sacred Heart defender all over him, Kruper slipped a low shot along the ice past Benson off the far post and in for his first goal of the season, giving RIT a 1-0 lead.
 
The Pioneers would answer back with 4:45 left in the period, as Stephen Hladin slipped around a Tiger defenseman and fed a past to a streaking Godbout, who was left alone on the doorstep for a tap-in goal, his third of the season.
 
Sacred Heart would take the 2-1 lead with 4:27 left in the second period, as Lee took a feed from Ryan Steele at the left point and wristed a shot that went wide off the back boards but bounced into the crease and off the leg of Drackett and in for his second goal of the season.
 
The Tigers would score two quick third period goals 2:01 apart to regain a 3-2 lead. Brubacher took a feed from Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73's) and fired a shot from the left point through traffic and over the left glove of Benson for his second goal of the season, 1:23 into the period to tie the game.
 
Just 2:01 later, Dupuis took a feed from Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) and broke in with Brody Valette (Calgary, Alberta/Whitecourt Wolverines) on a shorthanded 2-on-1 rush and rifled a shot over the glove of Benson and off the crossbar and in for his fourth goal of the season to give RIT a 3-2 lead.
 
Girduckis had a golden chance on the ensuing shift on the same Sacred Heart power-play to give RIT a 4-2 lead, taking a feed from Dupuis on a 2-on-0 break, but was denied by Benson.
 
Sacred Heart would tie the game with 8:21 left in regulation, on another power-play, as Cotton took the puck away from a RIT defender along the right wing boards, walked out in front and fired a shot short side over the shoulder of Drackett and in for his fifth goal of the season.
 
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 24-10-2. The two teams also meet at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn. on Feb. 15-16.
 
RIT and Sacred Heart complete the weekend series from the Polisseni Center at 5:05 p.m. Saturday. Fans are encouraged to stick around after Saturday's game for the annual Skate With the Tigers event. Fans can skate with their favorite players and receive free autographs.