NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario/Chilliwack Chiefs) scored with 1:05 remaining in regulation to lift the RIT men's hockey team (7-8-2, 5-6-2 AHA) to a 4-4 tie against Niagara University (8-10-2, 7-5-2 AHA) at Dwyer Arena on Friday evening.
 
Down 4-3 late in regulation, RIT pulled goaltender Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) for the extra attacker, who happened to be Calverley. Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73's) sent a feed to Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) behind the net, who found Calverley streaking to the net. Calverley one-timed the feed past Niagara goaltender Brian Wilson for his third goal of the year.
 
In overtime, Drackett had to come up with two key saves, first on Ludwig Stenlud with just under two minutes left and then on Noah Delmas from the slot right as time expired.
 
Girduckis had three points for the second straight game with a goal and two assists. Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs) scored a pair of goals, while Calverley also scored and Dan Willett (Bayville, NY/Bloomington Thunder) had two assists. Drackett made 22 saves.
 
Luke Edgerton led the Purple Eagles with two goals and an assist, while Stenlud added a goal and an assist and Niko Kovachis also scored. Wilson made 29 saves.
 
RIT out-shot Niagara, 33-26. RIT was 2-for-6 on the power-play, while Niagara was 1-for-3. The Purple Eagles did score a shorthanded goal.
 
"I thought we played well and it was a good road tie, but we need to finish out games and need to be stronger in the last 10 minutes," said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. "I thought we controlled play for two periods, but need to take care of the little things. We are close to playing the way we want to play."
 
RIT came out strong in the opening period, out-shooting Niagara, 11-5. Each team scored once over the opening 20 minutes.
 
Niagara would open the scoring with 7:02 remaining in the period, as Edgerton converted on a rebound off the rush after Drackett made the initial save on Stenlud. That goal came moments after RIT pounded the Purple Eagles net, as Wilson was called upon to make several big saves, while Ryan Kruper (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) and Jake Joffe (Toronto, Ontario/Toronto Jr. Canadiens) both hit posts from the slot.
 
RIT would even the game at 1-1 with 4:08 left in the period, as Dupuis swatted in a loose puck at the side of the Niagara net after Girduckis deflected a point shot from Willett off of Wilson.
 
The Tigers thought they went up 2-1 late in the period on the power-play, as Girduckis slammed in a rebound after Wilson made a save on Brown. It was determined that Wilson had the puck covered just long enough before squirting loose.
 
Both teams would score once in the second period to make it a 2-2 game after 40 minutes of play.
 
RIT would take the lead on a 4-on-3 power-play right before the midway point of the period, as Girduckis slipped in a rebound from the doorstep after a hard blast from Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) went just wide off the back boards. Willett also assisted on the tally, Girduckis' seventh of the year.
 
Niagara would take advantage of a turnover in the neutral zone with 5:22 left in the period, as Kovachis took a feed from Eric Cooley in the slot and wired a shot past Drackett to tie the game at 2-2.
 
The Purple Eagles took the 3-2 lead with just under 10 minutes left, as Stenlud converted a rebound after Drackett made a great save on Justin Kendall breakaway attempt. RIT could not get back as Niagara scored a shorthanded goal.
 
RIT answered right back just before the same power-play ended, as Dupuis converted a feed in front from Jake Hamacher (Corona, CA/Dubuque Fighting Saints) for his second goal of the game and sixth goal of the year. Zach Salloum (Orleans, Ontario/Ottawa Jr. Senators) also assisted on the goal.
 
Edgerton made it 4-3 Niagara with 4:55 left in regulation with a power-play goal, setting up Calverley's late-game heroics
 
Tonight marked the second of four meetings between the two schools in 2018-19. RIT closed out the fall semester by defeating the Purple Eagles by a score of 8-4 at the Polisseni Center on Dec. 15. RIT scored four third period goals, including three empty-netters and two shorthanded tallies to pull away. Hamacher scored two goals and added an assist, while Girduckis and Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) had a goal and two assists each.
 
Niagara leads the all-time series between the two schools, 18-11-14. The Tigers are 8-4-4 against the Purple Eagles since the start of the 2014-15 season.

RIT ends the first half of the regular season with a 7-8-2 mark.

The Tigers and Purple Eagles wrap up the weekend series from the Gene Polisseni Center Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. It is Kids night, as all children under the age of 12 get in free.