Men's Hockey | 2/5/2021 11:47:00 AM

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The RIT men's hockey team is scheduled to play Mercyhurst on Friday at home and Saturday on the road in Atlantic Hockey action.

The Tigers defeated visiting Canisius, 6-4, last Saturday before having road games with the Golden Griffins postponed on Sunday and Tuesday postponed due to COVID-19 protocol. Mercyhurst dropped a 5-3 decision at Robert Morris last Saturday, two days after falling, 6-4, on the road versus RIT.
 
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TIGER TRACKS
RIT sophomore forward Caleb Moretz (Fairbanks, Alaska) totaled a goal and an assist while junior forward Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario) scored a goal to lead the Tigers to a 3-2 victory over visiting Canisius last Saturday. RIT opened a 3-0 first-period lead on a goal by Calverley 1:14 into the game and tallies by junior forward Andrew Petrucci (Toronto, Ontario) and Moretz in the final four minutes of the period. Canisius scored twice in the first six minutes of the second, but the game was scoreless the rest of the way. RIT finished the game with a season-high 39 shots while senior goalie Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta) totaled 20 saves to earn the victory.
 
RIT broke a 25-day hiatus with a 6-4 victory over visiting Mercyhurst (Jan. 28) in its previous game after Calverley notched power-play, short-handed and even-strength goals for his second hat-trick of the season.
 
BROKEN RECORDS
RIT senior goalie Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta) totaled 23 saves in RIT's 6-4 win over visiting Mercyhurst (Jan. 28) to earn his 42nd career victory and break a tie with Jared DeMichiel '10 for the most wins by a Tiger during the Division I era. Drackett also surpassed Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) '17 for first place in the Division I era with his 95th appearance in an RIT sweater.  Drackett had already moved to the top of the career saves earlier this season and currently leads all active goalies in the nation with 2,420 saves. He was credited with 18 saves in the Tigers' 3-1 setback at Robert Morris (Jan. 2) to surpass Rotolo atop the career saves list. The 2020 second-team Atlantic Hockey all-star is also on pace to finish in the top-five in program history with a 2.89 goals against average.
 
CALL IN THE CALVERLEY
Junior forward Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario) entered the weekend tied for seventh nationally (and first in Atlantic Hockey) with 10 goals and tied for 11th with 20 points. Held scoreless only two times this season, he notched his 30th career goal in last Saturday's 3-2 win over Canisius after compiling his second hat-trick of the season in the 6-4 win over Mercyhurst (Jan. 28). The Atlantic Hockey Player of the Month for December was credited with two assists in RIT's 4-3 loss at Robert Morris (Jan. 3) after logging an assist in the 4-4 draw at Colgate (Dec. 29). He was tabbed the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week on Dec. 16 after notching a goal and an assist in both of the Tigers' games versus LIU. Calverley also won the first Player of the Week honor of the season (Dec. 1) after scoring his first collegiate hat-trick in the Tigers' 8-5 victory over then No. 9 Clarkson (Nov. 27) in the season-opener. Calverley found the net with 6:30 left in the first period to push RIT to an early 2-0 lead and later broke a 4-4 tie with a power-play tally with 8:27 left in the third period. The Golden Knights re-tied the game 28 seconds later, but Calverley notched what proved to be the game-winner with 6:15 remaining in regulation.
 
STAY OUT OF THE BOX
RIT ranks among the least penalized team in the nation this season. The Tigers average of 7.92 PIM per game is the sixth-lowest total and best in Atlantic Hockey, while their 95 PIM is tied for sixth-lowest in the country. The Tigers have only been whistled for 46 penalties - the third-lowest total nationally among teams that have played at least 10 games.   
 
DO IT YOURSELF
Senior forward Jake Hamacher (Corona, Calif.) converted RIT's first regulation penalty shot of the season in the 6-4 victory over Mercyhurst (Jan. 28). He was also the last Tiger to attempt a penalty shot, misfiring opposite visiting Air Force last season in a 3-0 setback (Feb. 28). However, he was also the last RIT player to score on a penalty shot, finding the net in a 4-2 setback to visiting Arizona State (Feb. 2, 2019) two seasons ago. 
 
BRUCE ALMIGHTY
Senior forward Nick Bruce (Fall River, Nova Scotia/Johnstown Tomahawks) is tied for second on the team with 13 points and is tied for first with 10 assists this winter. In the Tigers' 6-4 victory over Mercyhurst (Jan. 28), he intercepted a pass at the top of the Mercyhurst zone just inside the blue line and slipped a pass from his knees to senior forward Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario) on the right post for what proved to be the game-winning tally 52 seconds into the third period. He also hit senior forward Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta) with a perfect cross-ice feed earlier in the game to set-up a wide-open one-timer which re-tied the game, 3-3, in the second period.
 
GOING GONZO
Sophomore forward Elijah Gonsalves (Scarborough, Ontario) logged a goal and an assist in RIT's 6-4 win over Mercyhurst (Jan. 28). Entering this weekend tied for second on the squad with 13 points, he is also second with six goals after jamming home a rebound late in the second period opposite Mercyhurst, which tied the game, 4-4, heading into the third period. The 2019-20 Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team honoree tied for 15th among freshman nationally as well as second in Atlantic Hockey with 24 points while leading all conference rookies over the final month of the regular season with 10 points. The five-time Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week notched a pair of goals during a 5-4 OT victory over Canisius (Jan. 25) to lead the Tigers back from a late 4-1 deficit. He also scored twice in a 5-1 win over visiting Bentley (Feb. 15) to go along with back-to-back one goal/one assist outings at Holy Cross (Jan. 31-Feb. 1).
 
SCOUTING MERCYHURST
Mercyhurst looks to snap a two-game slide following a 5-3 setback at Robert Morris last Saturday to follow up a 6-4 loss at RIT (Jan. 28). The Lakers built a 3-1 lead early in the third period opposite the Colonials, inlcuding two goals by sophomore forward Jonathan Bendorf, but RMU finished the game with four unanswered tallies to earn the comeback win. Bendorf leads the squad with eight goals and is tied for third with 12 points. Freshman Carson Briere is first with 16 points and 12 assists, while sophomore defenseman Joseph Maziara is second with 11 assists and tied for second with 12 points. Senoir goalie Hank Johnson is 5-7-1 with a 3.44 goals against average and a.901 save percentage. He stopped 38 shots in the Robert Morris setback after making 19 saves versus RIT his last two games.
 
SHARP SHOOTERS
RIT junior forward Jake Joffe (Toronto, Ontario) is tied for third on the squad with five goals on only 22 shots this winter - not a bad shooting percentage unless you compare it to the seven goals he scored last year on a mere 16 shots. Junior Kobe Walker (Lloydminster, Alberta) has also scored four goals on 16 shots this season.
 
SQUAD GOALS
RIT entered the week ranked sixth nationally and second in Atlantic Hockey with 3.92 goals per game. The Tigers also rank seventh in the country with 10.25 points per game as well as 10th with 6.33 assists per game.
 
TO WHISTLE OR NOT TO WHISTLE
RIT was saddled with a season-high eight penalties and 19 PIM in its 5-4 win at Niagara (Dec. 22), while the Purple Eagles were whistled nine times for 29 PIM. Conversely, only one penalty was called in the teams' 3-3 tie on Dec. 5 at the Polisseni Center - an RIT goalie interference call 46 seconds into overtime.
 
START WITH A BANG
RIT opened Atlantic Hockey play with a shoot-out win opposite visiting Niagara (Dec. 5). The Tigers dug out of a 3-0 first-period deficit with three-unanswered goals to salvage the 3-3 home tie, before earning the extra AHA point with a shootout victory. Senior forward Jake Hamacher (Corona, Calif.) converted the winning goal in the shootout while senior defenseman Dan Willett (Bayville, N.Y.) and junior forwards Jake Joffe (Toronto, Ontario) and Andrew Petrucci (Toronto, Ontario) each tallied goals in the comeback. Senior goalie Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta) logged 23 saves, including five during the five-minute overtime period, as well as two shoot-out saves.
 
RED LIGHT DISTRICT
It didn't take long for the 2020-21 Tigers to surpass their highest team point total from all of last season. RIT compiled 21 total points (eight goals, 13 assists) in its 8-5 victory over No. 9 Clarkson (Nov. 27), eclipsing the season-high 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) it accumulated during a 7-4 win over visiting Holy Cross last November. Twelve Tigers notched at least one point, led by senior forward Alden Dupui's four (1 goal, 3 assists) and junior forward Will Calverley's hat-trick.
 
DON'T CALL ME SHORTY
Senior forward Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta) currently leads the nation with six career short-handed goals. He punctuated the Tigers' 8-5 victory over visiting Clarkson with his first empty-netter of the campaign after scoring two shorties last season as well as three as a sophomore.
 
PULLING RANK
RIT's win over then No. 9 Clarkson was its fifth opposite a nationally-ranked team in the last two seasons. The Tigers finished 2-4 in games against teams listed in the USCHO Top-20 last season, defeated then No. 13 UMass-Lowell, 3-2 (Jan. 11), after taking a 3-2 overtime victory opposite then No. 17 Bowling Green (Oct. 11) in the opening game of the Ice Breaker Tournament in Toledo.
 
NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM
The 2019-20 Tigers compiled their highest non-league win total since moving to the Division I level. RIT's 4-4-0 record last winter was the first time RIT finished the regular season with a .500 non-league mark. The Tigers also finished 2-2-1 (.500) in the five non-conference games on the 2020-21 schedule.
 
BIG SKATES TO FILL
The Tigers will be without standout defenseman Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) for the first time in four years. The two-time Atlantic Hockey all-star graduated after tying for 19th nationally and sixth among defensemen with 24 assists while tying for 10th in Atlantic Hockey with 28 points. He finished his career one of only 35 players (and only six defenseman) in the nation with at least 100 career points while his 80 assists were the 12th-highest total over the last four seasons. Voted the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the week on three occasions last season, Brubacher became the 13th player in RIT's Division I era to hit the 100-point plateau, finishing 10th with 106 points. He didn't miss a game in four seasons, finishing two shy of a tie for third-place in program history with 148 appearances. He signed a contract over the summer with the New York Islanders' AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
 
POINTS OF EMPHASIS
RIT finished the 2019-20 season 15th nationally with 113 goals and tied for 11th with 313 total points. The Tigers also ranked 15th overall and third in Atlantic Hockey in scoring offense averaging 3.14 goals per game.
 
ENTER SANDMAN
RIT finished the 2019-20 season sixth nationally with 47 third period goals and was 13-1-3 when leading after two periods. The Tigers tied for 11th with 29 goals when leading or tied in the third period and also tied for second with 23 goals in final five minutes of regulation.
 
OH, CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
Senior forward Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta) will serve as team captain for the 2020-21 season while senior defenseman Dan Willett (Bayville, N.Y.) and junior forward Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario) were selected assistant captains. Dupuis tied for seventh with 17 points on eight goals and nine assists during 28 games last season and also finished second on the team with 215 face-off victories, including a season-high 13-of-21 in the Tigers' 3-3 tie opposite visiting Holy Cross (Nov. 2). Willett played 35 of 36 games on the Tiger blue line last season and led all Tiger returners with 47 career assists. Calverley finished his sophomore campaign second on the squad with 13 goals as well as sixth with 23 points. He also led the Tigers with 244 face-off victories, including a season-high 16 during a 3-2 OT home victory opposite Niagara (Feb. 22).
 
TIGERS IN THE NHL
Former RIT standout defenseman Chris Tanev enters his 12th season in the NHL, spending the last 11 with the Vancouver Canucks before signing a free agent contract with the Calgary Flames this past offseason. Voted the 2010 AHA Rookie of the Year, Tanev made his NHL debut on Jan. 18, 2011, becoming the first RIT player to appear in an NHL contest. Entering the 2019-20 season, he had played in 467 NHL games with 21 goals and 81 assist for career 102 points. He won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships. Tanev tallied 28 points (10-18-28) and was plus-33 in 41 games for RIT in 2009-10. Tanev and another former Tiger, Steve Pinizzotto (2005-07), were teammates with Vancouver in 2012-13. Pinizzotto tallied 57 points (20-37-57) in 54 career games for the Tigers and appeared in 36 NHL games with two goals and four assists.
 
RIT's NCAA DIVISION II/III HISTORY
RIT made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1983. RIT won the 1983 National Championship at the Division II level, and 1985 National Championship at the Division III level. RIT earned National Runner-Up honors in 1989, 1996 and 2001. The Tigers made the National Final Four in 1984, 1986, 1999, and 2010. Overall, RIT was 26-15-4 in NCAA contests at the DII/III level and is 3-2 in Division I. RIT made the NCAA Tournament in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,  2010, 2015, and 2016.
 
FINAL FOUR FRENZY
RIT was the first team in NCAA history to reach the Frozen Four in a team's first postseason appearance back in 2010. They were also the first team from the AHA to reach the Frozen Four. RIT was one win away from duplicating that feat in 2014-15.