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three hockey players celebrating
Eakin Howard / RIT Athletic Comm
2
RIT RIT 9-9-2
6
Winner Canisius CAN 10-5-0
RIT RIT
9-9-2
2
Final
6
Canisius CAN
10-5-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
RIT RIT 2 0 0 2
Canisius CAN 1 2 3 6

Game Recap: Men's Hockey |

Men's Hockey comes up short to Canisius, 6-2, in Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals

BUFFALO, N.Y. – RIT senior defenseman Dan Willett (Bayville, N.Y.) and senior forward Jake Hamacher (Corona, Calif.) each notched a goal and an assist, but it was host Canisius earning the 6-2 victory in Atlantic Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal action, Saturday, at the LECOM Harbor Center.
 
Canisius swept the best-of-three series, 2-0, after also taking Friday night's opener, 5-2. The Golden Griffins advance to next Friday's tournament semifinal against an opponent to be determined.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
  • Canisius opened the scoring 2:50 into regulation after freshman forward Max Kouznetsov finished a right wing rush.
  • RIT got on the board with 9:14 left in the period following a Canisius slashing penalty. Willett slipped pass from the point to sophomore forward Elijah Gonsalves (Scarborough, Ontario) on the left boards, who sent a cross through to Hamacher outside the right post for a short finish.
  • The Tigers made the Golden Griffins pay for a tripping penalty four minutes later after Willett blasted home a one-timer from the point off a Gonsalves pass with 5:09 on the clock.
  • Canisius re-took the lead with a pair of goals in the second period. Sophomore forward Keaton Mastrodonato finished a right-wing rush off a failed Tiger clear with 16:21 on the clock before senior forward Grant Meyer scored a power play goal with 5:51 on the clock after RIT was saddled with a goaltender interference penalty 45 seconds earlier.
  • Canisius put the game away in the final five minutes of regulation, starting with a short-handed penalty with 4:49 on the clock, before tacking on a pair of empty-net tallies in the last three minutes. 
GAME NOTES 
  • RIT finished the game with a 31-25 shot advantage while senior goalie Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta) totaled 19 saves in the loss.
  •  Willett's two point night gave him 70 career points (9 goals, 61 assists).
  •  RIT is now 29-18 in 13 Atlantic Hockey Tournament appearances. The Tigers are 16-7 in the quarterfinals, including a 6-5 mark on the road.
  •  RIT had beaten Canisius in its two previous Atlantic Hockey Tournament meetings, earned semifinal victories in 2010 (4-0) and 2015 (2-1) during its first two championship runs.
  •  Playing in East and West pods for the first time in Atlantic Hockey Tournament history due to the COV)D-19 pandemic, RIT and Canisius were the third and second seeds in the West, respectively.