ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The RIT men's hockey team continues a four-game homestand hosting Arizona State, Friday and Saturday, in its final non-conference games of the season. The Tigers earned a 3-2 victory over visiting Sacred Heart on Tuesday in their first game of the New Year while the Sun Devils picked up a 6-2 win opposite No. 11 Northeastern on Tuesday in Boston.

RIT is winless in four all-time meetings with Arizona State. The Tigers fell 5-3 and 6-1 during a two-game road set in January of the 2019-20 season after dropping 4-2 and 6-1 setbacks at the Polisseni Center in February the previous season.  

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TIGER TRACKS
RIT broke a 30-day hiatus with a 3-2 victory over Sacred Heart, Tuesday, in a game originally scheduled as part of a doubleheader hosted by the Pioneers on Jan. 1-2. Freshman forward Grady Hobbs logged a goal and an assist for his first multi-point game in a Tiger sweater while junior Kolby Matthews was credited with 37 saves, including 17 in the first period, to preserve  his ninth victory of the season. 

Hobbs kicked off a two-goal Tiger first period with his third goal of the season at the 12:52 mark off a right-wing feed by senior forward Jake Hamacher. Less than three minutes later, junior defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro tracked down a loose puck in the Pioneer zone and fed senior forward Kobe Walker in the slot for a glove-side finish with 10:26 on the clock. Senior forward Nick Bruce buried a power-play wristshot in the slot with 6:24 remaining in the second period to push RIT to a 3-0 lead before Sacred Heart got on the board with 16:33 left in the third. The visitors notched a 6-on-5 goal with 2:41 left in regulation, but couldn't find the equalizer in the final minutes. 

WILL POWER
Senior forward Will Calverley was nominated for the 2020 Hobey Baker Award, annually presented to the nation's top NCAA men's hockey player. One of 77 players from 42 Division I programs on the list, Calverley currently leads Atlantic Hockey and ranks 19th nationally with 0.58 goals per game. Tied for 20th in the country with 11 goals, he is also tied for 15th with four power play tallies. The Scarborough, Ontario native also leads all Atlantic Hockey players with 43 career goals and is second with 80 career points in 106 games over the last four seasons. Calverley was named only the fourth All-American in Division-I era history (AHCA Second-Team) last season while earning Atlantic Hockey-West Co-Player of the Year and Best Defensive Forward plaudits.

POWER PLAYERS
After only scoring one power play goal in its first eight outings of the 2021-22 season, RIT has scored at least one power-play goal in 10 of its last 13 games, including a season-high three in the 5-4 win at Princeton (Nov. 26). Four of senior forward Will Calverley's team-leading 11 goals have come on the power play.

START ME UP
RIT is 7-1-1 when scoring first this season and 6-0-1 when holding a lead after two periods. However, the Tigers are 1-7-0 when trailing after 40 minutes of play. 

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
RIT is 9-0-2 this season when holding teams to three goals or less, including a 7-0-1 mark when allowing fewer than three goals.

NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM
RIT improved to 10-8-1 in non-conference games over the last three seasons following the Princeton sweep last month. RIT has won a Division I era-high four non-league games for the second time in three seasons, wrapping up the non-league portion of the season this weekend vs. Arizona State. 

GREEN EGGS AND HAMACHER
Senior forward Jake Hamacher's assist in Tuesday's Sacred Heart victory was his sixth point in RIT's last five outings and his Atlantic Hockey-leading 94th career point. He also ranks second in the conference with 55 assists, only trailing teammate Dan Willett's 69, while his 38 career goals rank third in the league. 

CARTER BLANCHE
Freshman forward Carter Wilkie was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Month for both November and December. Named the league Rookie of the Week on five occasions this season, including three in November, Wilkie entered the week tied for 19th in Atlantic Hockey with 13 points and tied for 10th with six goals. His three game-winning goals were tied for the seventh-highest total in the nation, while he was also tied for 15th among the nation's freshmen in goals and tied for 16th in points. Wilkie was credited with the overtime game-winning goal and assisted the game-tying goal in RIT's 3-2 victory at AIC (Nov. 7) and logged the game-winner in the Tigers' 3-2 win over visiting Holy Cross (Nov. 19). He also scored the overtime game-winning goal in the Tigers' 3-2 upset of Notre Dame (Oct. 21). 

WAYNE'S WORLD
Head Coach Wayne Wilson became the 49th NCAA men's hockey coach to hit the 400-win plateau with the 1-0 OT win at Princeton last month. Wilson ranks 16th among active coaches with a 401-281-75 record the last 23 seasons - all on the Tiger bench. The only coach in NCAA history to win the Spencer Penrose (D1 National COY, 2001) and the Sid Watson (D3 National COY, 2010), he totaled a 116-31-12 mark in six Division III campaigns (1999-2005) and owns a 284-246-63 record through 17 Division-I seasons. 

EQUALITY
RIT will be watching the NCAA Convention closely later this month. A proposal will be voted on by the Division III membership which would grant multi-divisional athletic programs the ability to award athletic scholarships. Ten Division III programs currently sponsor at least one Division I sport, but RIT is one of five unable to apply all Division I legislation, including Bylaw 15 (financial aid) dating back to a 2004 waiver which grandfathered in the existing programs. RIT, Union (men's and women's hockey), Hobart (men's lacrosse), Franklin & Marshall (wrestling) and MIT (rowing) would all be permitted to offer scholarships to their student-athletes should the proposal pass. The legislation already has the support of the Division III Presidents Council, National Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Faculty Athletic Rep (FAR) Advisory Group.

DAN THE MAN
Senior Dan Willett was named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week on Nov. 29th following his efforts in RIT's Princeton sweep. Also tabbed the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Month for October, Willet currently ranks second in the nation with 51 blocked shots. He knocked down a season-high seven in the Tigers' 2-1 victory over St. Lawrence (Oct. 16) before three-consecutive four-block performances, including the Tigers' 3-2 OT road upset of No. 13 Notre Dame (Oct. 21). Willett garnered first-team all-conference honors last season after leading RIT and tying for 12th in Atlantic Hockey with 30 blocked shots. He also tied for first on the team with 14 assists and was fourth with 18 points. The 2021-22 Preseason All-Atlantic Hockey honoree currently leads all Tiger returners with 69 career assists while ranking second with 79 career points over 146 games played the last five seasons.

ABOUT THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona entered the weekend ranked 16th nationally scoring 3.42 goals per game, but sit near the bottom of the national rankings (52nd) allowing 3.88 goals per game. The Sun Devils also lead the nation with 373 penalty minutes and rank second averaging 15.54 penalty minutes per game, while their penalty kill is third from the bottom (.714). Sophomore forward Matthew Kopperhud is tied for third nationally with 29 points and is tied for eighth in the country with 13 goals. Graduate student forward Colin Theisen is tied for fifth in the nation with 28 points, while his 15 goals are tied for third-best. Freshman forward Josh Doan is tied for 13th in the country with 25 points, while his 17 assists are tied for the nation's 11th-highest total.