WALTHAM, Mass. – RIT senior forward
Jake Hamacher scored two goals during a 3-3 tie at Bentley in Atlantic Hockey action, Sunday.
The Tigers trailed, 3-1, with under 15 minutes to play in the third period before Hamacher and junior forward
Andrew Rinaldi each scored during a five minute stretch to knot the score.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Bentley got on the board with 9:01 left in the first after a shot wide of the Tigers' net deflected off Lucas Vanroboy's knee across the goal line behind Tiger junior goaltender Kolby Matthews' stick.
- Hamacher tied the game with a power play goal with 15:55 to play in the second, one-timing feed from senior defenseman Dan Willett from a low angle in the right corner.
- Bentley scored a 5-on-3 goal with 14:28 on the second-period clock to retake a 2-1 lead after Matt Lombardozzi scored on a shot from the point past a screened Matthews.
- Lombardozzi later flipped a long clearing pass into the RIT zone to Harrison Scott, who fought off two RIT defenders for a shot past Matthews with 4:20 left in the period.
- Bentley was whistled for a hooking penalty with 14:20 remaining in regulation. On the ensuing possession, a loose puck popped out of a crowd in front of the Falcon goal to Hamacher in the right face-off circle for a one-timer with 14:01 on the clock.
- Four and half minutes later, Rinaldi intercepted a pass at the Bentley blue line and skated on goal to beat Falcon goalie Evan DeBrouwer and knot the score with 9:10 on the clock.
- Rinaldi nearly won the game 1:38 into overtime, hitting the right post on a shot from the slot. Matthews was also credited with two saves during a flurry in the final minutes to preserve the tie.
- Scoreless after two rounds of the shootout, senior forward Jake Joffe scored before Matthews made a save to earn the extra point in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
GAME NOTES
- Willett notched his 80th career point and his Atlantic Hockey-leading 70th career assist. He also tied Alexander Kuqali (2012-16) for second in RIT's Division I era with his 153rd career appearance and only sits one behind Josh Mitchell (154, 2012-16) for first place.
- Hamacher notched his seventh career two-goal game and first since a two-goal/one-assist showing in a 5-1 victory over visiting Bentley on Feb. 14. 2020. He leads all of Atlantic Hockey with 99 career points, including 42 goals, and also played his 152nd game.
- Matthews was credited with 26 saves and owns a 10-5-3 record this winter.
WHAT'S NEXT
RIT will take on Sacred Heart this Tuesday (Feb. 1) at Army's Tate Rink. The game was originally scheduled for January 2 at Sacred Heart, but was postponed due to COVID protocol. Faceoff is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. No fans will be admitted.