ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The RIT men's hockey team returns to the Gene Polisseni Center to kick off a six-game homestand, hosting Atlantic Hockey-rival Sacred Heart Friday and Saturday in a battle of the top-two teams in the latest league standings. The Tigers extended a five-game winning streak with a road sweep of AIC last Saturday (4-3) and Sunday (3-2), while the Pioneers skated to a 6-3 win and a 3-3 tie (2-1 SOW) at Mercyhurst last Friday and Saturday, respectively.

RIT ended Sacred Heart's season last year, winning a best-of-three Atlantic Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal series, 2-1, at the GPC. The Tigers won the opener, 1-0 in OT and, after falling, 3-1, in game-two, earned a 3-1 victory in the deciding game. RIT also won both regular-season meetings, taking a 3-2 home decision (Jan. 11) before winning a 5-1 game played at Army's Tate Rink (Feb. 1). 

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TIGER TRACKS
RIT swept host AIC last week, coming back for a 4-3 win on Saturday before earning a 3-2 win on Sunday. The Tigers fell behind, 2-0, after the first period, but sophomore forward Grady Hobbs scored twice in the opening six minutes of the second to knot the game, 2-2. The Yellow Jackets re-took the lead 2:59 before the second intermission, but Tiger senior defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro notched a power-play tally 59 seconds into the third and junior forward Cody Laskosky scored what proved to be the game-winner with 8:10 left in regulation en route to the win. Junior defenseman Aiden Hansen-Bukata assisted three goals, while grad student forward Kobe Walker assisted both third-period tallies.  

Sunday saw RIT senior forward Elijah Gonsalves open the scoring 2:23 into the contest. AIC tied the game just over three minutes later, but grad student defenseman Spencer Berry one-timed a blast from the left face-off circle to put the visitors back on top with 11:08 remaining in the period.  The Yellow Jackets scored the lone goal of the second period, but it was sophomore forward Tanner Andrew tipping home his own rebound 1:50 into the third for what proved to be the deciding tally.   

30 FOR 30
RIT sophomore goaltender Tommy Scarfone made 31 stops to preserve Sunday's 3-2 at AIC for his fourth 30-plus save effort of the season. He also notched 32 saves in the 3-2 OT win versus Holy Cross (Oct. 29) after logging a season-high 36 saves in the 4-2 win at Air Force (Oct. 21) and 32 stops to defeat visiting Army, 3-2 (Oct. 7). Scarfone entered the week leading the AHA with a .914 save percentage, 235 saves and 479:03 minutes played while his seven wins were tied for the most in the nation and his 7-1 record tied him for second in winning percentage (.875). 

ISABELLE(S) AND WHISTLES
First-year forward Simon Isabelle was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week, Monday. Isabelle had the primary assist on the game-winning goal, blocked two shots and won 7-of-12 face-offs in Saturday's 4-3 comeback victory at AIC. He also took four shots and won eight faceoffs in Sunday's 3-2 victory as the Tigers completed the sweep of the Yellow Jackets. Isabelle also won the award two weeks ago after logging three assists during the Tigers' two-game sweep of visiting Holy Cross (Oct. 29-30).

WEARING OUT THE RED LIGHT
RIT entered the week ranked sixth nationally with 3.90 goals per game and sixth with 39 goals scored through its first 10 games - one more than the 38 scored over the first 10 games of the 2020-21 season for the most in program history during the Division I era. 

PUTTING THE SPECIAL IN SPECIAL TEAMS
RIT entered the week ranked fourth nationally with a .314 (11-for-35) power play percentage and seventh with a .884 (38-for-43) penalty kill percentage.

ON THE MARGINS
RIT entered the week 12th nationally and first in Atlantic Hockey in scoring margin, out-scoring its opponents by 1.30 goals per game. 

HEY, BOO
Junior defenseman Aiden Hansen-Bukata is currently tied for first among the nation's defensemen with 12 points and tied for second with 10 assists. He logged his second three-assist game of the season in last Saturday's 4-3 comeback at AIC (Nov. 5) after also notching three assists in the 8-5 win over Union (Oct. 15).Named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10, he currently leads the team in scoring as well as with 18 blocked shots. 

POWER PLAYERS
Grad student forward Kobe Walker and first-year forward Carter Wilkie are tied for 11th nationally with three power play goals apiece. Walker has already equaled the three extra-man tallies he had all of last year and has netted eight power play goals during his career, while all three of Wilkie's goals this season have been power-play tallies, eclipsing the two he had all of last year.

DOT MATRIX
Sophomore forward Carter Wilkie entered the week ranked 10th with 113 face-off wins. He won a season-high 16-of-25 in the 3-2 win over Army (Oct. 7) before winning 16-of 28 in the 3-2 setback at Air Force (Oct. 20). 

WAYNE'S WORLD
Head Coach Wayne Wilson earned his 300th Division I-era victory in last Saturday's 3-2 victory at AIC. Wilson currently ranks ninth among active coaches and 44th in NCAA Hockey history with a 417-292-77 record the last 24 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 301-261-65 record during 18 Division-I seasons. Last season, he became the 49th NCAA men's hockey coach to hit the 400-win plateau with the 1-0 OT win at Princeton (Nov. 27) last season. 

BERRY BURIES
Graduate student defenseman Spencer Berry logged his first goal in a Tiger sweater along with an assist and four blocked shots in Sunday's 3-2 win at AIC. He gave RIT a 2-1 lead with 8:52 left in the first period and later assisted sophomore forward Tanner Andrew's game-winner 1:50 into the third. 

SPREAD THE LOVE
Through 10 games, 17 RIT players have scored at least one point, including 13 with at least three points. Additionally, 15 of those 17 players have been credited with at least one blocked shot. 

CRACKING THE CODY
Junior forward Cody Laskosky had a team-best nine-game point scoring streak broken in Sunday's AIC victory. He started the season with at least one point in every game, including a goal in Saturday's decision, before going scoreless on the back end of RIT's series with the Yellow Jackets. 

JOJO KNOWS 
Senior defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro was named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Month for October. Currently tied for fourth among the nation's defensemen with 11 points, Cassaro finished the month leading Atlantic Hockey in scoring, while ranking tied for 14th in the country among all skaters. Cassaro put together a six-game point streak, including three multi-point games, during the month. He was named the AHA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 24 after totaling three assists during a split at Air Force, including two assists in the 4-2 win (Oct. 21). He notched two goals and an assist in 5-2 win over Holy Cross (Oct. 28) and had a goal and an assist in 8-5 win over Union (Oct. 15). Cassaro also had a goal and blocked four shots in 4-1 win over Army (Oct. 8).

MAHAN UP
First-year forward Tyler Mahan was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week (Oct. 17) after scoring three goals in the 8-5 win over Union (Oct. 15). It was the first RIT hat-trick since Will Calverley scored three goals in a 6-4 victory over visiting Mercyhurst on Jan. 28, 202. as well as the first three-goal performance by an RIT first-year player since Andrew Rinaldi netted three in a 7-4 win over visiting Holy Cross on Nov. 1, 2019.

EIGHT IS ENOUGH
RIT'S 8-5 win over Union (Oct. 15) was its highest scoring output since earning an 8-5 victory over No. 9 Clarkson at the Gene Polisseni Center on Nov. 27, 2020.

EIGHT WAS ENOUGH
RIT earned its first Division I-era win over Union after going 0-7-1 in their first eight meetings, including a 4-3 road setback on Oct. 1 to open this season. 

MILLER TIME
Tiger sophomore Evan Miller was named the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week on Oct. 3 after notching his first collegiate goal and multi-point game in the Union opener. Miller missed all but two games last season due to injury, notching an assist in his collegiate debut during RIT's season-opening 5-2 loss at Colgate (Oct. 2) and also played in the Tigers' 3-2 upset at Notre Dame (Oct. 21). 

ABOUT THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart got goals from seven different players on the way to a 6-3 win and a 3-3 OT tie (2-1 shootout win) at Mercyhurst last weekend. Graduate student forward Ryan Steele was named the AHA Player of the Week after scoring four points on two goals and two assists, while graduate student forward Todd Goehring added a pair of goals and a shootout tally. Senior Forward Neil Shea (1-4-5), sophomore defenseman Conner Hutchison (0-4-4) and senior forward Braeden Tuck (0-3-3) also had solid weekends, while senior goaltender Luke Lush stopped 48 shots. Shea ranks 16th in DI with 1.33 points per game, while Lush may have been responsible for the two conference points on Saturday with numerous breakaway stops. In Friday's game, the Pioneers erased a 3-1 deficit in the second period with three goals in 21 seconds. 

DON'T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
Before the opening loss to Union, RIT hadn't lost a game when leading after two periods since falling to Holy Cross on Jan. 31, 2020, letting a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes slip away in a 4-3 setback. The Tigers also hadn't lost a game when leading by two or more goals since giving up a 2-0 lead to Long Island University in a 4-3 loss on Dec. 11, 2020. RIT finished 10-0-1 last season when holding a lead after two periods and was also 12-1-1 when scoring first.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
RIT is playing the 60th men's hockey season in program history. Starting as an unofficial club in 1960, the team was given a budget of $1,113.20 for the 1961-62 season and named James E. Musker the first head coach. RIT played a 14-game season (all on home ice at the former Rochester War Memorial) with a team originally comprised of over 45 members and, with the new NCAA rules, was required to purchase helmets for the team at a cost of $62.50. After one more season as a club, men's hockey became an intercollegiate sport at RIT in 1964. 

THANKS, YOU TOO
Atlantic Hockey is also celebrating its 20th season in 2022-23. Entering its 17th season in the league, RIT is in the hunt for its fourth conference title and first since winning back-to-back crowns in 2015 and 2016. The Tigers won their first AHA Championship in 2010, before becoming the league's first (and still only) member to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four. RIT finished atop the 2006-07 regular season standings during its first season in the AHA, but was not eligible for postseason play. 

BIG RED 
Sophomore forward Carter Wilkie was named the Atlantic Hockey Co-Preseason Player of the Year and a member of the Preseason All-Atlantic Hockey Team. Wilkie returned after leading the Tigers with 30 points and 17 assists, while finishing second with 13 goals during his first season in Orange and Black. He also tied for second in the nation with six game-winning goals, and became just the fifth Division I player in over 10 years to notch three overtime game-winning tallies. The 2022 Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year and an AHA All-Rookie Team honoree, Wilkie landed seven conference Rookie of the Week honors a season ago, and was also named the league's Rookie of the Month on three occasions.

TENDER LOVING CARE
Sophomore goaltender Tommy Scarfone joined Wilkie on the AHA All-Rookie Team last winter. He finished fourth in the conference with a 2.46 goals against average as well as a .919 save percentage en route to an 8-9-1 record. Starting the final 11 games of the season, he tied a career high with 39 saves in the Tigers' 1-0 shutout of Sacred Heart in the opening game of the AHA Quarterfinals for his eighth 30-plus save outing of the season. He also logged 33 saves on three other occasions during the run, including the 4-4 tie with AIC (Feb. 5) as well as in the 4-2 win at Niagara (Feb. 18) en route to Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week honors. Scarfone closed the regular season with 33 saves in the Tigers' 1-0 OT setback at Air force (Feb. 26). 

GAME CHANGING VOTE
A proposal was passed last January at the NCAA Convention during the Division III Business meeting which will allow RIT to offer scholarships to its Division I men's and women's hockey student-athletes. Multi-divisional intercollegiate athletic programs like RIT, which sponsors 22 Division III teams along with two Division I hockey teams, were previously not allowed to apply all Division I legislation to its Division I teams, including the inability to award athletic grant-in-aid to its players based on a 2004 bylaw. However, with the vote overwhelmingly passing by a 388-18-39 margin, the Tigers will be on the same footing as the rest of its peers across the country with a full 18 scholarships available to each hockey team.

DEARLY DEPARTED
RIT graduated three of last season's top-five scorers, including Will Calverley, Dan Willett and Jake Hamacher. A Hobey Baker nominee and 2021 second-team All-American, Calverley led the Tigers with 15 goals and was second with 27 points en route to his second-straight First-Team All-Atlantic Hockey award. Hamacher was third with 21 points (9 goals, 12 assists) and tied for 10th in D1-era history with 106 points (43 goals, 63 assists). Willett finished second with 13 assists and fifth with 18 points while ranking fourth nationally with 91 blocked shots. Willett and Hamacher also finished first and second in program history with 166 and 165 games played, respectively. 

SKY WALKER
Fifth-year Kobe Walker returns after finishing second for the 2021-22 Tigers with 11 goals, including three power-play tallies, two game-winners and two short-handed scores. In 29 appearances, the top-line right winger's 19 points ranked fourth on the squad, while his eight assists tied for the sixth-highest total on the team. A three-time Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team member, Walker entered the season with 111 appearances in an RIT sweater along with 56 career points on 28 goals and 28 assists.

BERRY GOOD
Fifth-year Spencer Berry is back for his final season after finishing 2021-22 as one of three Tiger defenseman who appeared in all 38 games during the season, finishing second on the team with 52 blocked shots to go along with three assists. A four-time Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team honoree, he returned this season with 88 games played and 10 career points (all assists).

ANDREW-BE-DO-BE-DOO
Fifth-year Andrew Petrucci played 35 games last season, notching a goal and an assist. The hard-nosed fourth-line centerman entered the season with 104 games during his RIT career, compiling 15 points on eight goals and seven assists. He is also a four-time Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team honoree.

GOING GONZO
Senior Elijah Gonsalves returned with 70 career games and 52 points on 20 goals and 32 assists. The 2019-20 Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team honoree scored better than 20 points his first two seasons and looks to bounce back after having his season cut short due to injury after 15 appearances last year. Gonsalves is a two-time Atlantic All-Academic Team honoree and was an AHCA All-American Scholar in 2020-21.

MORE IS BETTER
Senior Caleb Moretz entered the season with 40 points in 89 career appearances the last three seasons, including a goal and five assists playing all 38 games last winter. He was third on the team with 244 face-off wins and second with a 52.7 face-off win percentage. A three-time AHCA All-American Scholar and Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team member, Moretz also finished second among forwards on the team with 24 blocked shots.

PLAYOFFS. PLAYOFFS?
Atlantic Hockey adopted a new format for its 2022-23 postseason tournament -- only the top-eight of the league's 10 teams in the final regular-season standings will qualify for the playoffs and all three rounds will be hosted on campus sites. The top-seed will host the eighth seed, the second-seed will host the seventh seed, etc. in the best-of-three quarterfinals (Mar. 3-5), before the two highest remaining seeds host the two lowest remaining seeds in the best-of-three semifinals (Mar. 10-12). The highest remaining seed will then host the championship game (Mar. 18) with the winner earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

WHO'S AFRAID OF A COUPLE EXTRA MINUTES
RIT finished the 2021-22 season with a 6-1-4 record in 11 overtime games, including a 1-0 win over Sacred Heart in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament Semifinal opener. 

MAGIC NUMBER
RIT's was 16-4-3 a season ago when holding opponents to three goals or less, including an 14-3-1 mark when holding opponents under three goals. 

JUST LEAVE THE RED LIGHT ON NEXT TIME
RIT was credited with the fastest consecutive goals by the same team in over 24 years at the end of its 4-2 win at Niagara (Feb. 18) last season. Carter Wilkie broke a 2-2 tie with 10.4 seconds left in regulation before Will Calverley was credited with a goal with 6.9 on the clock after the Purple Eagles won the ensuing draw directly back into their own empty net. According to the NCAA record book, RIT tied the fourth-fastest pair of goals ever scored by the same team, matching UMass-Lowell's Randy LeBrasseur and Bill Dohaney's feat against Minnesota on Jan. 3, 1987. The Tiger goals were also the quickest since Nebraska-Omaha's Andrew Tortorella and Jason Cupp scored in a three-second span opposite Denver on Nov. 15, 1997. New Hampshire's John Gray scored twice in a three-second span versus Colgate on Feb. 6, 1971 for the fastest consecutive goals scored by the same player, while Colorado College's Tony Frasca and Omer Brandt hold the all-time record with goals in a two-second span against Michigan Tech on Feb. 1, 1962.

TIGERS IN THE NHL
Former RIT standout defenseman Chris Tanev enters his 14th season in the NHL, spending his first 11 with the Vancouver Canucks before signing a free agent contract with the Calgary Flames prior to the 2020-21 season. 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 2022-23 season, he has played in 652 NHL games with 30 goals and 128 assists for 158 career points. He won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2016 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships and was named a finalist for the NHL's Masterson Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Tanev tallied 28 points (10-18-28) and was plus-33 in 41 games for RIT in 2009-10. He 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 has made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1983. RIT won the 1983 Division II National Championship before winning the Division III National Championship in 1985. The Tigers also finished as Division III runner-up in 1989, 1996 and 2001 while making semifinal appearances 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 five Division I tournament showings. The Tigers 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 its first postseason appearance in 2010 and was also the first Atlantic Hockey team to reach the national semifinals. RIT was one win away from duplicating that feat in 2014-15 after upsetting overall top-seed Minnesota State, 1-0, in the Midwest Region Semifinals.