ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT fifth-year defenseman
Gianfranco Cassaro scored two goals, including what proved to be the game-winner, in the No. 20 Tigers' 5-4 victory over No. 10 New Hampshire, Friday, at the Gene Polisseni Center.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Junior forward Tanner Andrew put the Tigers on the board 1:34 into the game after a UNH player misplayed a puck off the right half boards that trickled toward the slot. Andrew jumped on the loose puck and beat Wildcat goaltender Tyler Muszelik, glove side.
- RIT made it a 2-0 game 1:31 later after first-year forward Tyler Fukakusa tipped a shot by sophomore defenseman Xavier Lapointe from the point that bounced under Muszelik's pads.
- UNH evened the score with a pair of goals during a 1:26 span early in the second. Nikolaj Jenson took a puck in the right faceoff circle and beat Tiger sophomore goaltender Tommy Scarfone through a small window inside the near post with 16:36 on the clock. The Wildcats later took advantage of a neutral zone turnover that eventually ended up on the stick of Ryan Conmy for a shot from the right faceoff circle over Scarfone's glove at 15:07.
- RIT retook a 3-2 lead with 3:22 left in the period with a power play tally following a UNH crosscheck. Senior defenseman Aiden Hansen-Bukata intercepted a clearing attempt at the top of the zone and sent a puck on goal that deflected around the right post. Senior forward Cody Laskosky came up with the puck on the left half boards and dropped a short pass to first-year forward Matthew Wilde, who fed Cassaro at the top of the right face-off circle for a one-timer over Muszelik's glove.
- The Tigers retook a two-goal lead with another power play goal during a five-minute UNH interference major at 16:38. Gonsalves fought a puck off the left half boards to Lapointe on the left goal line. LaPointe then slipped a short return feed to Gonsalves, who popped a shot over Muszelik's stick from close range with 1:33 left in the period.
- Starting the third period with 1:22 left of the major, Cassaro struck again with a one-timer from the right face-off circle for a 5-2 Tiger lead with 19:01 on the clock.
- New Hampshire scored a power-play goal of their own following a RIT interference call. Conmy scored on a wrist shot from the top of the left face-off circle that beat a screened Scarfone, far-post, with 13:51 on the clock.
- The Wildcats made it a one-goal game with 10:23 left in regulation. A shot by Luke Reid from the point bounced around a crowd in front of Scarfone before Harrison Blaisdell scored the loose puck inside an open left post.
GAME NOTES
- RIT scored a season-high three power-play goals on seven attempts while killing six-of-seven UNH extra-man opportunities, including a two-minute 5-on-3 with just over eight minutes left of a one-goal game.
- Scarfone stopped 27 shots to improve to 8-2 this season.
- Gonsalves scored his 29th career goal and his 74th career point to break a three-way tie for 25th on the Tigers' career scoring list (D1 era).
- Cassaro scored his team-leading sixth goal of the year, including his team-high fourth game-winner of the campaign.
- Lapointe logged his first career multi-point game with two assists.
- Andrew's goal was his 30th career point (13G/17A).
- Fukakusa notched his second career multipoint game and first with a goal and an assist.
- Laskosky's two-assist night moved him into a tie with junior forward Carter Wilkie for the team scoring lead with 10 points (5G/5A).
- RIT finished with a 34-31 shot advantage for its fifth-consecutive game with at least 30 shots on goal.
- RIT hadn't played a top-10-ranked team since defeating No. 9 Clarkson, 8-5, to open a COVID-abbreviated 2020-21 campaign (Nov. 27, 2020).
- The Tigers played their first contest opposite a Hockey East opponent since a 3-2 win over No. 13 UMass-Lowell on Jan. 11, 2020 after also beating Merrimack, 4-0, earlier that season (Oct. 19) during the annual Brick City Homecoming game at Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester.
WHAT'S NEXT
RIT hosts the Wildcats on Saturday (Nov. 25) in a rematch at 5:05 p.m.
