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a hockey goal celebration
Josh Boland
3
Holy Cross HLC 16-20-3
4
Winner RIT RIT 25-12-1
Holy Cross HLC
16-20-3
3
Final
4
RIT RIT
25-12-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 OT 1 F
Holy Cross HLC 0 3 0 0 3
RIT RIT 1 2 0 1 4

Game Recap: Men's Hockey |

Men's Hockey beats Holy Cross, 4-3, in OT; ties AHA Semifinal Series 1-1

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT senior forward Elijah Gonsalves scored the overtime game-winning goal in the Tigers' 4-3 victory opposite visiting Holy Cross in game-two of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament Semifinals, Saturday.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
After falling in overtime, 1-0, in Friday's opener, top-seeded RIT forced a deciding game-three versus the seventh-seeded Crusaders on Sunday (March 12) at 5:05 p.m. with a spot in next Saturday's championship game on the line
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • RIT scored the lone goal of the first period, cycling the puck around the top of the zone during a power-play opportunity where junior forward Cody Laskosky scored on shot from the point over Crusader goaltender Jason Grande's blocker at 12:51.
  • Holy Cross tied the game at 10:40 of the second after Devin Phillips tipped shot from the right half boards by Jake Higgins past Tiger sophomore goaltender Tommy Scarfone.
  • RIT answered less than two minutes later after sophomore forward Carter Wilkie tipped a shot over Grande's glove on a shot from the top of the zone by graduate student defenseman Matt Kellenberger with 8:55 on the clock.
  • Holy Cross took advantage of a pair of overlapping Tiger penalties as Liam McLinsky notched a pair of power-play goals in a 26-second span. He started by finishing a loose puck inside a wide open left post to convert a 5-on-3 opportunity, before cleaning up a loose puck in front of the right post skating 5-on-4 with 4:06 left in the second.
  • RIT retied the game, 3-3, with 1:18 left in the second. Senior forward Caleb Moretz won a faceoff to the left of the Crusader net before first-year forward Tyler Mahan fought his way behind the net with a loose puck to feed Cassaro in the right faceoff circle. Cassaro ripped a one-timer that ricocheted off two Crusader defenders and inside the far post.
  • Holy Cross had momentum in overtime, including a power-play opportunity two minutes in after a Tiger slashing penalty, while Scarfone made seven saves.
  • Tiger junior defenseman Aiden Hansen-Bukata blocked a shot in front of Scarfone and immediately pushed a puck forward to Gonsalves down the right boards to create a 5-on-2 rush. Gonsalves dropped a puck at the top of the Crusader zone to Moretz and skated into a wide-open slot to bury a return pass over Grande's blocker at 8:09. 
GAME NOTES
  • Wilkie and Cassaro each notched their team-leading 14th goals of the season. Cassaro now leads the nation in goals among defensemen while Wilkie became the 11th Division I-era Tiger to hit the 40-point plateau (14G/26A).
  • Scarfone totaled 24 saves to improve to 22-10-1 this season – already the second-highest single season win total in program history (Jared DeMichiel, 27, 2009-10).
  • Gonsalves logged his second overtime game-winning goal of the season and first since scoring 1:58 into overtime to defeat visiting Holy Cross, 3-2, on Oct. 29th.
  • Hansen-Bukata's two assists pushed him to 30 for the season. He is currently tied for ninth nationally and third among defensemen in assists. He is also the first Tiger to hit 30 assists in a season since Josh Mitchell had 30 in 2015-16.
  • RIT totaled 22 blocked shots, including six by graduate student defenseman Spencer Berry and four by Hansen-Bukata.
  • Moretz was credited with two assists while winning a career-high 19-of-27 faceoffs.
  • RIT played its third-consecutive overtime game, also eliminating Mercyhurst, 4-3, in last Saturday's quarterfinal game-two.
  • Fourth-seeded Canisius defeated sixth-seeded Niagara, 5-1, in the night's other semifinal action to even the series at one game apiece.