ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT fifth-year defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro was named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week while first-year forward Tyler Fukakusa was tabbed the Rookie of the Week, Monday. Cassaro was recognized for the fourth time this season while Fukakusa landed his second weekly award. 

• Cassaro logged a goal and an assist in Friday's 7-0 Atlantic Hockey Tournament Quarterfinal game-one victory over Robert Morris and notched a goal in Saturday's 5-1 game-two victory as the Tigers completed the two-game sweep.
• The country's top goal scoring defenseman with 16 tallies to date, he has found the net in three consecutive games.
• Fukakusa had three shots on goal during the series - all resulted in goals – and won 20-of-33 (.606) faceoffs to help the Tigers advance to their third-straight AHA Semifinal appearance.
• He notched a pair of goals and an assist while winning 12-of-21 faceoffs in Friday's win,
• Fukakusa then scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, added two assists, won 8-of-12 faceoffs and blocked two shots in Saturday's victory. 

Top-seeded RIT hosts seventh-seeded Niagara in a best-of-three series this Friday-Sunday (Mar. 14-16) in the Atlantic Hockey Semifinals. Friday and Saturday's games are slated for 7:05 p.m. faceoffs, while Sunday's game, if necessary, would start at 5:05 p.m.