ROCHESTER, N.Y. - RIT welcomes Niagara to the Gene Polisseni Center for a best-of-three Atlantic Hockey Semifinal series, Friday-Sunday. Friday and Saturday's games will start at 7:05 p.m., while Sunday's game is slated for a 5:05 p.m. faceoff, if necessary.

The top-seeded Tigers swept 11th-seeded Robert Morris, 7-0 and 5-1, in last weekend's quarterfinals while the seventh-seeded Purple Eagles upset second-seeded Sacred Heart, 6-3 and 5-1, in Connecticut.
 
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TIGER TRACKS

• RIT won its second-straight Bob DeGregorio Trophy and top-seed for the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. The Tigers completed the regular season with a 22-10-2 record, including an 18-7-1 conference mark for 54 points to out-pace the rest of the conference by eight points.
• RIT put together the seventh 20-win campaign in 19 years at the Division-I level. Coupled with a 25-win season in 2022-23, the Tigers put together back-to-back 20-win seasons for only the second time in the Division-I era and first since finishing with a 23-13-2 record in 2008-09 and a 28-12-1 mark in 2009-10.
• RIT finished the regular season leading Atlantic Hockey with 3.74 goals per game, a 1.27 scoring margin, a .233 power play percentage, 9.76 points per game, 6.03 assists per game and 36.16 shots on goal per game. The Tigers were also third in scoring defense, only allowing 2.47 goals per game, and second in penalty killing (.855).
• RIT was ranked in the USCHO.com national poll for the 17th consecutive week, sitting 19th after climbing as high as No. 18 in January. The Tigers also ranked in the USA Hockey top-20 for the 11th time this season, moving up a spot to No. 19 after two weeks at No. 20.
• RIT only lost back-to-back games once during the regular season, falling 3-1 at Niagara (Jan. 11) and 3-2 in a home overtime loss to Canisius (Jan. 16) before going 6-0-1 in its next seven games. 

AHA TOURNAMENT RECAP

• RIT swept 11th-seeded Robert Morris, 7-0 and 5-1 to open the Atlantic Hockey Tournament last weekend.
• First-year forward Tyler Fukakusa logged two goals and an assist in the opener and then added a goal and two assists during Saturday's rematch en route to his second AHA Rookie of the Week honor of the season. Scoring on all three shots on goal he registered, he also won 20-of-33 faceoffs (.606) during the series.
• Fifth-year defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro was named the AHA Defensive Player of the Week for the fourth time this winter after logging a goal and an assist on Friday before adding his 16th goal of the season in Saturday's win, which leads all defensemen in the nation. He has scored a goal in three-consecutive games.
• Junior goaltender Tommy Scarfone stopped 37 of 38 shots he faced on the weekend, including 21 in the opener for his fourth shutout of the season and ninth of his career. 

RIT IN THE ATLANTIC HOCKEY SEMIFINALS

• RIT owns a 6-6 record in 12 Atlantic Hockey Tournament Semifinal appearances.
• The Tigers are making their third-straight and 11th overall AHA semifinal appearance - tied with Mercyhurst for the most in league history.
• Last season, the top-seeded Tigers lost in three games to seventh-seeded Holy Cross, falling, 1-0, in game one before bouncing back for a 4-3 OT win in game two. The Crusaders won the deciding game three, 5-1.
• Current graduate student forward Elijah Gonsalves scored the game-winner at 8:09 of OT while current senior forward Cody Laskosky and junior forward Carter Wilkie also tallied in last year's game-two victory. Current junior forward Grady Hobbs scored RIT's lone goal in the deciding game that was 3-1 after two periods before the Crusaders netted a pair of empty-net goals in the final three minutes. 

NIAGARA REWIND

• RIT owns a 2-5 record versus Niagara in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, including a split of two previous semifinal matchups. The Tigers won the first ever playoff meeting between the two teams, 2-1 (OT) in 2012 to advance to their third-consecutive championship game before the Purple Eagles returned the favor seven years later, 1-0 (OT).
• This weekend's series marks the first time RIT will play Niagara in a three-game semifinal series as the final two rounds of the AHA Tournament were a single game from 2007-2022.
• The Purple Eagles swept a 3-2 and 2-1 (OT) quarterfinal series in 2013 and also upset the host Tigers in a 2017 first-round series, winning the first (5-4) and third (4-1) games to bookend a 5-0 RIT shutout in the second. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• RIT is 16-0-1 when leading after the first period and 20-2-2 when leading after the second period this season.
• The Tigers are also 19-0-1 when leading by multiple goals and 18-1-1 when allowing less than three goals.
• RIT has scored five or more goals 12 times this season and is undefeated in those games.
• RIT averaged 3.92 goals in its 26 Atlantic Hockey games this winter, totaling 102 tallies in conference play. Air Force finished second with 88 goals and 3.38 goals per game. 

SIX TIGERS NAMED ATLANTIC HOCKEY ALL-CONFERENCE
A league-best six RIT Men's Hockey players were named to the 2023-24 All-Atlantic Hockey Team, Tuesday. Fifth-year defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro, senior forward Cody Laskosky, junior goaltender Tommy Scarfone and junior forward Carter Wilkie landed first-team recognition, while senior defenseman Aiden Hansen-Bukata and graduate student forward Elijah Gonsalves were named second and third-team honorees, respectively.
 
BIG RED
Junior forward Carter Wilkie was voted first-team all-conference for the second-straight season. The two-time Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year finished the regular season fifth in the conference in scoring, tied for fourth in goals and seventh in assists.

• Currently second on the team with 36 points on 15 goals and 21 assist, he is only the fifth D1-era Tiger to post three 30-point seasons.
• Wilkie became the fourth-fastest D1-era Tiger to score 100 points, and was the 15th RIT player to eclipse the 100-point plateau. The two-time Hobey Baker Award nominee is currently tied for 10th on the Tigers' D1-era scoring list with 106 points on 42 goals and 64 assists to date.
• He currently ranks second in the country with 506 faceoff wins and is tied for second with three shorthanded goals.
• The 2022-23 Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year has also been named the Atlantic Hockey Preseason Player of the Year the last two seasons.
• Wilkie notched back-to-back shorthanded goals in the 7-3 win over Air Force (Feb. 16) en route to his first career hat trick. He was only the second D1-era Tiger to score two short-handed goals in a game and first since Myles Powell did it in a 6-3 win at Bentley on Oct. 29, 2016.
• Wilkie tied for 17th nationally last season with 40 points on 14 goals and 26 assists after finishing the regular season leading Atlantic Hockey in points and points per game. He was only the 13th player to hit the 40-point plateau in a single season in the Division I era and first since Erik Brown totaled 42 points (including a single-season program record 29 goals) in 2017-18. 

TENDER LOVING CARE
Junior goaltender Tommy Scarfone was named first-team All-Atlantic Hockey for the second-straight season is currently fourth nationally with a 22-8-2 record after finishing the regular season one of only for goaltenders in the nation with at least 20 wins.

• One of 10 semifinalists for the Richter Award as well as a Hobey Baker Award nominee for the second-straight season, the four-time Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week currently ranks fourth nationally with a .926 save percentage and 12th with a 2.23 goals against average. His four shutouts this season are tied for the third-best total.
• Named the Hockey Commissioners Association and Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Month on two occasions, Scarfone became the first D1-era Tiger with multiple 20-win seasons as well as the first with multiple 900-save campaigns. He moved atop the program's all-time wins list with a 52-28-4 record to date as well as into second place with 2,380 career saves, including 901 this season. 
• Scarfone finished the 2022-23 campaign tied for fourth nationally in wins with a 22-11-1 record and tied for 15th with a .918 save percentage. He also broke the Tigers' Division I-era single-season program record with 934 saves. 

CRACKING THE CODY
Senior forward Cody Laskosky was named All-Atlantic Hockey for the first time in a Tiger sweater, garnering first-team recognition.

• Laskosky finished the regular season second in Atlantic Hockey in scoring and tied for second in assists, totaling a team-high 40 points on 13 goals and 27 assists to date.
• Named the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Month for February, Laskosky finished the regular season with a team-best eight-game point streak, compiling 14 points on three goals and 11 assists during the run. He also added two assists in last Friday's win over Robert Morris, before going scoreless on Saturday.
• He notched his second-career hat trick to go along with an assist in the 7-1 regular-season win at Robert Morris (Jan. 20) for one of his team-high 11 games this season with multiple points.
• In 123 appearances the last four years, Laskosky is 25th in D1-era program history with 83 points on 31 goals and 52 assists, while becoming only the 12th 40-point scorer.
• Laskosky was voted the 2022-23 Atlantic Hockey Best Defensive Forward after finishing fourth for the Tigers with 28 points and third with 13 goals while registering 66 defensive zone takeaways. 

GIANNI BE GOOD
Fifth-year defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro was named a first-team Atlantic Hockey all-star for the second straight season.

• The country's top goal scoring defenseman with 16 tallies to date, the two-time Hobey Baker Award nominee finished the regular season ranked first nationally in goals among defensemen for the second-straight season.
• A league-best four-time Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week, he has also scored a team-high eight power play goals this season - tied for 10th in the country among all skaters entering the postseason.
• Also totaling 18 assists this winter, he is currently the eighth-highest scoring defenseman in the country with a career-high 34 points.
• Cassaro hasn't missed a game in three seasons at RIT, totaling 74 points on 33 goals and 41 assists in 111 appearances, including 32 points (14G/18A) a season ago to finish sixth nationally among all blueliners.
• Cassaro transferred following 38 appearances and three points (1G/2A) over two seasons at UMass-Amherst, including 10 during the Minutemen's run to the 2021 national championship. 

FIRST AIDEN
Senior defenseman Aiden Hansen-Bukata was voted First-Team All-Atlantic Hockey for the second-straight season.

• Hansen-Bukata ended the regular season ranked second in Atlantic Hockey in assists and 11th in points and currently sits one point shy of his second-straight 30-point campaign with four goals and 25 assists to date.
• He was named Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week two of the final four weeks of the season, including after the Bentley series that saw him score the game-tying goal with 41.6 seconds left in regulation of the 2-1 OT win (Jan. 27) before assisting what proved to be the game-winner and blocking five shots in a 3-0 shutout the following night.
• In 14 games since returning from a two-game injury absence, he has totaled 16 points (3G/13A) and has only been held scoreless twice. In 31 appearances this winter, he has only been held without a point nine times.
• Hansen-Bukata was named the 2022-23 Atlantic Hockey Best Defenseman as well as First-Team All-Conference after finishing the season ranked 10th nationally with 30 assists and tied for sixth among defensemen with 32 points. He was the first RIT player to hit the 30-assist mark in a season since 2015-16 and also ended the campaign 12th nationally with 69 blocked shots. 

GOING GONZO
Fifth-year forward Elijah Gonsalves landed his first career all-conference honor after being named Third-Team All-Atlantic Hockey. 

• Gonsalves is tied for the team lead with 15 goals this season and is tied for fifth with a career-high 27 points.
• Gonsalves landed his first all-conference honor after finishing the regular season tied for sixth in the conference in goals and tied for 10th in points.
• He has scored a career-high 30 points and 15 goals this winter, including his 100th career point in last Saturday's win over Robert Morris to become the 16th D1-era Tiger to hit the century mark with 42 goals and 58 assists to date.
• An Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team honoree in 2019-20, the two-time alternate captain bounced back from an injury-shortened junior campaign to play in all 39 games a season ago and has appeared in all but four games this season.
• He is also a two-time Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team honoree as well as an AHCA All-American Scholar. 

WILDE FIRST SEASON
First-year forward Matthew Wilde is currently tied for the team lead with 16 goals - the highest total by a first-year player in the Tigers' D1 era.

• Also tied for fourth with 30 points, Wilde is only the second first-year to compile 30 points in the last 13 seasons and first since current junior forward Carter Wilkie (13G/17A) in 2021-22.
• He was named the Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Month for February after notching a team-best six goals to go along with three assists as RIT clinched the top seed for the AHA Tournament.
• He entered the postseason with the nation's longest goal-scoring streak, finishing the regular season with a tally in five consecutive games. He scored a goal and added an assist in the AHA Quarterfinal opener versus Robert Morris, before going scoreless the following night. 
• Wilde scored two goals in the 9-2 win over Canisius (Feb. 23) and tallied a goal and an assist the following night in a 3-2 road win over the Golden Griffins, tying the game in the final minute of the first period and assisting what proved to be the game-winning goal in the third.
• Wilde finished the regular season tied for fourth in the conference in goals. 

WAYNE'S WORLD
Head Coach Wayne Wilson became the 37th coach in NCAA men's hockey history to hit the 450-win plateau during the 3-0 win over Bentley (Jan. 26) earlier this season. He is currently 35th in NCAA Men's Ice Hockey history with 458 victories and is ranked 10th among active Division I coaches with a 458-313-80 record the last 25 seasons - all on the Tiger bench. The only coach in NCAA history to win the Spencer Penrose (D1 National COY, 2010) and the Edward Jeremiah (D3 National COY, 2001) awards, he totaled a 116-31-12 mark in six Division III campaigns (1999-2005) and owns a 342-282-68 record during 19 Division-I seasons. Wilson coached his 850th career game in last Friday's 7-0 win over Robert Morris - only the 42nd NCAA coach to achieve the milestone.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Graduate student captain Caleb Moretz played his 150th career game in the regular season finale versus Canisius – the ninth Tiger to hit the milestone – joining graduate student defenseman Ryan Nicholson who also made his 150th appearance in RIT's 7-6 OT win at Mercyhurst (Feb. 9). Nicholson is third all-time with 157 appearances, followed by Moretz at 155. 
 
CAPTAIN CALEB
Fifth-year forward Caleb Moretz was named captain for the 2023-24 season, trading in the "A" from his sweater for a "C" this season. In 153 games over the last five years, Moretz has totaled 64 career points on 22 goals and 42 assists, finishing seventh on the team last season with 19 points on five goals and 14 assists as well as second with 246 faceoff wins and a .532 winning percentage. Moretz is a four-time AHCA All-American Scholar as well as a four-time Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team honoree.
 
TAKING IT OUTSIDE
With the 1-1 tie versus St. Lawrence (Jan. 6), RIT completed the non-conference portion of the 2023-24 season with a 4-3-1 record, marking the fifth-consecutive season the Tigers went .500 or better outside of league play. RIT also owns a 15-12-2 mark the last five years versus the other five conferences with at least a .500 record versus the ECAC (8-5-2), CCHA (2-0) and Hockey East (3-3), while going 2-4 versus the Big 10. 
 
WASH, RINSE, REPEAT
RIT received a league-high 105 points in this year's Atlantic Hockey preseason poll, including seven of 11 first-place votes. Sacred Heart was picked to finish second with 99 points, including two first-place votes, followed by AIC (90 votes, one first), Holy Cross (82, one first) and Canisius (79) in the top-five.