ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The RIT Men's Hockey team will play its first home game in nearly a month to kick off an Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) home-and-home series opposite Canisius this weekend.

The Tigers return to the Gene Polisseni Center on Friday following six-straight road contests, including a pair of games in Belfast, Northern Ireland last weekend, looking to snap a four-game slide. Canisius will play on the road for the first time in four contests, most recently falling, 6-3, and tying, 3-3 (SO/W) opposite Air Force last weekend, before hosting RIT on Saturday for its last game until the New Year.

FOLLOW LIVE
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TIGER REWIND
RIT takes the ice for the first time since traveling to Belfast Northern Ireland for the 2025 Friendship Four Tournament last weekend. The Tigers opened the first international trip in program history with a 4-0 setback to eventual champion Miami (Ohio) last Friday, before falling, 3-0, to Sacred Heart in Saturday's consolation game. 

Friday saw the RedHawks open the scoring 2:38 into the contest before converting a power-play attempt at 14:27 of the second for a 2-0 lead. Miami later tacked on two empty-net goals in the final three minutes of regulation to close the victory. RIT sophomore goaltender Jakub Krbecek finished with 27 saves, including 11 in each of the first two periods.   

In Saturday's consolation game, AHA rival Sacred Heart broke a scoreless tie with 3:28 left in the second period and later added two empty-net goals with under a minute left in regulation to close the weekend. RIT senior goaltender Trent Burnham logged 18 saves in his first start of the season. 

POWER OUTAGE
RIT looks to end the fall semester on a high note, returning to the same form it had during the nine-game winning streak that preceded its current four-game slide. After averaging better than four goals per game during the winning streak, the Tigers have been out-scored, 12-3, over its last four outings, including back-to-back shutouts for the first time in D1-era program history last weekend. 

I'D LIKE A WORD WITH THE SCHEDULE MAKER
After playing at home in seven of its first nine games of the season, including six straight times to open the campaign, RIT is home Friday for the only time during its final nine games to close 2025.

LONG STRANGE TRIP
Since its last home game on Nov. 8, RIT has combined to travel over 8,600 miles, including round-trip flights across the Atlantic Ocean from Toronto to Dublin, round-trip bus trips between Dublin and Belfast, and round-trip bus rides from Rochester to Toronto, Boston, Pittsburgh and Niagara University, N.Y. 

THE KILLERS
RIT is currently ranked second nationally and first in the AHA with a .917 penalty killing percentage, only allowing four goals in 48 opponent power play attempts this season. RIT also entered the week ranked 11th nationally and first in the conference in scoring defense, only allowing 2.20 goals per game.

KRBECEK APPEAL
Sophomore goaltender Jakub Krbecek ranks among the nation's top netminders so far this season. Among qualifying goaltenders, he enters Friday's game ranked third nationally with a 1.67 goals against average and sixth with a .935 save percentage, while his 9-4-0 record tied him for fifth in wins this season. Krbecek was named the AHA Goaltender of the Month after compiling a 4-1-0 record in five October starts, highlighted by a season-high 39-save performance during the 7-3 win over Air Force (Oct. 25) and 28 saves in the 6-2 win over Clarkson (Oct. 18) in the Brick City Homecoming game. He also landed his first career AHA Goaltender of the Week honor after combining to stop 42 of 44 shots versus Colgate, including 28 saves in the 4-1 win after stopping 14 of 15 shots in the opening 3-1 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• RIT is current 8-0 when scoring at least three goals, but is 1-6 when scoring fewer than three goals.
• RIT is 8-2 when holding opponents under three goals, but 1-4 when allowing three or more goals. 
• The Tigers are 9-1 when holding at least a share of the lead after two periods this season, including a 7-0 mark when leading after 40 minutes of play. However, RIT is 0-5 when trailing entering the third period. 

EVERYBODY EATS
Through 15 games to start the season, 17 Tigers have scored at least one goal, while 20 of the 24 total skaters have notched at least one point. Junior defenseman Ben Roger notched his first goal of the season in the 2-1 win at Robert Morris before sophomore forward Ty Whyte notched his first goal and point of the season the following night in the 3-2 win against the Colonials to become the latest two players to get into the goal scoring action. 

TIGERS VS. CANISIUS
Friday's game will mark the 62nd all-time meeting between RIT and Canisius. The Tigers lead the all-time series, 30-29-2, including a 15-13-1 home record, but trail, 13-16-1, on the road. RIT is 4-12-0 over the last 16 meetings, including three losses in as many meetings last season, falling, 6-4, on Dec. 3 in Rochester and 5-2 during both outings in Buffalo, Jan. 10-11.