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a men's hockey player passing a puck past a defender
Rebecca Villagracia / RIT Athletic Communications
4
Winner RIT RIT 14-11-0, 10-7-0
2
Niagara NIA 7-15-0, 4-10-0
Winner
RIT RIT
14-11-0, 10-7-0
4
Final
2
Niagara NIA
7-15-0, 4-10-0
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
RIT RIT 0 2 2 4
Niagara NIA 0 0 2 2

Game Recap: Men's Hockey |

Men's Hockey downs Niagara on the road, 4-2

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The RIT Men's Hockey team earned a 4-2 victory at Niagara in Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) play, Tuesday.
 
After a scoreless first period, RIT took a 2-0 lead on second-period goals by first-year forward Evan Konyen and senior forward Austin Brimmer. The Purple Eagles got on the board in the fifth minute of the third, but first-year William Moore answered a minute later with what proved to be the game-winner. Niagara pulled back within one midway through the period, but an empty-net goal by senior Philippe Jacques in the final minute sealed the victory.
 
Sophomore goaltender Jakub Krbecek finished with 37 saves, including all 22 he faced in the second period.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
RIT got on the board 45 seconds into the second. Junior defenseman Ben Roger threw a long clearing pass down the left boards to Brimmer to create a 3-on-2 chance for the Tigers. Brimmer cut toward the point and dropped a pass to first-year forward Zach Wigle, who fed Konyen in the slot for a short finish inside the right post.
 
RIT later took a 2-0 lead, scoring 35 seconds after denying Niagara during a full, two-minute, 5-on-3 power-play. Brimmer skated a puck down the left boards centered a pass in the neutral zone that Konyen played through to Wigle at the right point. Wigle send a long pass to back to Brimmer at the left dot for a one-timer inside the near post at 15:08.
 
Niagara scored at 4:19 of the third after a drive from the point by Lane Brockhoff was knocked down in the slot by a defender's stick. However, the loose puck landed outside the right post for a short finish by Noah Hackett.

Moore answered exactly a minute later, shooting down the right boards past the Purple Eagle defense to whip a wrist shot from the right faceoff dot between goaltender Deivs Rolovs' pads.
 
The Purple Eagles made it a one-goal game at 9:21 skating 4-on-4. Jonathan Ziskie fed Ross Roloson in the slot for a shot behind Krbecek at the end of an odd-man rush.  

Jacques sealed the win with 41.2 seconds remaining, intercepting a pass at the top of the Tiger zone and sending a puck home from long distance.
 
GAME NOTES
  • RIT killed all six Niagara power plays they faced while the Purple Eagles fended off the Tigers' lone power play attempt.
  • RIT weathered a night they were outshot, 39-19, including a 22-3 advantage in the second.
  • Krbecek notched his 18th career game with at least 30 saves, tying the fourth-highest single-game total of his time in a Tiger sweater.
  • Konyen was credited with his team-best 10th goal of the season to extend a team-leading five-game point-scoring streak.
  • Wigle was credited with two assists for the third time in the Tigers' last four games and leads the team with 14 assists. He has 10 points on a goal and nine assists over the last eight games.
  • Brimmer was credited with a goal and an assist for his fourth multi-point game of the season.
  • Moore netted his third game-winning goal of the season, tying Konyen for the team lead.
  • RIT snapped a four-game losing streak to Niagara while earning their first road victory over the Purple Eagles since February of the 2021-22 season. 
WHAT'S NEXT
RIT hosts Niagara for a rematch on Saturday (Jan. 24) scheduled for a 5:05 p.m. faceoff at the Gene Polisseni Center.