ROCHESTER, N.Y. - The RIT Men's Hockey Team resumes Atlantic Hockey America (AHA) play with a trip to West Point, N.Y. for two games opposite Army, Friday (7:05 p.m.) and Saturday (4:05 p.m).
The Tigers look to keep the momentum going after last Saturday's 5-4 victory over visiting RPI to earn a series split with the Engineers and snap a three-game slide.
The Black Knights picked up a 4-3 OT upset at #7/8 Quinnipiac last Friday before falling, 3-1, in a Saturday exhibition with the US National Team Development Program U-18 at home.
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TIGER REWIND
RIT outlasted RPI, 5-4, last Saturday on the heels of two goals by senior forward
Christian Catalano, including what proved to be the game-winning goal with 2:53 left in regulation. Tied, 1-1, after the first, RIT outscored the Engineers, 3-2, in the second for a 4-3 lead into the third. RPI tied the score with 7:41 left in regulation before Catalano later clinched the victory for his second-career two-goal outing and first since a 9-2 win at Canisius as a first-year.
First-year forwards
Ryan Shaw,
Matthew Wang and
Nathan DellaDonna all scored their first collegiate goals while sophomore goaltender Colin Mackenzie was credited with 23 saves to preserve his first victory in Orange and Black. Seven other players also logged an assist, including two apiece by junior defenseman
Mason Croucher and first-year forward
Lucas Romeo.
Friday's opener saw senior forward
Matthew Wilde score in the eighth minute of regulation for the lone goal of the first, before RPI scored 51 seconds into the second and three more times in the third while holding the Tigers scoreless en route to the 4-1 decision. RIT first-year goaltender
Zach Bowen made his collegiate debut, finishing the night with 23 stops while Catalano had an assist on Wilde's goal.
WHEREFORE ART THOU, ROMEO
First-year forward
Lucas Romeo was voted the AHA Rookie of the Week announced Tuesday, following his two-assist effort in Saturday's 5-4 win over RPI. He logged a secondary assist after setting up the Tigers' first-period power-play goal and later logged the primary assist that sprung senior forward
Christian Catalano for the game-winning tally with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. His first-two career assists also comprised his first multi-point game as a Tiger. Romeo has also scored two goals, including what would have been the game-winning goal in the 2-2 tie at UMass (Oct. 9) before the Minutemen scored with half a second left in regulation. He also accounted for the lone RIT goal in the 5-1 setback to Michigan State (Oct. 17).
RANK AND FILE
RIT will face an opponent listed in both national polls for the fourth-straight weekend. The Tigers earned a 2-2 tie with a shootout win, followed by a 5-1 loss at #18 Massachusetts (Oct. 9-10) before taking on third-ranked Michigan State two weekends ago -- the highest ranked team RIT has seen in the regular season since falling 6-2 at No. 2 Boston College on Nov. 28, 2015. RPI and Army were receiving votes in both polls the last two weeks as well. RIT's last win over a ranked team was a 1-0 shutout of No. 8/9 Penn State on Jan. 3 of last season.
TWO GOALS = TWO WINS
RIT is 2-0 in games when a Tiger scores two goals. In addition to Catalano's outing last Saturday, sophomore forward
Will Moore notched two goals in RIT's 4-2 win over Niagara (Oct. 3).
SPREADING THE PUCK AROUND
Through seven games, 18 RIT players have scored at least one point, including 11 goals scorers and 14 with an assist. Thirteen players have multiple points as well, led by Catalano, Romeo and sophomore forward
Camden Bajzer, who each have two goals and two assists apiece. Bajzer also has a point in a team-high four games.
