M and E Engineering and Salvatore’s Old Fashioned Pizzeria are Saturday’s game sponsors. On Saturday, RIT Athletics, in conjunction with the RIT men’s hockey team will conduct a free sweepstakes for a chance to shoot three pucks into the net through a five-inch opening for a chance to win Free Textbooks for the Fall 2014 and Spring 2015 Semesters courtesy of Barnes and Noble Bookstore @ RIT (maximum value, $1,000 for registered classes). The odds of winning depend on the number of qualified entries received and successful completion of the Barnes and Noble @ RIT shootout.
Saturday will be the final RIT men’s hockey game at historic Ritter Arena, as the team moves into the Gene Polisseni Center in time for the 2014-15 season. Since moving to Division I in 2005, RIT is 85-47-18 at the 2,100-seat arena and 68-25-15 against AHA foes at home. Ritter Arena has been the home of the Tigers for 46 years and was the site of countless ECAC West Championship games, AHA Quarterfinal games, and the 1989 and 2001 NCAA Division III National Championship games.
RIT currently has 19 points in AHA play, which puts them in a tie for tenth place with American International. Canisius is tied for sixth in the league standings with 25 points. If the season ended before this weekend’s games, RIT would travel to Canisius for a first round series.
On Saturday, RIT will honor seniors Nolan Descoteaux (Dallas, TX/South Shore Kings), Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies), Eliot Raibl (Vancouver, British Columbia/Quesnel Millionaires), Ben Lynch (Blaine, MN/Lincoln Stars),Adam Mitchell (Crofton, MD/Baystate Breakers), and Greg Noyes (Lucan, Ontario/Salmon Arm Silverbacks). This group has helped lead RIT to a 63-60-24 record in four seasons. As freshmen and sophomores, this group helped lead RIT to back-to-back Atlantic Hockey Association Championship games and the 2011 Vermont Catamount Cup Championship. Last year, RIT defeated national power Michigan. The group has combined for 146 goals, 243 assists, and 389 points in 771 games played.
RIT split a two-game series at Air Force last weekend, falling by a score of 4-3 on Friday, while rallying to win by a score of 3-2on Saturday. On Friday, Ben Lynch (Blaine, MN/Lincoln Stars) had a goal and an assist. On Saturday, Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) scored the game-winning goal with 9:22 left in regulation, while Mike Rotolo(Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) made 26 saves. The win on Saturday snapped a nine-game winless streak and was RIT’s first victory in 35 days.
Colavecchia leads the team in scoring with 29 points on 12 goals and 17 assists. Lynch and Dan Schuler (Webster, NY/Powell River Kings) are right behind with 11 goals. Noyes leads all RIT defensemen in scoring with 23 points. In net, Rotolo is 6-7-3 with a 2.99 goals against average and .905 save percentage.
RIT’s power-play is sixth nationally at 22.6 percent. The RIT penalty-killing unit has allowed just five goals over its last 12 games, killing off 51 of its opponents last 56 attempts with the man-advantage (91.1 percent).
Canisius enters the weekend tied for sixth in the AHA standings with 25 points after splitting a home-and-home series against Robert Morris last weekend. Kyle Gibbons leads the team in scoring with 30 points on 13 goals and 17 assists, while Ralph Cuddemi and Patrick Sullivan have 10 goals apiece. Canisius is being outscored by its opponents, 100-91 this season. In net, Tony Capobianco has played 24 games in net for the Golden Griffins, recording an 8-11-2 record with a 3.06 goals against average and .907 save percentage. Keegan Asmundson is 4-6-1 with a 2.45 goals against average and .927 save percentage.
RIT and Canisius have enjoyed a long rivalry, as both members of the ECAC West Conference and as AHA schools. RIT is 55-19-1 all-time against the Golden Griffins and 16-9-0 since the start of the 2005-06 season. Canisius has won the last four meetings against RIT, including a 5-2 contest in Buffalo on Nov. 19. Dan Schuler (Webster, NY/Powell River Kings) scored both RIT goals,2:02 apart in the first period, while Todd Skirving (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Sioux Falls Stampede) dished out a pair of assists.
Tickets are available for Saturday’s game at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center Box Office or by phone at (585) 475-4121. Fans can also purchase tickets at www.rithockey.com. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for RIT faculty, staff and alumni and $5 for students with ID. Fans can also buy special reserved seats in Section 100 or 101 for $13 (adults), $11 (faculty/staff/alumni) or $8 (students). Buying a reserved section ticket will guarantee you a seat for the game.
Both games will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel 26. On Friday, Sal Capaccio and Kris Baker will bring you the action from Buffalo State Ice Arena and on Saturday, as always Gene Battaglia and John DiTullio are on the call from Ritter Arena. In addition, both games will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu and on Watch ESPN on Friday and America One on Saturday. Live stats are also available for Friday and Saturday’s contests.
