ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men’s hockey team (7-7-1, 7-5-0 Atlantic Hockey) exploded for a Division I team record six power-play goals en route to its fourth straight win, 7-1 over host Niagara University (2-10-3, 2-5-2 Atlantic Hockey) at Dwyer Arena on Friday.
RIT scored a season-high six power-play goals in the win, going 6-for-10 with the man-advantage. It was the second time RIT scored six power-play goals in a game at the Division I level, also doing so in an 8-0 win over American International on Oct. 21, 2016.
With the win, RIT stays atop the Atlantic Hockey Conference lead with 14 points.
Liam Kerins (Caledon, Ontario/North York Rangers) scored a pair of power-play goals, while Ryan Kruper (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) added a pair of goals. Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers), Ryan Kruper (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders), Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes), and Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals) also tallied. Brady Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers), Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers), and Caleb Cameron (Sundridge, Ontario/Listowel Cyclones) recorded a pair of assists apiece.
In net, Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) made 21 saves for his fourth straight win and seventh of the season.
Stanislav Dzahkov scored Niagara’s lone goal, a 5-on-3 tally late in the third period.
RIT’s penalty-killing unit held Niagara to one goal on seven power-play chances. The Tigers would out-shoot Niagara, 38-22.
“I thought our power-play had great looks all night long,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “Defensively, we didn’t give up many scoring chances, as it was a good night for us.”
The Tigers would get on the board first, as the duo of twins Brady and Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) struck on the power-play 7:46 into the game. Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) chipped the puck off the boards on the left side wall and fired a pass back to Brady Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) at the point. Brady then found twin brother Chase at the right point, who rifled a hard one-timer over the shoulder of Teichroeb for his fifth goal of the season to make it 1-0.
RIT had several chances to extend the lead later in the period, but Teichroeb would keep it a one-goal game. Teichroeb made a great pad save on a breakaway attempt by Girduckis with Powell drawing a slashing penalty on the ensuing rebound.
RIT would fire seven shots on goal during that power-play late in the first period, but Teichroeb kept everything out. The Tigers held the puck in the Niagara zone for nearly the entire two minute power-play, exhibiting tremendous puck movement.
Rotolo made a tremendous right pad save with 10 seconds to go in the opening period, sliding across to rob Nick Farmer on a one-timer from the left face-off circle off a 2-on-1 inside the RIT zone.
The Tigers would blow the game wide open with four second period goals in a span of 6:02, including three on the power-play to hold a commanding 5-0 lead after 40 minutes of play.
Kerins would score his fifth goal of the season and first of the game with 9:27 left in the second, when he fired a centering pass towards the slot that took a fortuitous bounce for RIT, caroming off a Niagara player and towards the net past a surprised Teichroeb to make it 2-0.
Just 50 seconds later, Kruper came into the zone and fired a harmless looking shot from 50 feet out that Teichroeb got a piece of, but trickled in for the RIT freshman’s third goal of the season, making it 3-0.
Niagara would pull Teichroeb in favor of Therien, but Powell greeted the Niagara goaltender with a goal from a tough angle on the power-play with 5:54 left in the period for his eighth goal of the season. Kerins would complete the goal onslaught with a power-play tally, a hard wrist shot from the slot for his second of the period and sixth of the season, to give RIT a 5-0 edge.
Girduckis and Kruper would complete the scoring with a pair of late power-play goals after Niagara’s Johnny Curran was whistled for a major penalty for face-masking penalty 3:59 left.
RIT is now 5-1-3 against Niagara since the start of the 2014-15 season.
RIT and Niagara complete its 2016-17 regular season on Saturday evening, also from Dwyer Arena at 7:05 p.m. It is RIT’s final league game of the 2016 calendar year.
“We need to be ready for a much different game tomorrow,” said Wilson. “We want those two big league points.”
