ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men’s hockey team returns home to face Sacred Heart in a pair of early season Atlantic Hockey Conference contests this weekend. Both Friday andSaturday’s games from the Gene Polisseni Center start at 7:05 p.m.
Tickets for both contests are available at the Gene Polisseni Center and Gordon Field House Box Offices, by calling (585) 475-4121, or by visiting www.rithockey.com.
On Friday, fans are encouraged to bring in a brand new Teddy Bear to participate in RIT’s Teddy Bear toss after the first goal. All Teddy Bears will be donated to Rochester General Hospital’s Child Life Services Program. On Saturday, all fans will receive a free RIT team photo, with $1.00 hamburgers until opening face-off.
Last weekend, RIT (3-6-2, 2-4-2 AHC) picked up three league points in a 1-0-1 weekend at Canisius, skating to a 3-3 tie on Friday and earning a 3-0 win on Saturday. On Friday, Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) recorded the seventh hat-trick in RIT’s 10-year Division I history, with two second period goals 2:31 apart and the game-tying goal with 2:52 left in regulation. Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) dished out a pair of assists. On Saturday, Garbowsky scored the game-winning goal and added an assist, while Danny Smith (Edmonton, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) and Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) scored third period goals. Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) stopped all 19 shots he faced for his second collegiate shutout.
Garbowsky, named the AHC Player of the Week on Tuesday, now has a point in 10 of 11 games this season and is riding a nine-game point-scoring streak with nine goals and five assists during that span. Garbowsky also leads the nation with 185 face-off wins. Overall, Garbowsky is tied for the Division I lead with nine goals and tied for sixth with 15 points.
Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) has 12 assists in 11 games this season, second most in all of Division I. He is just one assist shy and three points away from career highs in both categories.
Ruby, the reigning AHC Goaltender of the Week, has now started RIT’s last five games in goal and is 2-2-2 this season with a 2.27 goals against average and .916 save percentage this season.
Sacred Heart enters the weekend with a 4-5-2 mark overall and is 3-3-2 in league play, tied for third with eight points. Last time out, the Pioneers defeated Connecticut by a score of 2-0 in front of a sellout crowd at the Taft School. Drew George scored early in the first period and Zach Luczyk added an empty net goal in the final minute of the game. Andrew Bodnarchuk made 29 saves in the shutout. Luczyk leads the team in scoring with 11 points on five goals and six assists. Justin Danforth has a team-high seven assists. Sacred Heart is getting out-scored 30-28 by its opponents this season. In net, Alex Vazzano and Bodnarchuk have split time. Vazzano is 2-4-0 with a 2.84 goals against average and .912 save percentage, while Bodnarchuk is 2-1-2 with a 2.13 goals against average and .933 save percentage.
RIT enters the weekend riding a nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1) against Sacred Heart and is 16-4-0 all-time against the Pioneers. The Tigers are out-scoring Sacred Heart, 44-12 over that stretch. Last season, RIT defeated Sacred Heart by scores of 5-2 and 4-0 on the road. RIT will also travel to face the Pioneers on Jan. 16-17 at the Milford Ice Pavilion.
Both games will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel 26. As always Gene Battaglia and John DiTullio are on the call from the Gene Polisseni Center. The contests will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu, and on America One.Live stats are also available for both contests.
Come out and support your Tigers in their first season at the Gene Polisseni Center.
