ROCHESTER, NY – Jake Hamacher (Corona, CA/Dubuque Fighting Saints) and Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73’s) scored two goals apiece to lift the RIT men’s hockey team (5-3-1, 3-2-1 AHA) to a 5-2 win over American International (3-7-1, 3-4-1 AHA) at the Gene Polisseni Center on Saturday evening.
RIT got off to a tremendous start, scoring twice in 39 seconds early in the first period to take a 2-0 lead, held a 3-0 advantage after the opening period and held leads of 4-0 and 5-1 to cruise to the win. RIT earned its first home sweep in a calendar year, also doing so last Nov. 10-11.
Goaltender Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) was strong in net for the Tigers, stopping 21 of 23 shots to pick up his fifth win of the season. Brown added an assist for a three-point night, while Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) had a goal and an assist and Dan Willett (Bayville, NY/Bloomington Thunder) dished out two assists.
Blake Christensen and Chris Dodero scored for the Yellow Jackets. Stefano Durante started and stopped five of seven shots in the first 10:30 before leaving with an injury. Zackarias Skog played the final 49 minutes, stopping 33 of 36 shots.
RIT out-shot AIC, 43-23. Both teams were 1-for-3 on the power-play.
“I liked that we were able to get the early lead and play well with the lead,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “It was important for us to use our whole bench with the quick turnaround (Tuesday night). We want to finish our three-game homestand well.”
Brown and Hamacher scored goals 39 seconds apart to give RIT a quick 2-0 lead in the opening period. Brown grabbed a loose puck that was tipped away by Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) and darted in on a 2-on-1 rush. Brown fired a hard shot on the rush from the slot past Durante for his fifth goal of the season. Hamacher made it 2-0 with his third goal of the season, taking a feed from Shawn Cameron (Sherbrooke, Quebec/Cumberland Grads), spinning and firing in a hard shot from the right circle.
Hamacher would make it 3-0 with 5:36 left in the opening period, taking a feed from Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs) in the neutral zone, sliding into the zone and cutting to the right wing and surprising Skog with a wrist shot from the right side that snuck in for his second goal of the period and fourth of the season. He now has nine points in nine games, surpassing his point total from last season, accomplished in 36 games.
Girduckis made it 4-0 RIT just 2:16 into the second period, redirecting a pass from Brown that went off his skate and then Skog and in for his fifth goal of the year.
Christensen would get AIC on the board with a power-play goal on a delayed penalty, ripping a slap shot from the high slot through traffic past Drackett for his fifth tally of the season.
Brown would give RIT its four-goal lead back with 8:58 left in the period on the power-play, redirecting a perfect goalmouth feed from Willett in for his second goal of the game and sixth of the season.
The Tigers would cruise in the third period, maintaining its big lead. Dodero completed the scoring with four seconds left in regulation, jamming in a loose puck for his first collegiate goal.
The Tigers defeated AIC, 2-1 last night behind 32 saves from Drackett and goals from Dupuis and Darren Brady (Lake Orion, MI/New Jersey Titans). RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 32-6-3. RIT and AIC will also meet in Springfield, Mass. for a pair of games on Jan. 11-12.
RIT is right back in action, hosting Cansius College on Tuesday night from the Gene Polisseni Center at 7:05 p.m. It is Hometown Heroes night, as all first responders, active and retired military members receive free admission.
