NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – The RIT men’s hockey team (11-12-2, 10-7-4 AHC) scored a season-high seven goals to defeat host Niagara University (3-22-2, 3-16-2 AHC), 7-3 at Dwyer Arena on Friday evening. It was RIT’s first ever win at Dwyer Arena.
Six different players scored and 13 had points. Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) scored two goals and added an assist to lead the way offensively for the Tigers. He now has 38 points (21-17-38) this season and 98 for his career.
Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA/Sioux City Musketeers) tied a career-high with three points on a goal and two assists, while Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) and Danny Smith (Edmonton, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) each had a goal and an assist, while Max Mikowski (Cheekotwaga, NY/Buffalo Jr. Sabres), and Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals) also scored. Mikowski’s goal was the first of his collegiate career and Powell, his second. Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) and Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) had two assists each.
In goal, Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) won his fifth straight start, stopping 25 saves. He made eight saves in each of the first two periods and nine in the third for his sixth win of the season.
Stanislav Dzakhov, Chris Lochner, and Nick Cecere scored for the Purple Eagles, who have not won in 15 games. Goaltender Jackson Teichroeb was under siege all game, stopping 37 shots.
The Tigers out-shot Niagara, 44-28. RIT was 1-for-5 with the man advantage, while Niagara was 0-for-2.
“I thought we played pretty well, were very quick and moved our feet well, which created a lot of chances for us,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson.
RIT played a dominating first period, scoring three times in the first 11:26 eventually holding a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Garbowsky opened the scoring with his 20th goal of the season at the 4:25 mark, burying a rebound off a point shot from Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) to make it 1-0. Mitchell fed Norrish at the point, who whistled a shot wide, but Garbowsky played the carom perfectly and beat Teichroeb under the crossbar from the side of the net.
Just under four minutes later, the top line worked its magic once again, as Kuqali made a pass to Garbowsky just outside the Niagara line, who one-touched a pass to McGowan. McGowan outraced a Niagara defender, swooped in and slyly slipped a backhander through the pads of Teichroeb for his ninth goal of the season, making it 2-0 RIT.
At the 11:26 mark, Mikowski took a feed from Mark Golberg (Ottawa, Ontario/Cumberland Grads) in the slot and ripped a hard wrister to the far side past Teichroeb for his first collegiate goal to make it 3-0 RIT. Michael Holland (Cambridge, MA/Chicago Steel) kept the puck in at the left point and slid a pass around the boards to Golberg beind the net. Golberg used good vision to find Mikowski for the goal.
RIT nearly made it 4-0 moments later, as Garbowsky and Greg Amlong (O’Fallon, MO/UMass Lowell) nearly worked a 2-on-1 to perfection off a Niagara giveaway. Garbowsky took a feed from Amlong in the slot and looked to have an open side, but somehow Teichroeb lunged across to keep the puck out.
Niagara would come right back up the ice and cut RIT’s lead to 3-1 with 3:45 left in the period, as Dzahkov fired a centering pass from the right wing boards that caromed off a RIT back-checking forward and through the legs of Rotolo.
Just like the first period, RIT outscored Niagara 3-1 in the second frame to lead 6-2 after 40 minutes of play.
Early in the second period, Kuqali took a feed from Smith at the left point, made a great toe drag fake to go around a diving defender and rocketed a shot through traffic and in for his fourth goal of the season to make it 4-1 RIT. Great cycling in the Niagara zone set up the goal, as all five players touched the puck before the goal was scored.
The Smith, Brandon Thompson (Vancouver, British Columbia/Handsworth), and Andrew Miller (Chicago, IL/Chicago Steel) line struck again to make it 5-1 RIT 6:34 into the second. Once again, the forwards did a great job maintaining puck possession to get the puck back to the point. Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) fired one around the boards to his defensive partner. Alex Perron-Fontaine (St. Mathieu de Beloeil, Quebec/Chilliwack Chiefs) fed Smith in the high slot and Smith’s hard shot went through traffic for his fifth goal of the year.
Chris Lochner scored a shorthanded goal 8:46 into the period to cut the RIT lead to 5-2, out-hustling a trio of Tigers up the ice after a great chance by the Tigers on the other end. It was the first shorthanded goal of the year allowed by the Tigers.
Powell would net his second collegiate goal with 4:10 left in the second period, taking a perfect feed from Caleb Cameron (Sunridge, Ontario/Listowel Cyclones) on a 3-on-2 to beat Teichroeb from the slot to make it 6-2. Kuqali fired a pass up the boards to Cameron, who faked a shot and centered a perfect feed to Powell, who was streaking down the right side.
Garbowsky jammed home his own rebound with 10:50 left in regulation on the power-play with assists going to McGowan and Mitchell to make it 7-2.
Cecere would close out the scoring with a shot that went off a RIT played and popped over Rotolo with 1:18 left.
“We know tomorrow is going to be a very different game, so we have to take care of business on home ice,” said Wilson. “Niagara will come out a lot more determined and we have to be strong.”
Niagara leads the all-time series between the two schools, 14-5-10, 12-3-8 in the Division I era. Niagara was 9-0-5 all-time at Dwyer Arena before the Tigers before tonight.
It was the third of four meetings between the two schools tonight, as RIT leads the season series 2-0-1. On Dec. 12, Garbowsky scored two goals and added an assist in a 4-1 over the Purple Eagles at the Gene Polisseni Center. The next night, Garbowsky also scored in a 1-1 tie the next night. Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) made 54 saves in the two games.
The Tigers and Purple Eagles conclude their regular season series tomorrow night from the Gene Polisseni Center at 7:05 p.m. RIT will honor will honor fifth-year student manager Joe Vicario, better known as “Part Time Joe”. RIT will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned off during the game with proceeds going to the Testicular Cancer Foundation of Western New York, which Vicario founded and the Lipson Cancer Center at Rochester General Hospital through the RIT United Way Foundation. Visit http://www.tcafofwny.org/ for more information.
Fans will be able to bid on the jerseys via silent auction in the arena and through social media monitored by members of ZETA Tau Alpha. Bids will be able to be placed on the jerseys until the drop of the puck in the third period. Bids will start at $120, with a “Buy it Now” option for $375. Bidders will also be able to utilize the “Buy it Now” only feature via social media outlets on twitter by tweeting @CYPJerseyBids or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CheckYourPucks.
