COLORADO SPRINGS, CO – Ryan Kruper (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) scored a power-play goal with 5:01 left in regulation to snap a 2-2 tie and lift the RIT men’s hockey team (6-4-1, 6-2-0 Atlantic Hockey) to a 3-2 victory over Air Force Academy (6-6-2, 2-5-1 Atlantic Hockey) at Cadet Ice Arena on Saturday evening.
RIT led 2-1 heading into the third period before Jordan Himley tied the game for the Falcons on a power-play with 8:55 remaining. Moments later, RIT would get a power-play and right before it expired, Kruper backhanded a rebound from a tough angle from the left side into the top right corner of the net for the eventual game-winner.
Air Force would pull goaltender Billy Christopoulos with 1:58 left and try to get the tying goal. RIT goaltender Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) made a big save through traffic with just under a minute left. With 11 seconds left, the Falcons won an offensive zone face-off and had two great chances from the slot go wide, as the Tigers hung on for the win.
Kruper had a goal and an assist to lead the Tigers. Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73’s) and Jake Hamcher also scored. In net, Drackett made 16 saves on 18 shots to earn his sixth win of the season.
Marshall Bowery and Himley scored for Air Force, while Christopoulos made 24 saves in defeat.
RIT out-shot Air Force, 27-18, including 22-10 over the first two periods of play. RIT also blocked 19 shots, including five from Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers). The Tigers, who came into the night converting 35 percent of its power-play chances in league play, were 2-for-6 with the man-advantage. Air Force was 1-for-6 on the power-play.
“I thought we responded well after last night (a 4-3 loss),” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “We were a lot sharper and played with more focus and intensity for a full 60 minutes.”
Just like last night, both teams scored once in an entertaining period that also saw both teams hit a goal post.
The Falcons opened the scoring 3:57 into the contest, as Bowery took advantage of a defensive zone turnover to score his first collegiate goal, putting a rebound from the slot through a maze of bodies.
RIT ramped up the pressure right after and just missed tying the game, as Norrish rang a one-time from the right point off the right post and out. The Falcons hit a post of their own on a power-play later in the period, as Matt Pulver fired a shot that hit the bar and came out.
The Tigers would even the game at 1-1 on a power-play with 2:51 left in the period, as Brown slammed in a loose puck on the doorstep for his fourth goal in the last four games and eighth tally of the season. Norrish sent a pass to the front of the net that glanced off Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals)’s skate and went right to Brown who was unmarked in tight.
Powell’s assist extended his point-scoring streak to nine games. He has a goal and 11 assists over that stretch.
RIT would control play for a majority of the second period, holding an 11-6 edge in shots and would score the only goal to take a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.
Hamacher would score his second goal of the season with 4:53 left in the period, taking a feed from Kruper after a turnover in the Falcons zone, spinning around and firing a shot past Christopoulos to give the Tigers a 2-1 edge.
Drackett had to make two big saves right before the buzzer sounded to end the period to keep RIT in the lead.
On Air Force’s tying goal in the third period, Alex Menhert fired a shot from the point that was blocked by Norrish, with the carom going right to Himley who was all alone to the right of Drackett. Himley roofed the shot over the sprawling RIT goaltender for his second goal of the weekend and fourth of the season.
On Kruper’s winning goal, Matt Abt (Leduc, Alberta/Whitecourt Wolverines) and Dan Willett (Bayville, NY/Bloomington Thunder) just were able to keep an Air Force clearing attempt in the zone. Willett deflected the puck over to Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) at the right point, who then fired a shot that glanced off the leg of Jordan Peacock (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Cougars), who was setting a screen in front and glanced to Kruper, who was to the left of the net. Kruper was able to lift a perfectly placed backhand over a sprawling Christopoulos and in for his second goal of the year.
Air Force leads the all-time series between the two schools, 28-21-4. Thirty of 48 meetings between the two schools since RIT moved to Division I in 2005 have ended in ties or one-goal, including six of the last seven. RIT and Air Force also meet for a pair of meetings at the Gene Polisseni Center on Jan. 12-13, 2018.
Last night, Erik Baskin scored with 8:37 left in regulation that broke a 3-3 tie and lifted Air Force to a 4-3 win. Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) tied his career-high with three points on a goal and two assists.
RIT is back in action on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 3:05 p.m. with a single, non-conference contest against the University of Connecticut at the XL Center in Hartford.
