ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men’s hockey team is back in action this weekend, playing a home-and-home series against Atlantic Hockey foe Niagara. Friday’s game from Dwyer Arena in Niagara begins at 7:05 p.m., while Saturday’s contest from Gene Polisseni Center starts at 7:05 p.m.
On Saturday, the Tigers 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.
Vicario, who suffers from Goldenhar Syndrome and is a testicular cancer survivor, is imploring men to “Check Your Pucks” which will also be the theme on Saturday. Both RIT hockey teams, in addition to ZETA Tau Alpha sorority, RGH, and RIT United Way will be a part of this unforgettable evening. 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. Bidding will end at the start of the third period.
The Tigers (10-12-4, 9-7-4 AHC) split a weekend series against Army, falling 4-2 on Friday, while winning 4-1 on Saturday. On Friday, Alex Perron-Fontaine (St. Mathieu de Beloeil, Quebec/Chilliwack Chiefs) scored both RIT goals, as RIT could not rally from a 3-0 deficit. On Saturday, the line of Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings), Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs), and Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) combined for eight points, while Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders) made 22 saves for his fourth straight win. The Tigers killed off 11 of 12 Army power-plays over the weekend, including two extended 5-on-3 advantages on Saturday.
Garbowsky leads Division I with 424 face-off wins, is second with 19 goals, and is tied for sixth with 35 points. Garbowsky has had a hand on 48.6 percent (35-of-72) of RIT’s goals this season, highest in the nation. Mitchell, who entered the season with 33 points in his first 75 games, has 30 points (9-21-30) in 26 contests this season. Rotolo has stopped 176 of his last 187 shots faced (.941 save percentage) over the last seven games, including contests at nationally-ranked foes Yale and Minnesota. Rotolo has won his last four games, all in league play.
Niagara (3-21-2, 3-15-2 AHC) enters the weekend looking to snap a 14-game winless streak (0-11-3), having last won on Nov. 22. Last weekend, the Purple Eagles were swept at Holy Cross, falling by scores of 6-3 and 5-1. Its opponents are outscoring Niagara, 113-49 this season. Four players lead the team in scoring with 11 points. Robert Angiolella has a team-leading seven goals, while Issac Kohls and Chris Lochner both have seven assists. In goal, Jackson Teichroeb and Adrian Ignagni have split time this season. Teichroeb is 3-13-2 with a 3.60 goals against average and .893 save percentage, while Ignagni is 0-8-0 with a 4.98 goals against average and .856 save percentage.
The Tigers and Purple Eagles met earlier in the season on Dec. 12-13, with RIT winning 4-1 at home and the two teams skating to a 1-1 tie in Niagara the following night. Garbowsky had three goals and an assist over that weekend, while Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) stopped 54 of 55 shots. Niagara leads the all-time series between the two schools, 14-4-10 and is 12-2-8 against RIT since 2005. The win over Niagara on Dec. 12 was RIT’s first on home ice against the Purple Eagles since Feb. 8, 1997.
Both games will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports Channel 26. On Saturday, David Miller and Andrew Peters will bring you the action from Dwyer Arena. As always Gene Battaglia and John DiTullio are on the call from the Gene Polisseni Center Saturday. The contests will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and witr.rit.edu, and on America One. Live stats (Friday) and (Saturday) are also available.
Come out and support your Tigers in their first season at the Gene Polisseni Center.
