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John Kruse - Air Force (Freshman, Forward, Eden Prairie, Minn.)
- Three points (2-1-3) in the SHU series...All three points came in
Friday’s 6-3 win to tie his career high for points...Career
best two goals on Friday...Scored the game-winner in the second
period.
Andrew Volkening - Air Force (Senior, Goaltender, Genoa, Ill.) -
2.21 GAA and a .920 saves percentage to help lead Air Force to a
sweep of second-place Sacred Heart and home ice in the
quarterfinals...Stopped 46 of the 50 shots he faced...27 saves in
the 6-3 win over Friday...Made 11 saves in the first period to keep
the Falcons alive before a five-goal second period broke the game
open...19 saves on Saturday, including five in the first five
minutes of the game...Shutout attempt was broken up with 12 minutes
left it the third.
Nielsson Arcibal - American International (Sophomore, Forward,
Vista, Calif.) - Recorded four points in the Yellow Jackets final
series of the regular season with Army. Arcibal tallied a goal and
two assists in the series opener, including the game tying goal in
the second period. He also dished out the main assist on the game
tying goal in the season finale 2-2 (OT) tie at West Point.
Mike Hull - Army (Sophomore, Forward, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.)
- Hull handed out five assists as Army earned three points and the
sixth seed in the upcoming playoffs with a win and tie against AIC.
Hull dished our four assist in a wild, 8-6 win on Friday against
AIC and then was credited with assist on the tying goal in a 2-2
draw the next night. Hull’s four assists on Friday was the
first time an Army player had four assists in a game since Mike
Fairman did so vs. Bentley on Nov. 17, 2000.
Owen Meyer - Army (Senior, Forward, Dundee, Ill.) - Meyer, playing
in his last regular season games, scored three goals and handed out
an assist to help Army to three points with a win and tie against
AIC. Meyer had two goals and an assist in Fridays 8-6 win,
including a short-handed tally. He then scored the tying goal the
next night in a 2-2 overtime draw. Meyer now has 63 career goals
and is within four of tying the AHA record held by Pierre-Luc
O’Brien of Sacred Heart.
Kyle Rank - Bentley (Sophomore, Goaltender, Islip, N.Y.) - Rank
started both games for Bentley against Holy Cross and posted a 1.94
goals against average and a .932 save percentage. He made34 saves
in Saturday’s 1-1 tie. Of the four goals he allowed during
the series, three came on the power play.
Jason Krispel - Connecticut (Junior, Forward, Cypress, Calif.) -
Krispel finished the weekend with two goals and an assists,
recording both of his goals on just two shots taken on the weekend.
The goals were just Krispel’s second and third of the year
and were both game changers coming in UConn’s 3-2 overtime
victory against Mercyhurst. Krispel’s first goal of the night
came on an extra man opportunity to tie the game with just 35
seconds remaining in regulation forcing overtime. His second goal
was the gamewinner coming 42 seconds into the overtime period.
Krispel also notched an assist on the weekend, his 10th of the year
(all in Atlantic Hockey games) in game one of the weekend. The
assist was the 42nd of his career which ranks ninth all-time on the
UConn Division I Career Assists list.
Ian Dams - Holy Cross (Senior, Goaltender, Manotick, Ontario) -
Dams stopped 19 of 20 shots for a .950 save percentage and a 1.00
goal against average in the 4-1 victory over Bentley on Senior
Night on Feb. 26. Dams is all over the all-time Holy Cross Division
I career records list. He is tied for second all-time with 18
victories and is third with 1,201 saves, while he is fourth with a
3.08 goals against average.
Brodie Sheahan - Holy Cross (Senior, Forward, Lethbridge, Alberta)
- Sheahan scored two goals in the 4-1 win over Bentley on Senior
Night on Feb. 26. Both of his goals came on the power play as he
scored the first goal of the game and Holy Cross’ third goal
giving the Crusaders a 3-1 lead. Sheahan now has 23 career power
play goals which are third on the all-time Holy Cross Division I
list. For the season his 10 goals are tied for second on the team
and his 14 points are tied for fourth. Sheahan has the most career
goals with 40, assists with 51 and points with 91 of any current
Crusader. His 40 goals are ninth on the all-time Holy Cross
Division I list and his 91 points are 10th.
Thomas Tysowsky - Holy Cross (Freshman, Goaltender, Amherst, N.Y.)
- Tysowsky made 15 saves and allowed one goal for a .938 save
percentage and 0.92 goals against average in the 1-1 tie with
Bentley on Feb. 27. His 2.38 goals against average ranks second in
Atlantic Hockey and his .912 save percentage is fourth.
Tysowsky’s 768 saves are ranked third on the all-time Holy
Cross Division I single-season saves list as the record is 840 set
by Tony Quesada in the 2005-2006 season. His 2.38 goals against
average is fourth on the school’s Division I single-season
list and his 10 wins are sixth.
Paul Chiasson - Mercyhurst (Freshman, Forward, Toronto, Ontario) -
Chiasson led the Lakers with two goals in a 5-1 victory over
Connecticut. The Toronto, Ontario native scored both of his goals
in the first period, giving the team leads of 1-0 and 3-0. He now
has nine goals and 19 points on the season.
Mark Cornacchia - RIT (Sophomore, Forward, Unionville, Ontario) -
Cornacchia scored two goals and added two assists as RIT extended
its winning streak to six games with a weekend sweep over Canisius.
On Friday, Cornacchia registered a career-high three points on a
goal and two assists in RIT’s 8-0 win. On Saturday,
Cornacchia set a Tiger Division I record with the fastest goal to
start a period, 11 seconds into the final period, shorthanded to
give RIT a 4-2 lead en route to a 5-4 win. Cornacchia now has six
goals and five assists for 11 points in 32 games this season.
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Air Force: Air Force has clinched home ice in
the AHA quarterfinals. The Falcons will host a
best of three series, March 12-13, at 7:05 at the Cadet Ice Arena.
If necessary, a deciding third game will be played Sunday, March
14, at 7:05 p.m...This marks the fourth straight year that AFA is
home in the quarterfinals...AFA will face Army for the first time
ever in the quarterfinals. AFA played Army in the AHA championship
game in 2007, a 6-1 Air Force win...Entering the SHU series, AFA
had scored just eight goals in the previous six games (0-5-1)...AFA
scored a season high 14 goals in the series, including a
season-best eight on Saturday...AFA was 6-for-12 on the power play
in the series after scoring just five PPG in the previous nine
games...Air Force’s penalty kill fell to No. 2 in the nation
(behind Denver) at 87.9 percent...AFA scored three short-handed
goals in the SHU series and has six for the season, which ties as
the seventh most in the nation...Blake Page scored two short-handed
goals on Saturday to tie the school record...Page’s two goals
on Saturday are a career high...The Cadet Ice Arena has been sold
out for seven consecutive games and the 11 times this season. Cadet
Ice Arena has been sold out in 19 of the last 25 games over the
past two seasons...AFA improved to 9-5-3 at home
this season...Scott Kozlak had a career high three points (1-2-3)
on Friday...Paul Weisgarber tied his season and career high with
two points (1-1-2) on Friday, including a short-handed goal, his
second of the season...Matt Fairchild scored his 10th goal of the
season on Friday marking the third straight season he has scored 10
or more goals in a season...Fairchild’s point on Friday was
the 97th of his career. He needs three points to become the second
player this season (Jeff Hajner) and the 41st in
AFA history to record 100 career
points...Fairchild played in his 152nd game on Friday, breaking the
career games played record of 151 set by Josh Frider last
season...Jacques Lamoureux had an assist on Friday and three points
on Saturday. He has now scored at least one point in eight of the
last 10 games (13 points). In the last 10 games, he has scored in
every game Air Force has scored in...Tim Kirby had a career best
seven points in the SHU series, including a career-best five
assists and five points on Saturday...Kirby’s five assists
are the most ever vs. a Division I team...Freshman John Kruse had a
career high two goals on Friday...Saturday’s game was the
final regular-season home game for five Air Force seniors: Matt
Fairchild, Jeff Hajner, Brandon Johnson, Brett Nylander and Andrew
Volkening. A group that has won three AHA tournament titles, one
regular season title, made three NCAA appearances, advanced to the
Elite Eight in 2009 and has won 81 games, more than any other class
in school history.
American International: The American International College
men’s ice hockey team finish the season 5-23-4 overall and
5-19-4 in Atlantic Hockey play after going 0-1-1 with Army in their
season finale home-and-home. The Yellow Jackets lost their final
regular season home game 8-6, and then skated to a 2-2 (OT) tie in
series finale at West Point. Sophomore Nielsson Arcibal led the
team with four points over the weekend, including one goal and
three assists, while junior Steve McLeod recorded three points with
one goal and two assists. Junior Tom Mele and freshmen, forward
Adam Pleskach and defenseman Jeff Ceccacci each netted and goal and
dished out an assist over the weekend. Freshman netminder Ben
Meisner turned away a combined 64 shots, including 27 in the first
game and 37 in the second. Pleskach finishes the season tied for
10th all-time in single season points with 24 and is also tied for
second all-time in goals in a single season with 15, in Yellow
Jackets Division I history. Meisner also set the Division I record
at AIC for shutouts in a single with three.
Army: The Black Knights earned the No. 6 seed in the upcoming
playoffs by securing three points against AIC. Army posted an 8-6
win on Friday and then tied the Yellow Jackets 2-2 the next night
… The Black Knights concluded the regular season 11-16-7
overall and 10-12-6 in conference play … Army will travel to
service academy rival Air Force for a quarterfinal series beginning
March 12 in Colorado … Army beat Air Force 4-2 on Jan. 29
and the two teams skated to a 3-3 tie the next night … Army
scored a season-high eight goals in Friday’s win. Mike Hull
had four assists in the victory, the first time an Army player
accomplished that fete since Mike Fairman did so Nov. 17, 2000
against Bentley. Hull also had an assist on Saturday, giving him 19
for the season … Owen Meyer scored three goals, including a
short-handed tally, and handed out an assist over the weekend,
running his season totals to 12 goals and 17 assists. Meyer now has
63 career goals and is within four of tying the AHA record held by
Pierre-Luc O’Brien of Sacred Heart … Eric Sefchik had
two goals, one short-handed and one on the power play, and also had
an assist in Friday’s win … Junior Joey Ammon played
in his 100th career game on Friday … Senior Joe Spracklen
was credited with 31 saves in Saturday’s tie …
Freshman Cheyne Rocha scored his first career goal in
Saturday’s tie … Jay Clark had started 24 straight
games before getting the night off on Saturday.
Bentley: Bentley wrapped the regular season with a home-and-home
series against Holy Cross, dropping the first game on the road and
tying at home on Saturday night. The Falcons are the eighth-seed in
the Atlantic Hockey playoffs and will take on UConn in a first
round game on Saturday at Ryan Skating Arena. The Falcons went 3-1
against the Huskies this season, winning both games at home.
Bentley won the first meeting between the two teams, 4-3 on Oct. 23
at home. In that game, freshman Dan Koudys scored two goals,
including the game-winner in the third period. Bentley won the
second game in Storrs 4-1 on Dec. 29, before the teams split a
home-and-home series last weekend. Saturday’s game will be
the 39th meeting all-time between the two programs but the first
postseason matchup. Senior Marc Menzione finished the regular
season as Bentley’s leading scorer with 11 goals and 18
assists for 29 points. Menzione scored a shorthanded goal in
Saturday’s tie. Saturday’s game was also Senior Night
in Watertown, and the team’s five seniors, Menzione, Bobby
Preece, Anders Olson, Brendan Harrison and Nick Vitale were honored
prior to the game.
Canisius: Canisius lost a pair of games during the weekend at RIT,
falling 8-0 and 5-4. The Griffs finished the season with a 15-14-5
record and 13-11-4 in Atlantic Hockey play. Canisius earned the
fifth seed for the Atlantic Hockey Championship and will play at
fourth-seeded Mercyhurst in a best-of-three series from March 12 to
14. On Saturday, junior Cory Conacher registered two assists.
Conacher became the sixth player in the program’s Division I
history to record 100 career points and the first junior to reach
the mark. Conacher is the third Griff to record his 100th career
point this season, joining teammates Josh Heidinger and Jason
Weeks. David Deeves (1998-02), Chris Duggan (1998-02) and Michael
Cohen (2003-07) are also members of the 100-point club at Canisius.
Conacher’s two assists also give him 49 points for the
season, the most in school history. Conacher passed the mark of 48,
set by Duggan during the 1998-99 season. Conacher has recorded 20
goals and a school-record 29 assists this season. Conacher, who was
held without a point in Canisius’ shutout loss on Friday,
recorded his 17th multi-point game of the season in
Saturday’s game. He has not been held off the scoreboard in
consecutive games all season and has registered multiple points
against every Atlatnic Hockey team except Holy Cross. Conacher led
all Atlantic Hockey players with 44 points during conference play.
His 44 points in league play are the second-most in the
conference’s history, one short of Eric Ehn’s 45 points
during the 2006-07 campaign. Senior Josh Heidinger led the Griffs
with three points during the weekend, scoring one goal and adding a
pair of assists. In his last nine games, Heidinger has recorded 16
points (1g, 15a). The senior raised his school-record totals to 126
career points and 91 career assists. Senior Carl Hudson added a
power-play score on Saturday, giving him a school-record total of
10 extra-man goals this season. Hudson broke a tie with David
Deeves, who netted nine power-play goals during the 1998-99 season.
Hudson, who already owns the school career power-play record, has
scored 30 of his 43 career goals (69.8 percent) with the extra-man
advantage. The senior also extended his Atlantic Hockey record for
goals by a defender to 43, 11 more than Mercyhurst’s T.J.
Kemp. Canisius and Mercyhurst played four times during the 2009-10
season. Canisius won three of the four games, including both
contests at the Mercyhurst Ice Arena. The two schools are meeting
for the fourth time in the MAAC or Atlantic Hockey Tournament.
Mercyhurst eliminated the Griffs in a single-game during the 2001
and 2006 seasons. The Lakers also won a two-game series following
the 2007-08 season, defeating Canisius 4-1 and 2-1 in overtime.
Connecticut: The Huskies finished out their regular season with a
bang in a series with Mercyhurst. After falling 5-1 on Friday,
UConn rebounded on Saturday night in a 3-2 comeback overtime
victory handing Head Coach Bruce Marshall his 300th victory as the
coach of the UConn Huskies. After Mercyhurst got out to a two goal
lead in the second period, the Huskies entered the final period of
play with a mission -- to get a win on senior night for the
fifth-straight year. Chris Waterstradt (Tulsa, Okla.) got UConn on
the board with a power play goal five minutes into the period to
cut the Lakers’ lead to one. With the time ticking down and
the net empty, the Huskies had one last chance to score to tie the
game up at two and Jason Krispel (Cypress, Calif.) was just the man
for the job recording the game-tying extra man goal with just 35
seconds remaining in the game to force an overtime period. Just 42
seconds into overtime, Krispel notched the gamewinner for the
Huskies helping Marshall to his 300th win as a head coach in 22
years of coaching the Huskies. Krispel was aided by Olson on both
gamechanging goals. The Huskies finished the regular season with a
6-25-3 record, 6-19-3 in Atlantic Hockey.
Holy Cross: The Crusaders will meet AIC in the Atlantic Hockey
Tournament first round for the second straight season. Holy Cross
finished in seventh place in the Atlantic Hockey standings with 25
points and the Yellow Jackets finished 10th with 14 points. Last
year in the first round, Holy Cross defeated the Yellow Jackets by
a score of 1-0 in overtime with the game-winner by Everett Sheen.
Ian Dams made 30 saves to earn his first collegiate shutout. This
season, the Crusaders are 0-2-2 versus AIC with both losses on the
road and both ties at home. AIC has outscored Holy Cross by a 9-5
margin in those four games and have shut out the Crusaders twice.
Holy Cross is 5-0-0 all-time in Atlantic Hockey Tournament games
played at the Hart Center. Holy Cross defeated Sacred Heart in
2005, AIC, UConn and Bentley in 2006 to win the title, and the
Yellow Jackets last season. The Crusaders have a 9-6-0 record
all-time in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament as they have won two
titles (2004 & 2006). Last season, the Crusaders went 2-2 in
the tournament with a win over AIC in the first round and a 2-1
quarterfinals series defeat at RIT. In 2008, Holy Cross was swept
in the best two-out-of-three quarterfinals series at RIT as it lost
two 5-4 overtime games. In 2007, Holy Cross lost at Air Force in
the quarterfinals. In 2006 at the Hart Center, Holy Cross defeated
AIC in the quarterfinals (3-1), UConn in the semifinals (4-1) and
Bentley in the championship game (5-2), earning their second title
and second NCAA Tournament appearance. In 2005, Holy Cross defeated
Sacred Heart, 4-2, in the quarterfinals, but then fell to eventual
champion Mercyhurst, 4-3 (OT), in the semifinals. Holy Cross won
the first-ever Atlantic Hockey Tournament in 2004, earning the
program’s first ever spot in the NCAA Tournament. The
Crusaders defeated AIC (5-0), Canisius (4-1) and Sacred Heart in
the title game (4-0). In 1999, the Crusaders won the MAAC
Tournament Championship by defeating Canisius, 4-3, in the finals.
This will be the 66th meetings between the Crusaders and the Yellow
Jackets with Holy Cross leading the all-time series, 37-20-8.
Versus AIC, Holy Cross has an 18-7-6 record at the Hart Center and
a 5-1-4 record in the last 10 games in Worcester. Overall Holy
Cross is 4-4-2 in the last 10 games against the Yellow Jackets.
Junior Jordan Cyr has at least one point in three straight games
and in six of the last seven. He scored one goal in each game
versus Bentley last week. He leads the team with 12 goals, 14
assists and 26 points. Sophomore Matt Celin has recorded one point
in five of the last six games with one goal and four assists. For
the season he has one goal and eight assists for nine points, while
for his career he has seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points.
Holy Cross, who has only averaged 2.4 goals scored per game this
season, has scored 37 goals over the last 11 contests for a 3.4
goals per game average. During these 11 games the Crusaders have a
6-4-1 record and have outscored their opponents, 37-31. Cyr has
recorded six goals and six assists for 12 points in the last 11
games. There are also four Crusaders with seven points over the
last 11 games. Senior Rob Forshner has four goals and three
assists, sophomore Matt Clune has posted two goals and five
assists, while Celin and freshman Rob Linsmayer each have one goal
and six assists. Senior Ryan Driscoll has played 139 career games
which are fourth all-time at Holy Cross. He has 21 goals and 36
assists for 57 points, while his 13 career power play goals are
tied for 10th on the all-time Holy Cross Division I list. Junior
Everett Sheen is second on the team with 20 points with nine goals
and 11 assists. Sophomore Jay Silvia has scored four game-winning
goals so far this season which lead the team. His four game-winners
are third in the conference. Freshman goalie Thomas Tysowsky has a
2.38 goals against average which ranks second in Atlantic Hockey
and his .912 save percentage is fourth. Tysowsky’s 768 saves
are ranked third on the all-time Holy Cross Division I
single-season saves list as the record is 840 set by Tony Quesada
in the 2005-2006 season. His 2.38 goals against average is fourth
on the school’s Division I single-season list and his 10 wins
are sixth. Senior Ian Dams stopped 19 of 20 shots for a .950 save
percentage and a 1.00 goal against average in the 4-1 victory over
Bentley on Senior Night on Feb. 26. Dams is all over the all-time
Holy Cross Division I career records list. He is tied for second
all-time with 18 victories and is third with 1,201 saves, while he
is fourth with a 3.08 goals against average. Senior Brodie Sheahan
scored two goals in the 4-1 win over Bentley on Senior Night on
Feb. 26. Both of his goals were on the power play as he now has 23
career power play goals which are third on the all-time Holy Cross
Division I list. For the season his 10 goals are tied for second on
the team and his 14 points are tied for fourth. Sheahan has the
most career goals with 40, assists with 51 and points with 91 of
any current Crusader. His 40 goals are ninth on the all-time Holy
Cross Division I list and his 91 points are 10th. Out of the 25
Crusaders who have seen game action in the last 11 contests, 16 of
them have scored a goal and 19 of them have at least one point. The
Crusaders are 21-97 (.216) over the last 21 games while on the
power play. The Crusaders are 5-6-5 (.469) at home so far this
season. Last season Holy Cross went 7-8-2 (.471) at the Hart
Center. Holy Cross has a 299-189-33 (.606) all-time record at the
Hart Center since it started playing there in 1975-1976. The
Crusaders have played in eight overtime games this season with a
0-2-6 (.375) record in those games. The six ties are tied for the
second most ties in a season at the school as the record is seven
set in the 2007-2008 season. The most overtime games played in a
single-season at Holy Cross was last season when the Crusaders
played 10 and went 2-3-5 (.450) in those games. Since the 2006-2007
season and 143 total games, the Crusaders have played 34 overtime
contests with a 2-9-23 (.397) record as .238 percent of their games
have gone to overtime. The Crusaders are 6-10-1 (.382) on its
opponent’s home ice this season. Last season, HC compiled a
5-12-3 (.325) record in away games. The Crusaders are tied for the
second ranked defense in Atlantic Hockey by allowing only 2.71
goals per contest. HC has allowed 92 goals in 34 games as it only
allowed two goals in two games last week versus Bentley with a 4-1
win and 1-1 tie. Last season, Holy Cross was sixth in the
conference with 3.42 goals allowed per contest. On Feb. 13, in
front of a crowd of 2,009 at the Hart Center, The Crusaders held
“Pink The Rink” night. Holy Cross wore a special
edition pink jersey to show its support for breast cancer
awareness. The jerseys were auctioned off throughout the game as
they raised $8,070 with all the proceeds going to the Levine Cancer
Center in Worcester. A ceremonial puck drop featured Holy Cross
professors and breast cancer survivors Kathy Kiel (Economics) and
Helen Freear-Papio (Modern Languages and Literature). Kevin Shea
from WCTR-TV 3 was the MC for the event as he went through the
crowd during the game talking to fans and keeping people up to date
on the auction. Between the first and second period the men’s
hockey program honored David Joy (Class of 1974) and his wife
Michele for generously donating the jerseys so all of the proceeds
from the auction of the jerseys will go to the Levine Cancer
Center. Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl presented David and Michele
with a pink jersey of their own. Michele’s sister and breast
cancer survivor Mary Keenan was also honored at the ceremony and
given a pink jersey with her name on the back. After the game each
player personally handed the auction winners their jerseys as Shea
announced the winners. Holy Cross will host the 2010 NCAA
Men’s Hockey Division I Northeast Regional. The dates are
Saturday and Sunday, March 27-28 at the DCU Center in Worcester.
The semifinals will be at 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on March. 27,
while the finals will be at 5:30 p.m. on March 28. All three games
will be on ESPNU. HC held the event for the first time in 2008.
Mercyhurst: Mercyhurst concluded its regular season this past
weekend at Connecticut, splitting a two-game series with Huskies to
finish at 15-18-3 overall and 15-10-3 in conference play, good
enough for fourth place…With the win on Friday and a
Canisius loss, the Lakers assured themselves home ice in the
Atlantic Hockey playoffs…The Lakers defeated UConn 5-1 on
Friday before falling 3-2 in overtime on Saturday, marking their
first loss against the Huskies since 2008…Freshman Paul
Chiasson scored two goals in the first period of the 5-1
victory…Junior Mike Gurtler also added two goals, marking a
score in each game…Junior Ryan Zapolski went 1-1-0 on the
weekend, stopping 41 shots in the win and 23 in the loss. He now
stands at 15-15-3…Freshman Grant Blakey saw his point-streak
end at eight games with a scoreless outing on Saturday…Head
coach Rick Gotkin earned his 399th career victory on
Friday…The Lakers return to action in two weeks when they
host Canisius in a best-of-three series in the Atlantic Hockey
Quarterfinals. The Lakers went 1-3-0 against the Golden Griffins
during the regular season, winning their lone game on the road by a
score of 3-1.
Rochester Institute of Technology: The Tigers (22-11-1, 22-5-1
AHA) extended their winning streak to six games (third longest in
Division I) with a weekend sweep of Canisius. On Friday, the Tigers
tied a DI team record of largest margin of victory in an 8-0 win.
Thirteen different Tigers recorded a point in that contest, with
Mike Janda scoring twice. On Saturday, the Tigers built a 5-2 lead
and held on to win 5-4. Adam Hartley recorded three points in the
win. RIT’s 22 wins are the third most in all of Division I.
The defensive duo of Dan Ringwald and Chris Tanev were each plus-7
on the weekend. Tanev leads the AHA with a plus-28 rating on the
season. Ringwald is tied for fifth in the nation in scoring among
defensemen with 28 points. The Tiger defense has seven shutouts
this season, including six over its last 15 games. The seven
shutouts tie a team record, set in 1983-84. RIT’s defense is
tied for third nationally, allowing just 2.18 goals per game.
RIT’s offense is ninth in nation, averaging 3.47 goals per
game. Goaltender Jared DeMichiel is seventh nationally with a 2.11
goals against average. In AHA play, he finished 21-4-1 with a 1.75
goals against average and .933 save percentage, which leads all
goalies. On Friday, junior Jan Ropponen played the final 10 minutes
in goal for his first action of the season. Sophomore Cameron Burt
recorded 15 points (2-13-15) in the month of February, spanning
eight games. Burt is second among RIT skaters with 36 points on a
team-best 13 goals and 23 assists. Sophomore Mark Cornacchia set a
Tiger Division I record with the fastest goal to start a period, 11
seconds into the third period, shorthanded on Saturday. The Tigers
finished February with a 7-1 mark, outscoring its opponents 36-15.
RIT skaters are a combined plus-210 in AHA play. Every RIT skaters
is a plus in conference play. Twelve skaters are at least a plus-10
in conference play. The Tigers are 22-6-1 over their last 29 games
after starting the regular season 0-5. Since Jan. 8, RIT is 13-3-0.
RIT has won 20 games for the third time in the last four seasons
(19 in 2007-08). The 22 AHA wins and 45 points shatter the previous
records of 20 and 42, set last season by RIT and Air Force. RIT is
77-26-9 in AHA play over the last four seasons. The Tigers have
scored a power-play in goal in 10 straight games. RIT is 17-for-64
(26.6 percent) with the man-advantage during that time. RIT is 13th
nationally in power-play percentage, and 16th in penalty killing.
RIT allowed a season-most four power-play goals on Saturday. It was
the first time that happened since Nov. 7, 2008. The Tigers are
13-2-0 at home this season, outscoring foes 65-26. The Tigers are
off this weekend, but return to action against a yet-to-be
determined opponent in the AHA Quarterfinals. The best-of-three
series gets underway on Friday, March 12 and will also be played on
March 13 and March 14 (if necessary). Tickets go on sale on
Thursday at the Gordon Field House box office. Ticket prices are
$10 for adults and $5 for students. The Tigers will play the lowest
remaining seed of No. 7 Holy Cross vs. No. 10 American
International or No. 8 Bentley vs. No. 9 Connecticut. Those four
teams play a single elimination play in game on Saturday.
Sacred Heart: The Pioneers were swept this weekend at the hands of
the Air Force Falcons, but still finish with a 15-3-2 record in
their final 20 games of the regular season...Sacred Heart will
enter the Atlantic Hockey tournament as the #2 seed, earning a
first round bye and home ice in the quarterfinals...SHU jumped out
to a 1-0 lead in the first period Friday night against Air Force on
the strength of a Matt Gingera (Winnipeg, MB) goal...The play was
started by Eric Delong (Oakville, MB), who forced a turnover in the
neutral zone and made a great pass to Gingera on the two-on-one
rush...Delong leads all Atlantic Hockey rookies, and ranks sixth in
the nation, with 30 points in 2009-10...The Falcons would explode
for four goals in the first eight minutes of the second
period...Sacred Heart would cut the AF lead to two as Delong netted
his 13th marker of the year...Air Force got a goal with just nine
seconds remaining in the second and added a short handed goal in
the third to defeat SHU for the first time this season...Alex
Stuart (Sauk Rapids, MN) lit the lamp with his first collegiate
goal in the third period, bringing the game to its 6-3 final...The
Pioneers would surrender three power play goals and two short
handed markers Saturday as they dropped the regular season finale,
8-1...Sacred Heart returns to action in two weeks in the Atlantic
Hockey quarterfinals at the Milford Ice Pavilion...SHU will take on
the highest remaining seed of the first round matchups (#7 Holy
Cross vs. #10 AIC and #8 Bentley vs. #9 Connecticut).
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