Men’s hockey looks to get back into the win column this weekend against Holy Cross
RIT forward Cameron Burt and the Tigers look to keep winning in conference play this weekend. Burt scored with 47 seconds left in overtime as RIT beat Holy Cross 3-2 last month.
The RIT Tigers men’s hockey team takes on the Holy Cross Crusaders at 7:05 p.m. Friday and Saturday in Ritter Arena in a pair of Atlantic Hockey contests.
RIT (9-8-1, 9-2-1 AHA) puts its 10-game Atlantic Hockey Association unbeaten streak on the line this weekend. The Tigers are currently third in conference standings, one point behind Air Force and Mercyhurst. The Tigers have outscored foes 38-15 during the unbeaten streak and hold a 44-23 edge overall in conference play. RIT is the highest scoring and the top defensive team in Atlantic Hockey contests.
Last weekend, RIT rang in 2010 with a pair of losses at Minnesota State. On Saturday, freshman goaltender Shane Madolora stopped a career best 33 shots in a 3-0 loss. It was the first time RIT was shut out in a game dating back to Dec. 5, 2008—a span of 42 games.
Holy Cross (5-10-4, 4-6-3 AHA) comes into the weekend’s contests following a third place finish at the Ledyard Bank Classic Jan. 2-3. The Crusaders lost 3-0 to No. 14 U-Mass Lowell on Saturday, but rebounded to knock off Dartmouth 4-2 in the consolation game on Sunday. Everett Sheen leads the squad in scoring with eight goals and 13 points. Freshman Thomas Tysowsky has emerged as the starting goaltender, appearing in 17 games with a 5-8-4 record, 2.24 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.
This weekend’s games are the third and fourth meetings between the two schools in the past month. The teams skated to a 1-1 tie in Worcester, Mass., Dec. 4. Cameron Burt scored with 47 seconds left in overtime as RIT won 3-2 the following night.
RIT is 17-6-1 all time against the Crusaders. Last season, RIT went 6-1-0 versus Holy Cross and has knocked them out of the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons.
Tickets for this weekend’s games are available at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center Box Office, by phone at 585-475-4121 and via ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for RIT faculty, staff and alumni, and $5 for students with ID. Reserved seats, in section 100 and 101, are $12 for adults, $10 for RIT faculty, staff and alumni, and $7 for students. Friday is Autograph night, as the Tigers will be signing autographs in the RITz Sports Zone after the game.
Both games will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports with Gene Battaglia and John Ditullio calling the action. Friday’s game will air on channel 98, while Saturday’s contest can be seen on channel 26. Games also can be heard on WITR-FM (89.7). WITR will host tailgate parties 4–6 p.m., in D Lot, prior to both games.