Courtesy of RITAthletics.com
WEST POINT, NY – Sophomore Jordan Peacock (Burlington, Ontario/Burlington Cougars) scored the game-winning goal with 2:49 left in regulation to break a 1-1 tie and lift the RIT men’s hockey team (2-2-1, 2-0-0 AHC) to its second straight win to start league play, 3-1 over Army West Point (3-3-0, 3-3-0 AHC) at Tate Rink Saturday night.
With the game tied 1-1 in the third period, RIT goaltender Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) made a handful of great saves, including a pair on Trevor Fidler from point-blank range.
With just under three minutes left, Drackett intercepted a Army dump in behind the net and play the puck to Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals), setting up a 3-on-2 rush. Powell fed Dan Willett (Bayville, NY/Bloomington Thunder) just inside the blueline. Willett waited for Peacock to go to the net and fired a shot that Peacock redirected past Army West Point goaltender Cole Bruns for his third goal of the season, giving RIT the 2-1 lead.
The Black Knights pulled Bruns with just over two minutes left and push hard for the tying goal. Once again, Drackett would make a few key saves, including another on Fidler on the doorstep. With 43 seconds left, Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) stole a breakout pass from a Black Knights player at the center ice and chip a pass to Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73’s) at the Army blueline. Brown fired the puck into the open net for his fourth goal of the season, sealing the win for RIT.
Video courtesy of RIT Athletic Communications.
Drackett was sensational in net for the Tigers, stopping 30-of-31 shots, including all 17 he faced in the third period. Ryan Kruper (Sherwood Park, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) scored a first period goal, while Darren Brady (Lake Orion, MI/New Jersey Titans) was plus-3. Girduckis extended his point-scoring streak to three games, with seven points during that stretch.
Tyler Pham scored Army West Point’s lone goal on a 5-on-3 power-play early in the second period. Bruns made 25 saves on 27 shots.
The Black Knights out-shot RIT, 31-28. Army West Point was 1-for-2 on the power-play, while RIT was scoreless with its lone chance on the man-advantage.
“It was a big weekend for us, getting four valuable points against a tough team to play in Army,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “This was a big step for us confidence wise as continue with league play.”
Drackett had to come up big just 1:15 into the game as a long stretch pass put Tyler Pham behind the RIT defense. Pham tried to beat Drackett with a wrist shot but the RIT goaltender stood his ground and made the big save.
Making his 2017-18 debut, Kruper would give RIT a 1-0 lead 9:34 into the contest, beating his defender to the net and deflecting a pass byShawn Cameron (Sherbrooke, Quebec/Cumberland Grads) past Bruns just inside the right goal post for his first goal of the season. Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) took a big hit along the boards in the neutral zone that sprung Cameron and Kruper on the rush.
The Tigers kept the pressure on, out-shooting Army 11-5 in the period, but could not get a second goal. Drackett once again had to make a big save in the final seconds of the period as a puck took a funny bounce off the boards and came right to Michael Wilson in front. He tried to make a move on Drackett but once again, the RIT goaltender stayed right with Wilson and made the save.
RIT immediately ran into penalty problems to start the second period, taking consecutive minors one second apart. The Black Knights would answer, 50 seconds into the period, as Pham slid a centering pass from Alex Wilkinson under the pad of Drackett for his third goa of the season, tying the game at 1-1.
Army out-shot the Tigers 9-5 in the period and hold much of the territorial play. RIT’s defense did do a good job limiting quality chances, however.
Chris McKay (Edmonton, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders) would have a quality chance in front but have his backhander smothered by Bruns to keep the game tied 1-1.
The two teams traded chances in the third period before Peacock’s game-winner. Army would out-shoot the Tigers, 17-12 over the final 20 minutes of play.
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, 19-3-6 and is 10-1-3 against Army West Point at Tate Rink. RIT has a 13-game unbeaten streak at Tate Rink dating back to Dec. 30, 2006. The Tigers are 18-1-4 against the Black Knights over the last 23 meetings.
Last night, RIT scored four unanswered second period goals to erase a 2-0 deficit and defeat the Black Knights, 5-4. Matt Abt (Leduc, Alberta/Whitecourt Wolverines) scored twice and Girduckis added three assists. Drackett earned his first collegiate win, stopping 26 shots.
The Tigers return home to face Atlantic Hockey rival American International for a pair of games next weekend, Friday, Nov. 3 and Saturday, Nov. 4, both at 7:05 p.m. Friday, RIT will look to blackout the Gene Polisseni Center, as the first 3,000 fans in attendance will receive a free black RIT t-shirt. In addition, there will be a ticket giveaway for the first 1,000 RIT students.
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