Courtesy of RIT Athletic Communications
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men’s hockey team continues its home stand this weekend, as Atlantic Hockey rival Robert Morris University comes to the Gene Polisseni Center for games on Friday, Nov. 10 and Saturday, Nov. 11. Both games get underway at 7:05 p.m.
Friday is Star Wars Night. Fans can dress as and meet their favorite Star Wars characters. Saturday is Hometown Heroes Night. All first responders, active and retired military members receive free admission.
The Tigers split a pair of home contests against American International last weekend, earning a 5-3 win on Friday, while falling by a score of 3-2 in overtime Saturday. On Friday, five different players scored. Gabe Valenzuela (Brampton, Ontario/North York Rangers) and Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) had a goal and an assist apiece, while Matt Abt (Leduc, Alberta/Whitecourt Wolverines), Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta/Bonnyville Pontiacs ) and Dan Willett (Bayville, NY/Bloomington Thunder) also scored. Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals) had three assists, while Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73’s) added a pair of helpers. Logan Drackett (Calgary, Alberta/Calgary Canucks) earned his third straight win between the pipes, stopping 27 shots. Saturday, Valenzuela scored both RIT goals, while Willett had two assists. Drackett made 25 saves.
Girduckis is riding a five-game point-scoring streak, with 10 points (3-7-10) during that stretch. He leads the team in scoring. Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals) has an assist in five consecutive contests, totaling eight over that span. Dan Willett (Bayville, NY/Bloomington Thunder)has five points (1-4-5) over a four-game point-scoring streak.
Robert Morris enters this weekend’s contests with a 3-5-1 record, including a 3-3-1 mark in conference play. The Colonials earned three points at home last weekend against AHC foe Holy Cross, skating to a 5-5 tie Friday, while earning a 3-0 shutout win Saturday. Luke Lynch (7-2-9) and Michael Louria (2-7-9) are tied for the team lead with nine points apiece, while Brady Ferguson, the leading scorer in Atlantic Hockey a season ago, is right behind with eight points this season. In net, Francis Marotte is 3-3-1 with a 2.97 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. Andrew Pikul has also played a pair of games in net.
Robert Morris leads the all-time series between the two schools, 12-9-4. RIT and Robert Morris split four meetings last season, each winning one game on home ice and once on the road. RIT out-scored Robert Morris, 16-13 in the four meetings a season ago. RIT defeated Robert Morris, 7-4 in the 2016 Atlantic Hockey Championship at Blue Cross Arena.
Both games will air on CW Rochester (Digital – 13.2, DirecTV – 14 and Spectrum – 16) and stream live on RIT Sports Zone with Gene Battaglia and John DiTullio on the call from the Polisseni Center. The pregame show with host Kevin Roche airs at 6:30 p.m. In addition, both contests will be broadcast over the airwaves on WITR 89.7 FM and Fox Sports 1280 AM, while live stats will also be available. Friday’s game will air on CW Rochester at 10 p.m.
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