Courtesy of RITAthletics.com
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men’s hockey team heads to the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. to take on the University of Connecticut Huskies in a single, non-league contest at 3:05 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25.
The Tigers enter Saturday’s game with a 6-4-1 overall record and are 6-2-0 in Atlantic Hockey play. Last weekend, RIT split a two-game series at league foe Air Force, losing 4-3 on Friday, while rebounding to win 3-2 on Saturday. On Friday, Gabe Valenzuela scored a goal and added two assists, while Erik Brown added a goal and an assist and Liam Kerins also scored. Logan Drackett made 24 saves. Saturday, Ryan Kruper scored the game-winning goal late in the third period and added an assist, while Jake Hamacher and Brown also scored. Drackett made 16 saves for his sixth win of the season.
Valenzuela leads the team in scoring with 14 points (5-9-14) in 11 games this season, while Brown, Myles Powell and Abbott Girduckis are right behind with 13. Brown has a team-best eight goals, while Powell leads the team with 11 assists and has a point in nine straight games. The Tigers have the sixth-best power-play (27.0 percent) and are 11th nationally, averaging 3.45 goals per game. In net, Drackett is 6-3-1 this season with a 3.22 goals against average and .889 save percentage.
Connecticut (3-10-2, 2-6-1 Hockey East) will look to get back in the win column after a pair of losses over the weekend against UMass Lowell. The Huskies are also in action tonight at Vermont. The Huskies have six NHL Draft Picks on their current roster. Spencer Naas and Maxim Letunov lead UConn in scoring with 10 points apiece. In goal, Adam Huska is 3-9-2 with a 2.94 goals against average and an .898 save percentage.
RIT and Connecticut were rivals in Atlantic Hockey before the Huskies moved to Hockey East in 2014-15. The Tigers lead the all-time series between the two schools, 14-8-2. Last season, RIT and Connecticut skated to a 1-1 tie at Blue Cross Arena on Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend. Chase Norrish scored the game-tying goal with 8:29 left in regulation for the Tigers. Huska made his collegiate debut and stopped 36 shots for the Huskies.
Saturday’s game will be aired online. Ed Trefzger and Colin Friday will bring you the call of the game on both WITR 89.7 FM and Fox Sports 1280 AM. In addition, there will be live stats for Saturday’s game.
The Tigers return home next weekend, Dec. 1-2 to play Atlantic Hockey rival Holy Cross. On Dec. 1, RIT will hold a Tiger Teddy Bear Toss. Fans are urged to bring a new stuffed animal to throw on the ice after RIT’s first goal. All stuffed animals will be donated to the Rochester Regional Health’s Children’s Unit. There will also be a holiday skate on Sunday, Dec. 3.
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