RIT ties AIC; wins shootout, 2-1

Courtesy of RITAthletics.com

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – RIT junior defenseman Gianfranco Cassaro totaled two goals and an assist in a 4-4 tie with visiting AIC, Saturday, in Atlantic Hockey action. The Tigers earned the extra conference point with a 2-1 shootout victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• AIC got on the board with 14:14 left in the opening period after Luka Maver took a pass from the left wall and redirected the puck on his backhand from the crease.
• RIT tied the game with 12:41 after Cassaro scored on a shot from the left point off a cross-ice pass from senior defenseman Dan Willett. Junior forward Caleb Moretz created a perfect screen in front of the AIC goaltender on the play.
• RIT took a 2-1 lead on a power play tally with 9:47 left in the first. Senior forward Will Calverley scored a touch redirect goal to the left corner of the goal after receiving a pass from senior forward Jake Hamacher on the right wall.
• AIC re-tied the game after Justin Young took a short cross in front of the crease from Chris Theodore and finished the rush inside the right post with 6:54 on the clock.
• The Tigers took a 3-2 lead with 3:00 minutes left in the first. Cassaro started the play with a poke check gathered by freshman forward Tanner Andrew near the Yellow Jacket blue line for a 2-on-0 break, culminating with Cassaro scoring into the top-left corner of the goal from the slot off a patient Andrew feed.
• AIC scored the lone goals of the second for a 4-3 lead. Zak Galambos skated down the left wing and evaded a Tiger defender to get open for a shot with 6:14 on the clock before Maver took a feed from the right boards and snapped a high shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that went off RIT freshman goaltender Tommy Scarfone’s outstretched glove with 4:57 left in the period.
• The Tigers evened the score, 4-4, with 8: 11 left in the third after freshman forward Grady Hobbs deflected a shot from the right point by Cassaro in front of the AIC net.
• Andrew scored the shootout winner in the fourth round before Scarfone sealed it with his third save. Wilkie also scored in the first round for the Tigers.

GAME NOTES

• Hamacher became the 14th player in D1 era program history to score 100 career points with the assist on Calverley’s goal. He leads all of Atlantic Hockey in career scoring with 42 goals and 58 assists.
• Scarfone compiled 33 stops for his third 30-plus save outing of the season as AIC finished the game with a 37-26 shooting advantage.
• RIT improved to 3-1 in penalty shootouts this season.
• Willett notched two assists to extend his Atlantic Hockey-leading career assist total to 72.
• Calverley scored his Atlantic Hockey-leading 13th goal of the season and leads the conference with 45 career goals. He also won a game-high 12-of-19 face-offs.

WHAT’S NEXT
RIT plays twice at Mercyhurst next Friday and Saturday (Feb.11-12). Face-off is set for 7:05 p.m. both nights in Erie, Pa.