BY JONATHAN SKUZA
ROCHESTER, N.Y.– Aiden Hansen-Bukata fired home a game-winner from the top of the left circle with 5:12 remaining in regulation to lift the RIT Tigers to a 3-2 victory over the Army West Point Black Knights Friday evening. The Tigers earned their first victory of the young campaign.
“It was a big game,” RIT’s head coach Wayne Wilson stated about the victory. “A big early test for us. We’ve got a lot of hockey still ahead of us, but I didn’t think we had a great third period against Union. I thought we just kind of wilted a little bit. I thought tonight, we had more pushback and played better in the third. We’re gonna have to continue to do that as I think all of our games are going to be very tight.
The first period of the contest was very much a feeling-out process between the two teams as neither team got on the board. The shots were close at 7-6 in favor of the Black Knights. Both clubs got a chance on the power play but could not prevail.
The second period saw much more action as both teams got on the board in surging fashion. The Tigers owned the first half of the period with two goals within about three minutes of each other. Captain Kobe Walker banged home a rebound on the power play from a Gianfranco Cassaro shot from the point. The Tigers followed it up with an even-strength goal from Elijah Gonsalves who was all alone in front of the net and put home a Cody Laskosky pass to give RIT the 2-0 lead.
Army came surging back with two goals of their own late in the second. The Black Knights scored their two tallies 58 seconds apart. Brett Abdelnour scored with a man up to cut the Tigers’ lead in half with under five minutes to go. Joey Baez with an even four minutes to go in the period put home a tally to the game for Army.
“I think we just had to be stronger on pucks and just manage the pocket, get pucks behind their D, make them work a little harder, and try and use some speed to create some turnovers,” Wilson stated about his third-period message.
Hansen-Bukata put the Gene Polisseni Center into a happy frenzy when he wristed home his goal to regain the lead for the Tigers. RIT hung on for the victory after Army pulled their goalie with 1:46 remaining in the game and created some chances being a man up.
Tommy Scarfone played excellent for RIT on Friday making 32 saves and keeping his team in the game with key saves on some great Army scoring chances.
“Real good from Tommy,” Wilson talking about Scarfone’s performance. “Glad he stepped up. He played well last weekend as well. I’m glad he stepped up. We’re expecting that. I think he’s expecting that of himself as well as the starting goalie to be good in these situations.”
RIT has now defeated Army West Point in back-to-back Atlantic Hockey openers. They beat the Black Knights 4-3 on October 8, 2021.
The RIT Tigers (1-1-0) will look for the series sweep against Army at 5:05 on Saturday, October 8.
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