As regular season winds down, RIT gears up for playoff redemption

By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA

The bitter memories of last season don’t surface quite as frequently for the Rochester Institute of Technology’s men’s hockey team as they once did, but they surely haven’t been forgotten.

Atlantic Hockey regular season champions and playoff favorites in March of 2023, the Tigers had big goals and bigger dreams.

All of which were unceremoniously quashed when Holy Cross ousted RIT in the semifinals at the Gene Polisseni Center.

No AHA playoff title. No NCAA appearance. No way to feel good about the season. And now all of that heartbreak is motivation for what lies ahead next month.

“It’s in the back of everyone’s head and the freshmen know it, too,” alternate captain Cody Laskosky said. “We just want another opportunity to get the job done.”

Which is why, as the current regular season winds down and the playoffs approach, the Tigers have a little playoff cabin fever.

There’s still work to be done, like clinching another regular season title. They could have done so on Saturday by defeating Air Force in regulation. Instead, the Tigers lost 3-2 in front of just the third sellout crowd (4,300) in the history of The Gene.

While they already have locked up home ice for at least the first round, they can clinch the Bob DeGregorio Trophy with a victory at home against Canisius on Friday or at Canisius in the season finale on Saturday.

Still, while a regular season title is nice, and it looks good in the trophy case and in the record book, it doesn’t get you onto the NCAA dance floor.

“The championship became important this weekend because it was within reach, but that’s not our goal,” Tigers coach Wayne Wilson said. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s important.

“But because of last season’s disappointment, we’ve been anxious to get through the season and redeem ourselves. We’re preparing ourselves for the playoffs.”

The weekend series against Air Force served them well. The Tigers thumped the Falcons 7-3 on Friday as junior center Carter Wilkie produced his first career hat trick.

Air Force, still battling for home ice or even a first-round playoff bye, was out for redemption on Saturday and played a far more physical, intense game.

The Tigers outshot Air Force 43-31 but the Falcons used Owen Baumgartner’s second goal of the game to break a 2-2 tie with 7:18 remaining, then held on thanks to goalie Guy Blessing.

“You knew they were going to be a different team, 1) because of how they played last night and 2) they’re playing to determine if they’re getting on a plane for the first round or if they’re playing at home, or if they even can get a bye.”

The Tigers swarmed Air Force for good chunks of the first period but couldn’t score. Baumgartner broke the scoreless tie 3:24 into the second period but RIT tied it on Matthew Wilde’s power-play goal at 5:37 and took the lead on Grady Hobbs’ goal at 12:44.

Air Force, however, tied it on Parker Brown’s power-play goal 2:49 into the third period and then, after the officials missed a too many men on the ice penalty on the Falcons, Air Force took the lead on Baumgartner’s goal.

The Falcons clearly had seven players on the ice with 12:30 to play but the officials made no call, denying the Tigers a chance to break the tie with what had been a very good power play all game.

“It couldn’t have been more blatant,” Wilson said.

If nothing else, the adversity of the no call as well as the eventual loss can serve the Tigers well. Teams must always overcome missed calls and missed opportunities in the postseason.

“We can learn how hard it is to sweep a team in this league,” Laskosky said.

Notes: RIT had sold out The Gene just twice before, on Oct. 24, 2015, against Colgate and on Nov. 9, 2018, against American International.