By Tommy Kane

Published: February 9th, 2020

Chapter 14: Marching Down to Pennsylvania

Tiger News and Notes

Prior to the series, the Tigers were 8-8-2 against the Colonials

This was the first series between the two foes in the 2019-2020 season

Bryson Traptow (F) was out due to a lower-body injury

Adam Brubacher (D) scored his 100th point off an assist on Feb. 7, 2020 13th D-1 player for the program to do so



The RIT Tigers (15-11-4, 11-7-4) defeated and lost to the Robert Morris Colonials (9-15-4, 9-9-3 AHA) on Feb. 7, and Feb. 8, 2020. The scores were 4-1, RIT, and 4-3, Robert Morris, respectively.

Both matches took place at the Colonials Arena in Moon Township, PA.

First Career Point

In the 4-2 win over Holy Cross on Feb. 1, 2020, Merritt Oszytko (F) scored his first point by assisting on Will Calverley’s (F) goal. Oszytko was excited but was happier he could help the team win.

“It was great. But, obviously, points are just extra. The big points there were the three points [win] we got that weekend,” he said.

The Coach’s Corner

With Head Coach, Wayne Wilson, we talked about what went well and what went wrong in the previous series against Holy Cross.

“We played well the first two periods against Holy Cross in the first game, but in the third period, we just retreated and didn’t attack. That was a recipe for disaster and we played like we were hoping the clock was gonna run down and we’d win,” Coach explained. “The second night we were way more aggressive with our forechecking and just kept competing. Our penalty killing overall was very good both nights, as well as our powerplay.”

The Tigers lost the first game, 4-3, but won the second game, 4-2. Coach also explained that the team needed to transfer what they did well to the upcoming games, not just the previous series.

Great Dominant Team Win

The Tigers went to Moontownship, PA., and came out strong in the first game.

Within five minutes of the game, Shawn Cameron (F) scored right in front of the net, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Adam Brubacher (D) got the assist on the play and scored his 100th career point as a Tiger.

RIT then took three straight penalties and Robert Morris took two straight after. No powerplays were scored during that run.

Both teams traded chances through the second period, with the Tigers seemingly getting more odd-man rush opportunities. Nonetheless, both goaltenders made big saves.

Towards the end of the second period, Cameron scored again. He fired the puck right past Colonials goalie, Justin Kapelmaster. The Tigers took a 2-0 lead by the end of the period.

The third period saw much more production than the other two. 32 seconds in, Robert Morris scored their first goal of the game. On the powerplay, Nick Jenny spoiled the shutout and scored, cutting the lead to just one.

Ryan Nicholson (D) then scored his first collegiate goal: a milestone to remember. He scored on the delayed penalty with a wicked wrister.

Just minutes later, Alden Dupuis (F) roofed the puck over Kapelmaster and extended the Tiger lead to 4-1.

The Tigers rode the rest of the period out and took the win, 4-1. The Tigers had 26 shots, while the Colonials had 42 shots. In terms of the powerplay, RIT went 0-4 and Robert Morris scored on one of their six chances. In the Tiger net, Drackett had a wonderful game, saving 41 of 42 (.976) shots. In the Colonial net, Kapelmaster stopped 22 of 26 (.846) shots.

Great Start, Tough End

Jake Hamacher on the Puck

In the second game of the weekend, the Tigers got on the puck early and found some chances, but the Colonials were the first team to score.

Miscommunication on defense hurt the Tigers in the end, as Nick Lalonde scored, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers didn’t back down and continued to battle. Late in the first period, Jake Hamacher (F) found the back of the net, tying the game. The play was under review for offsides, but ultimately, the goal stood.

RIT scored the next two goals of the game, continuing on their momentum.

Jordan Peacock (F) scored a wrap-around, fooling Kapelmaster early in the second period. Hamacher then scored his second of the game, firing a shot that was near-impossible to be saved.

Robert Morris turned it around towards the latter stages of the second period. Daniel Mantenuto scored five-hole on Drackett, cutting the lead to just one heading into the intermission.

The Tigers were holding on for dear life, making tons of blocks and Drackett making huge stops.

With a minute and 38 seconds left, though, Aidan Spellacy scored and tied the game. His goal sent the game into overtime.

In 3-on-3 overtime, both teams traded chances, but the Colonials scored in the end. The Colonials, therefore, got the extra point.

The Tigers had 36 shots, while the Colonials had 37 shots. In terms of the powerplay, both teams scored on one opportunity, but RIT only had two and Robert Morris had four. In the Tiger net, Drackett stopped 34 of 37 (.919). In the Colonial net, Kapelmaster saved 33 of 36 (.917).

Home Stretch Down the Stretch

The Tigers will host the Bentley Falcons (13-14-3, 11-11-2 AHA) on Feb. 14, and Feb. 15, 2020, at the Gene Polisseni Center. The games take place at 7:05 PM EST and 5:05 PM EST, respectively.

The following week, RIT will have a home-and-home series against the Niagara Purple Eagles (8-16-4, 8-10-6 AHA). Niagara will be home on Feb. 21, and RIT will be home on Feb. 22. Both games are at 7:05 PM EST.

GO TIGERS!

Game One Stats Against Robert Morris

Game Two Stats Against Robert Morris