Men's Hockey takes 3-2 victory at Robert Morris

MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – RIT sophomore forward Matthew Wilde notched a goal and an assist to lead the Men's Hockey team to a 3-2 Atlantic Hockey America win at Robert Morris.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• First-year forward Tyler Fukakusa got things going early after fighting off a defender in the right corner and sending a puck behind the RMU net. Wilde sent a puck out of the left corner to the top of the left faceoff circle where sophomore defenseman Crossley Stewart one-timed a shot inside the left post 3:25 into the game.
• The Tigers took a 2-0 lead at 11:12 following a Colonial interference penalty. First-year defenseman Tristan Allen shuffled a puck to the point for a drive by junior defenseman Xavier Lapointe that Wilde tipped over goaltender Croix Kochendorfer from outside the left post.
• Robert Morris got on the board 2:30 later after winning a faceoff back to the point in the Tiger end. Gavin Gulash took a loose puck in the slot and backhanded a shot on goal that deflected off RIT junior goaltender Trent Burnham's pads and trickled over the goal line just inside the left post.  
• The Colonials tied the game at 8:01 of the second. Mitch Deelstra carried a puck into the right faceoff circle and dragged a puck to his backhand before flipping a shot inside the top corner over Burnham's glove.
• RIT retook the lead at 10:55. Robert Morris won a defensive zone faceoff but Lapointe knocked a clearing attempt down inside the blue line that junior forward Philippe Jacques was able to corral. Jacques found an open Hobbs in the slot, who scored what proved to be the game-winner on a shot under Kochendorfer's glove. 

GAME NOTES

• Fukakusa notched his team-leading 26th point of the season. Over the Tigers' last 13 games, he has only been held scoreless once while totaling 17 points (6G/11A) and is on pace to eclipse the 28 points (9G/19A) he totaled during his rookie campaign last winter.
• Wilde scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season along with his sixth multi-point game in only 16 outings this year. He also notched his second-straight season with double-digit goals after notching a Tiger D1-era rookie-record 19 last winter.
• Allen logged his 12th assist of the season and ranks fourth for the Tigers with 14 points.
• Stewart scored his first goal of the season in his fourth game back after a nine-game injury absence. He is the 18th player on the current roster with at least one goal.
• Hobbs scored his second goal of the season as well as his second career game-winning tally. 
• Lapointe tied a career-high with two assists.
• Burnham finished the night with 25 saves for his first victory in a Tiger sweater as RMU finished with a 27-24 shot advantage.
• RIT went 1-for-3 on the power play while killing three Robert Morris extra-man opportunities. 
• The Tigers totaled 17 blocked shots, including a team-high five by graduate student defenseman Dimitri Mikrogiannakis. 

WHAT'S NEXT
RIT hosts Niagara next Friday and Saturday (Jan. 24-25) in its first home AHA series since Dec. 6-7. Faceoffs are set for 7:05 p.m. and 5:05 p.m., respectively.