February 5, 2009
by Joe Venniro

Men’s hockey looks to keep 11-game winning streak alive this weekend

Tigers host the Sacred Heart Pioneers Friday and Saturday at Ritter Arena

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The Tigers look to extend their winning streak this weekend at home against Sacred Heart.

The RIT Tigers men’s hockey team hosts the Sacred Heart Pioneers in a pair of Atlantic Hockey contests at 7:05 p.m. this Friday and Saturday at Ritter Arena.

RIT (16-9-1, 15-4-1 AHA), riding the longest active winning streak in Division I—11 straight wins—returns to league play after a weekend off. RIT dropped an exhibition contest to the United States Under-18 National Team on Jan. 30. The Tigers hold sole possession of first place with 31 points.

The Tigers have outscored opponents 53-27 during the 11-game winning streak. Brennan Sarazin has 11 points over his last six games, including nine in the third period. Andrew Favot has an 11-game point-scoring streak. Six Tigers have between 22 and 24 points, while 12 players have at least 10 points.

The Tigers lead all of Division I with eight shorthanded goals and have outscored opponents 57-33 in 11 home games this season. RIT is 9-2-0 at home in 2008-2009.

Sacred Heart (6-16-4, 6-11-3 AHA) is looking to snap a three-game winless streak. Last weekend, the Pioneers tied 3-3 and lost 5-1 at Canisius. Eric Giosa and Bear Trapp are tied for the team lead with 18 points apiece. Goaltender Stefan Drew has played 23 games in net, recording a 3.91 goals against average and .889 save percentage.

RIT leads the all-time series between the schools, 4-2-1. Earlier in the season, the two teams played to a 3-3 draw on Oct. 24 at Sacred Heart, while Sacred Heart defeated RIT 4-2 the following night.

Tickets for this weekend’s games are available at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center Box Office or by phone at (585) 475-4121. Fans can also purchase tickets via ticketmaster.com. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for RIT faculty, staff and alumni and $5 for students with ID.

Saturday’s game will be aired live on Time Warner Cable Sports channel 26, while Friday’s game will be shown on tape delay. Gene Battaglia and John Ditullio will bring you the action.

Games also can be heard on WITR-FM (89.7). For more, visit RIT Athletics.