WORCESTER, Mass. – Senior assistant captain Shayne Stockton (Rochester, N.Y.) netted two goals including the game-winner as the Holy Cross men's hockey team defeated RIT, 5-1, at the Hart Center on Saturday evening in game two of a best two-out-of-three Atlantic Hockey Tournament first round series. With the win, the Crusaders advance to 13-20-3 overall and tie up the playoff series 1-1, while the Tigers fell to 12-19-5 overall. The two teams will conclude the first round series on Sunday, March 9 at the Hart Center as the winner will move on to the AHA quarterfinal round on March 14-16.
Sophomore Tim Driscoll (Hingham, Mass.) started the Crusader offense with a goal 47 seconds into the game. Freshman Mike Barrett (Orland Park, Ill.) caught a pass off the boards and tipped it across the center red line to senior assistant captain Adam Schmidt (Warrington, Pa.). Schmidt skated the puck up to the goal line on the glove side of RIT goalie Mike Rotolo. From the line Schmidt drew Rotolo's attention then crossed the puck to Driscoll at the bottom of the stick side faceoff circle. Driscoll sent the puck into the empty section of net and brought the Crusaders onto the board first. The Crusader line of freshman Brett McKinnon (Kelowna, British Columbia), Stockton and sophomore Matt Vidal (Manorville, N.Y.) kept pressure on RIT with their forechecking. They forced a Tiger turnover that found its way to the slot and to the stick of Stockton. Stockton took a shot that bounced off of Rotolo's pads and back out to Stockton who buried the puck for a 2-0 Crusader lead at 2:14. The Crusaders struck again at 12:56 when sophomore Brett Lubanski (Farmington Hills, Mich.) pushed the puck out of the circle from his knees during a faceoff to the stick of senior captain Ryan McGrath (Pittsburgh, Pa.). McGrath gave the puck to sophomore Castan Sommer (Shrewsbury, Mass.). Sommer skated the puck around the crease to fake out Rotolo and when Rotolo sprawled for the puck Sommer elevated the puck over Rotolo into the net. Just before an RIT power play was about to expire, RIT's Matt Garbowsky fired a shot on junior goalie Matt Ginn (Lindsay, Ontario) that rang the post, but was just shy of the Tigers' first goal of the game. The Crusaders went into the locker room leading 3-0 and outshooting the Tigers 11-10 during the period. Neither team netted a power play goal during the period despite the Crusaders' 5-on-3 opportunity.
The second period brought more success for the Crusaders despite RIT efforts. Just four minutes into the second, Danny Smith fired a shot on Ginn's glove side that started to slide behind Ginn before he could successfully tie it up with his glove for a whistle. Ben Lynch tried at 8:48 as well when he stole the puck shaking the Crusader defense to create his own breakaway. From the top of the crease on the glove side Lynch took a shot, but Ginn shut the door. The Crusaders added another goal to their lead when they pulled Ginn in favor of an extra attacker on a delayed penalty call. Sommer added an assist to his goal when he gave the puck to McGrath. McGrath had the puck in the corner and skated it around to the front of the net where the puck deflected off the skate of Lubanski and beat Rotolo to take a 4-0 lead. With 1:05 remaining in the second period, Caleb Cameron caught a pass on the stick side of Ginn and from the corner of the crease tried to chip it into the net, but Ginn's skate denied Cameron the opportunity.
RIT lit the lamp at 2:35 for the first time of the game, but the official on the ice waived off the goal. Todd Skirving sent the puck in to the stick side of the net of Ginn, but before it could cross the line Sommer and Ginn knocked the puck free. Despite an attempt to video review the goal, the call on the ice stood and the score remained 4-0. The Tigers converted on a power play chance 3:51 into the third when Greg Noyes gave the puck to Lynch behind the net. Lynch skated up into the stick side faceoff circle of Ginn before sending it back behind the net again to Dan Schuler. Schuler brought the puck through an opening in the Crusader defense and sent it into the net on the blocker side to make the score 4-1. Noyes tried to score one of his own with a power play shot through traffic from the stick side circle, but despite the cluster in front of him, Ginn came out with a glove save to stop the play. Vidal earned his first assist of the game after Stockton won a faceoff just over 13 minutes into the third period. Vidal caught the puck and skated it behind the net before passing it to Stockton in the stick side circle. Stockton sent a shot in and caught his own rebound before skating behind the net and wrapping around for his second of the night and the final goal of the game.
Ginn came out with another incredible showing posting 29 saves during the evening, while Rotolo posted 27. The Tigers converted one of their five power play chances, while the Crusaders were unsuccessful on all six of theirs. RIT won out in faceoffs 32-29 despite a 7-2 appearance at the dot from junior Jake Youso (International Falls, Minn.). Schmidt played in the 148th game of his career tonight which is the third most of any player in program history. Stockton's two goals earned him the first star of the game, Ginn's 29 saves earned him the second and Sommer's goal and assist brought home the third star of the game.
For the third straight season, every time the Holy Cross men's hockey team scores a power play goal in the Hart Center, money pledged will benefit PINK Revolution. The Crusaders have scored nine power play goals at home. For more information and to donate go here:http://www.powerplaypointsforpink.com/.
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