SATURDAY ROUNDUP: RIT stuns No. 8 Penn State, 1-0

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RIT rode an early goal by Evan Konyan and got 44-save shutout from goaltender Jakub Krbecek as the Tigers upset No. 8 Penn State, 1-0 (Photo: RIT Athletics)

RIT shocked No. 8 Penn State with a 1–0 win in the opener of a home-and-home series, riding an early goal from Evan Konyen and a brilliant shutout from Jakub Krbecek. Penn State piled up 44 shots, but Krbecek turned aside all of them as the Tigers bent all night and never broke.

Konyen scored the game’s only goal at 6:28 of the first period, giving RIT a lead it protected for the final 53-plus minutes. From there it became a survival test: Penn State owned the puck, outshot RIT 44–21, and poured 19 shots on net in the opening period alone, but couldn’t solve Krbecek through traffic or on second chances.

RIT’s commitment away from the puck helped finish the job, too, as the Tigers blocked 20 shots and kept Penn State off the board on its lone power play. Joshua Fleming stopped 20 shots for Penn State, but Konyen’s first-period finish and Krbecek’s 44-save masterpiece sent the home crowd out with a signature upset.

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No. 10 Quinnipiac 5, No. 9 Dartmouth 3

No. 10 Quinnipiac handed No. 9 Dartmouth a rare blemish, pulling away for a 5–3 win in a heavyweight showdown at M&T Bank Arena. The Bobcats answered Dartmouth’s best pushes all night, then took the lead for good early in the third on Mason Marcellus’ unassisted winner.

Dartmouth opened the scoring on CJ Foley at 11:18, but Quinnipiac responded quickly with goals from Braden Blace and Victor Czerneckianair to go up 2–1. The Big Green evened the game late in the first on Tim Busconi’s goal at 19:46 and regained the lead late in the second when Joshua Schenk scored at 16:33. Quinnipiac delivered an immediate response before the horn, tying it at 3–3 on Markus Vidicek’s goal with 35 seconds left in the period.

From there, the Bobcats seized the moment. Marcellus made it 4–3 at 5:08 of the third, and Quinnipiac closed it out late with Aaron Schwartz’s empty-netter at 17:46. Matej Marinov finished with 18 saves for Quinnipiac, while Emmett Croteau made 25 stops for Dartmouth as the Bobcats outshot the Big Green 30–21.

Alaska 5, No. 16 Providence 1

Alaska Fairbanks stunned Providence on the road with a 5–1 win, shaking off an early deficit and cashing in on special teams to flip the game. The Friars struck first on Logan Sawyer’s power-play goal just 1:52 in, but Alaska answered late in the period when Nathan Rickey tied it on the man advantage to send the teams to intermission even.

The Nanooks took control in the second. Chase Dafoe snapped home the go-ahead goal at 4:50, then Rylen Roersma extended the lead on a power play midway through the frame as Alaska turned a physical, penalty-filled night into points on the board. Providence had chances — the Friars finished with 44 shots and were just 1 for 9 on the power play — but couldn’t solve Calvin Vachon consistently, and Alaska carried a 3–1 cushion into the third.

From there, Alaska closed it out with composure. Jhett Larson made it 4–1 at 7:40 of the third, and Peyton Platter capped the upset with an empty-netter in the final minute. Vachon was the story in goal, stopping 43 shots as the Nanooks absorbed pressure and struck opportunistically to pull off the convincing road win.

Princeton 3, No. 19 Harvard 2

Princeton picked up its 10th win of the season and knocked off No. 18 Harvard, 3–2, holding off a third-period comeback before Kai Daniells buried the winner in the final seconds. Arthur Smith made 33 saves as the Tigers withstood steady pressure from the Crimson, who finished with 35 shots.

After a scoreless first, Princeton struck twice in a four-minute span of the second to build a cushion. David Jacobs opened the scoring at 4:45, and Jake Manfre made it 2–0 at 8:21 as the Tigers took a two-goal lead into the third.

Harvard responded quickly, getting within one 35 seconds into the period on Joe Miller’s goal, then tying it at 12:39 on Salvatore Guzzo’s finish. But with overtime looming, Princeton found the last punch: Daniells snapped home the game-winner at 19:58 to seal the upset. Ben Charette stopped 33 shots for Harvard in the loss, while Princeton won 60 percent of the faceoffs and blocked 16 shots.

No. 15 Maine 3, No. 6 Denver 3 (F/OT, Maine wins shootout)

A night after No. 15 Maine earned a 5-2 upset win at No. 6 Denver, the Black Bears made sure they didn’t leave Magness Arena empty-handed, rallying late for a 3-3 tie in non-conference play. Maine opened the scoring early when William Gerrior finished at 4:09 of the first, but Denver answered on the power play as Sam Harris pulled the Pioneers even late in the period.

The teams traded punches in the second. Charlie Russell restored Maine’s lead with an unassisted marker at 11:35, only for Denver to respond just over a minute later with another power-play goal from Kyle Chyzowski to make it 2-2. Denver grabbed its first lead early in the third when Eric Pohlkamp scored at 3:37, and the Pioneers carried that edge into the final minutes.

Maine’s push finally broke through with the extra attacker. With Denver protecting a one-goal lead, Frank Djurasevic found the equalizer at 17:33 to force overtime. Neither side could finish in the extra session, sending the series finale into the books as a tie behind steady nights from Albin Boija (24 saves) and Quentin Miller (30 saves).

No. 7 Western Michigan 4, Notre Dame 0

It took a period for No. 7 Western Michigan to find its finish, but once the Broncos broke through they rolled to a 4–0 win, scoring three times in the second period to turn a tight game into a runaway. Hampton Slukynsky finished the shutout with 33 saves as WMU outshot its opponent 44–33.

After a scoreless first, Owen Michaels opened the scoring just 1:38 into the second, and the floodgates followed. Samuel Sjolund made it 2–0 late in the period, then Grant Slukynsky added another 31 seconds later to send the Broncos into the third with a 3–0 cushion.

Western Michigan stayed on the front foot the rest of the way and tacked on a power-play goal from Zaccharya Wisdom at 17:12 of the third. Luke Pearson made 40 saves to keep the margin respectable, but the Broncos controlled long stretches in the offensive zone and had the game in hand once the second-period burst hit.

No. 11 Connecticut 3, LIU 1

No. 11 Connecticut completed a two-game sweep of LIU with a 3–1 win, doing its damage in a decisive second period after a scoreless opening 20 minutes. The Huskies controlled play for long stretches and finished with a 42–28 edge in shots.

UConn broke through on the power play early in the second when Ryan Tattle opened the scoring at 1:46. Alexandre Blais followed just over two minutes later with what proved to be the game-winner, and Carlin Dezainde added another at 7:09 as the Huskies turned a tight game into a 3–0 lead before the halfway point of the night.

LIU finally got on the board late in the third on Luca Leighton’s goal at 17:48, but it was too little, too late. Tyler Muszelik stopped 27 shots for the win, while Daniel Duris made 39 saves to keep the Sharks within striking distance despite UConn’s steady pressure.