The RIT Tigers scored two early goals, answered the counterattack scoring by Hamilton, and then pulled away in the third period to defeat the Continentals by an 8-3 score on Saturday.
Hamilton held a territorial advantage for stretches of the first period, but was unable to get many high quality shots on the RIT net. The Tigers, on the other hand, took advantage of their chances with multiple shots on net each time down the ice.
RIT got on the board first at 4:46. Jonathan Day crashed the Hamilton net with the puck, ending up lying on the ice next to Matt Jones, the Continentals’ goalie. Day’s linemate Mike Bournazakis collected the puck as it lay in the crease and roofed it in for the controversial goal.
Exactly three minutes later, RIT took a 2-0 lead on a great individual effort by co-captain Derek Hahn. Hahn broke out of the RIT zone and raced down the ice. He got in to the Hamilton zone unmarked and beat Jones high with a slap shot.
Hamilton stayed in the game with a goal at 13:11. RIT gave away the puck deep in its own zone. Continental Kevin Audit collected the turnover and passed to Matthew Harrison towards the RIT net. Harrison swept the puck past Tiger netminder Tyler Euverman to cut the RIT lead to a single goal.
RIT regained its two-goal lead with a power-play tally at 15:36. Sam Hill wristed the puck in from the doorstep for the 3-1 RIT lead.
Once again, Hamilton cut in to the Tiger lead at 17:58. Rob Gordon and Nicolas Potvin broke in to the Tiger zone 2-on-1. Gordon passed across the goal mouth to Potvin, who finished off the play for the goal.
Hamilton enjoyed two power plays early in the second period, but couldn’t convert to tie the game. It was RIT who tallied the next goal as the teams continued to trade tallies. Jonathan Day scored at 8:41 of the second period to build the RIT lead to 4-2.
A little discipline lapse by Hamilton gave RIT a full two minute 5-on-3 advantage at mid-period. The Tigers took advantage of it quickly, scoring a goal 36 seconds in to the advantage. Jerry Galway, quarterbacking from the high slot, passed down to Peter Bournazakis camped out on the right doorstep of the net. Bournazakis redirected the puck into the net for the goal.
Penalties continued as the second period closed, but neither team was able to convert.
RIT earned a penalty at the end of the second period, and another one early in the second period, and it was Hamilton’s turn to take advantage of the RIT lapse in discipline. Craig Leger put a slap shot low from the point past Euverman for the Continental score on the 5-on-3 power play.
RIT evened out the Hamilton goal with one of its own at the 8:49 mark. Josh Faulkner passed out of the corner to Mike Walling, who was cruising in from the point. Walling beat Jones low through the five hole.
The RIT power play built the Tiger lead to 7-3 at 12:21 on a goal by Derek Hahn, for his second of the night and his sixth point of the night. Mike Bournazakis scored RIT’s eighth goal at 15:16, for his second of the evening and fifth point.
