There was only one game in Atlantic Hockey this past weekend, but boy, was it a good way – particularly if you’re a fan of the RIT Tigers. The Tigers snapped a five-game losing streak and captured their first win in over a month with an 8-4 victory over the Niagara Purple Eagles on Saturday.

It was a back-and-forth game this past weekend between the Tigers and the Purple Eagles. Jake Hamacher put the Tigers up 1-0 just 1:29 into the game for his first of two goals on the night. RIT would hold that lead until 15:21 into the first period, when Nick Farmer tied it up.

Hamacher regained the lead for RIT just 15 seconds later, but Niagara wouldn’t give up that easily, tying it on a shorthanded tally by Alex Truscott with under two minutes to play in the opening frame.

Andrew Petrucci and Abbott Girduckis scored 1:13 apart early in the second period to put the Tigers up 4-2, but even that lead was only safe for so long. Ludwig Stenlund made it a one-goal game with a power-play goal near the midway point of the game.

From there, it really was RIT’s game to lose. The Tigers scored four goals in the third period, including three empty-netters, en route to the big win. Gabe Valenzuela, Erik Brown, Alden Dupuis and Will Calverley all scored in the final period. Both Dupuis and Calverley scored shorthanded.

Niko Kovachis added a goal for Niagara late in the third, but it wasn’t enough to power the Purple Eagles to a comeback.

Both teams are now done for the calendar year, with Niagara rounding out 2018 on a two-game losing streak. But there’s still plenty of Atlantic Hockey action to come in the final weekend of the year, including a series between Robert Morris and AIC.

There’s also non-conference action to watch for Canisius (Union), Mercyhurst (Ohio State), Air Force (Bemidji State), Army (Dartmouth & Brown) and Bentley (New Hampshire). Holy Cross also takes on the USNTDP on January 1.

Here are the Atlantic Hockey standings:

1. Air Force
2. AIC
3. Niagara
4. Army
5. Mercyhurst
6. Robert Morris
7. RIT
8. Sacred Heart
9. Canisius
10. Bentley
11. Holy Cross

Monday, December 17th, 2018 - 3:36 pm | Atlantic Hockey, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings