RIT men's hockey is one win away from reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years.
The Tigers (26-10-2) host American International (Springfield, Mass.) in the Atlantic Hockey Championship on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at RIT's Gene Polisseni Center.
how did they get here
RIT earned the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, winning three straight games against Robert Morris and Niagara.
The Tigers have won six straight since a home-and-home sweep against Canisius in late February. In four postseason games, RIT outscored its two opponents 21-4.
UPDATE | Saturday's AHA Championship is SOLD OUT.
Tickets for season ticket holders will be held until noon Friday.
Remaining inventory will be released at that time depending on availability.For more information, check out Friday at https://t.co/zyv9pBqq7y or call 585-475-4121. pic.twitter.com/KhdSIKbXuc
— RIT Men's Hockey (@RITMHKY) March 18, 2024
what is the problem
Unlike the quarterfinals and semifinals, the championship game is a one-time winner-take-all contest.
The winner of Saturday's championship will receive an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA Tournament, while the loser will hope to receive one of the 10 at-large bids available. The remaining six spots will be awarded to the six conference champions (Atlantic Hockey, Big Ten, ECAC, Hockey East, NCHC and WCHA).
RIT hasn't reached the NCAAs since winning back-to-back Atlantic Hockey titles in 2015 and 2016. The Tigers are 3-2 all-time in Atlantic Hockey Championship Games.
RIT vs American International matchup
The Tigers and Yellow Jackets split the season series in a two-game stand at AIC in December. The host team won the opening game 3-2 in overtime, and RIT came back in the second game to win 5-2.
RIT has an all-time record of 35-11-3 against AIC in Division I play. That includes an 18-4-2 record on home ice, while AIC is 5-4-1 in its last 10 games.
The Tigers enter Saturday's championship ranked first in the conference in both points scored (3.89 per game) and goals allowed (2.32 per game).
Featured players
RIT owns three of Atlantic hockey's top five scorers: Cody Laskoski (13-27, 40 points in 36 games), Carter Wilkie (16-23, 39 points in 38 games), and Jean. Franco Cassaro (17 wins, 19 losses, 36 points in 38 games).
They also have junior goaltender Tommy Scarfone. He is a semifinalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top collegiate player, and was recently named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Year.
Scarfon posted a record of 24 wins, 8 losses, and 2 draws, a save percentage of .928, and a goals-against average of 2.19. He is one of only four goaltenders in the country to reach the 20-win mark so far this season.
Wayne Wilson continues to lead
Wayne Wilson will be the 25th player on the RIT bench for the 2023-24 season. Wilson, who enters Saturday's championship, owns a record of 460 wins, 313 losses, and 80 draws. This number of wins ranks 35th in school history and 10th among active coaches.
Wilson has led the Tigers to 12 winning seasons since they moved up to Division I in 2005-06. In 2010, he propelled RIT to its first and only Frozen appearance when the Tigers lost to Wisconsin in the national semifinals.
Wilson was named Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year earlier this week, his second consecutive season winning the award.
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: RIT vs. American International in the Atlantic Hockey Championship: Preview
