Box Score
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Niagara hockey received a goal from
Ryan Rashid at 11:45 of the final period to tie Atlantic Hockey opponent RIT 2-2, in the first-ever Greater Rochester Area Honda Dealers Frozen Frontier on snowy Saturday evening.
The Tigers tallied a pair of quick late second period goals to grab a 2-1 lead, but Rashid scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season to even the game at two apiece.
Mike Benedict started the play with a clean win on the draw that slid back to Rashid in the slot who ripped a shot past RIT goaltender Mike Rotolo.
Neither team could find the go-ahead goal in regulation so for the eighth time in 14 meetings, the Atlantic Hockey rivals headed into extra time. Niagara dominated over time as the Purple Eagles outshot the Tigers, 6-0. Benedict came close to securing the victory as the junior picked up the puck while alone in front of the cage, but his shot was snuffed by Rotolo to keep the game even.
"When conditions are the way they were tonight it comes down to who can win the rebound game and RIT got a pair of rebound goals in the second period which put us behind," head coach
Dave Burkholder said. "I think we responded in the third though, and in overtime we were taking the play to them, but just couldn't find the game winner."
Matt Chartrain scored the initial Niagara goal, while Purple Eagle goaltender
Jackson Teichroeb finished the game with 25 saves. Niagara went 0-for-5 on the man-advantage, while RIT scored one power play goal on six opportunities.
"It was great that the Ryan Rashid, Michael Benedict and Dan Kolenda line got rewarded because they were our best line all night," added Burkholder. "They played hard all game and kept it simple. That was a great game for all three of them."
Despite the shot count going in favor of the Tigers, 11-10 at the end of the opening frame, the Purple Eagles were on the steady attack throughout a majority of period.
Ninety seconds into the contest the Purple Eagles registered the game's first scoring opportunity as
Kevin Ryan released a shot from the point that bounced off
Hugo Turcotte and trickled into the goal, but the referees waved off the tally for man-in-the-crease to keep the game scoreless two minutes into the game.
Just inside 10 minutes, NU had another glorious chance as
Dan Kolenda was sprung lose by Benedict, but the puck was stick checked away before Kolenda could break free and get a shot on Rotolo.
The scoring picked up in the second period as the team's combined for three goals. Niagara jumped out to a 1-0 lead at 11:42, but the Tigers responded with a pair of quick tallies in the later stages of the stanza to head into the final 20 minutes of play with a 2-1 advantage.
The Purple Eagles got on the scoreboard first with 8:18 on the clock with a goal from Chartrain via assists from
Vincent Muto and
Phil Nasca. Muto led the charge coming down the far boards before finding Chartrain on the doorstep of the blue paint and the sophomore pounded in the puck for his second of the season.
RIT found the equalizer while on the power play with 2:48 remaining in the second off the stick of Dan Schuler. Greg Noyes took a shot from the point that was stopped by Teichroeb, but the rebound settled down in front of the crease that was pounced on by Schuler. A little over two minutes later the Tigers grabbed their first lead of the contest as Danny Smith wacked home a rebound off a Mike Colavecchia shot from the top of the slot.
Niagara outshot RIT on the game, 36-27.
The Purple Eagles will wrap up their eight-game road trip after the New Year when the Niagara buses to Waltham, Mass. for a weekend series against the Bentley Falcons (Jan. 3 & 4).
