ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Institute of Technology scored the first goal of the game early in the first period and finished the period with a 2-1 lead.
Good start, right?
However, Atlantic Hockey-leading Mercyhurst not only came back to go on a 3-0 run in the second period, but also closed out the Tigers with a 6-3 win.
RIT freshmen forward Caleb Cameron not only scored the first goal of the game, but it was also his first collegiate goal. Senior forward Ben Lynch was the other Tigers player to score in the first period while on a power-play opportunity.
The second period belonged all to the Lakers, especially to junior forward Ryan Misiak, who scored twice in the second period. Misiak scored his tenth goal of the season 36 seconds into the period as the teams were playing 4-on-4. His second goal of the period came at the very end of the period, on a power play opportunity, as he just beat the period buzzer with only 0.6 seconds left on the clock.
The second goal was a heartbreaker for the Tigers as it appeared they would enter the second intermission with all momentum lost.
RIT freshman forward Danny Smith was the beneficiary of the goal in the third period that the Tigers thought would get them back on track.
However, the Lakers answered the Tigers by scoring two consecutive goals by junior forward Daniel Bahntge and junior forward Zac Frischmon as they closed out the game.
The Lakers outworked the Tigers on the faceoffs, winning that battle 45-35.
RIT was 2-for-7 (eight shots) on the power play, while Mercyhurst was 1-for-7 (11 shots).
“I thought we missed some chances we needed to bury and missed some saves at the other end, which was the difference tonight,” said RIT coach Wayne Wilson. “I was much happier with the way we responded to start the third period. Mercyhurst is a good team, very balanced offensively.”
Jordan Tibbett made 39 saves for the Lakers, while Mike Rotolo stopped 36 for the Tigers.
“I thought we got better as the game went on tonight,” added Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin. “In terms of the goaltending, goaltending wins in this league. I thought both goalies played well. I thought our guy, Jordan Tibbett, he made some good saves for us.”
RIT is now 0-4-2 over its season-high seven-game homestand. The six-game home winless streak is the longest since the Tigers entered Division I play. However, the Tigers are 30-17-6 all-time against the Lakers, including a 14-8-3 mark since 2005, despite this loss tonight.
