MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. – Entering 2024, RMU will play their first Atlantic Hockey series of the new year, welcoming #20 RIT. Both games will be streamed on FloHockey. The first game of the series is scheduled for Friday, January 19 at 7:00 p.m. The series finale will be played the following day at 6:00 p.m. On the air will be Tim Benz (pxp) and Mike Prisuta (analyst).
RMU LATELY
RMU (6-15-3 / 3-9-2 #AHA20) is coming off their final non-conference series of the 2023-24 campaign. The Colonials visited #12 Minnesota, losing two close battles, 4-2 and 4-1. In his home state, graduate defenseman
Luke Johnson dished out two assists against the Gophers.
Prior to the Minnesota series, the Colonials performed one of their most dominating performances as they swept Stonehill by scores of 8-1 and 7-3. Their 15 goals combined are the most scored by an Atlantic Hockey team in a series this season. Across the two games, graduate forward
Dallas Tulik dished out five assists, leading all players in helpers and points. He posted two multipoint efforts against the Skyhawks, including a three-point game. Netting the most goals over that weekend was freshman forward
Walter Zacher. The Buffalo, N.Y. native scored three goals and one assist against Stonehill. Freshman defenseman
Michael Craig distributed three assists on the first night, earning his first career three-point game. He also finished the weekend with a +6, a team-best. In total, 17 players registered a point in the series.
Leading the team in points and assists is graduate forward
Dallas Tulik (3-12—15). Freshmen forwards
Tanner Klimpke (6-8—14) and
Walter Zacher (5-9—14) are tied second on the team in points produced. Helping orchestrate the penalty-kill, graduate defenseman
Mitch Andres is currently ranked third in the conference in blocks (49).
HEATING UP
Across the last four series, captain
Rylee St. Onge has picked up his production, averaging over a point-per-game. In his last eight games, St. Onge owns seven goals and three assists. The captain is leading the roster in goals (7) and power-play goals (3) this season. Since the Sacred Heart series back in late November of 2023, freshman
Walter Zacher has also gained momentum in his first year of collegiate hockey. In his last 12 appearances, Zacher's produced five goals and eight assists, averaging over a point-per-game.
ALL EYES ON VELTRI
This past week
Chad Veltri was named to the Hockey Commissioners Association's Goalie of the Year Watch List. Appearing in 22 games this season so far, Veltri owns a 2.96 G.A.A. and .922 save percentage. He ranks third in the AHA and seventh nationally in save percentage. Across all of Division I, Veltri still sits in first place in saves (741). From Pittsburgh, Pa., Veltri has been tabbed AHA Goaltender of the Week, twice. In 13 of his appearances this season, he's registered 30 or more saves in a game. Veltri paved the way for RMU to win their first conference game of the year against Bentley (10/27), pacing for a career-high 51 saves to help the Colonials win, 4-3.
RMU LEADERS
Goals:
Rylee St. Onge (7)
Assists:
Dallas Tulik (12)
Points:
Dallas Tulik (15)
PPG:
Rylee St. Onge (4)
SHG:
Cade Townend (1)
GWG:
Rylee St. Onge (2)
Blocks:
Mitch Andres (49)
SV%:
Chad Veltri (.922)
ALL-TIME VS. RIT
Since 2005, the Colonials are 15-20-6 all-time against the Tigers. At Clearview Arena, the Colonials are 10-8-2 when hosting RIT. Through 41 games, RMU have scored 126 total goals, averaging 3.07 per-game. RMU's longest win streak against the opposing program was four games, occurring from 2014 to 2015. Earlier this season when RMU visited Rochester, N.Y., the Tigers won both games, 4-1 and 6-2. In the second game of the series, graduate defenseman
Cade Townend produced a multipoint game, scoring one goal and adding an assist.
SCOUTING RIT
RIT (13-8-1 / 9-5-0 #AHA20) so far in 2024 are 1-2-1. They're coming off a two-game losing streak, falling to Niagara, 3-1 and Canisius, 3-2 (OT). Previously ranked 19
th in the nation last week, the Tigers will travel to Moon Township ranked #20. Through 22 games this season, RIT is currently second in the Atlantic Hockey standings, six points behind first-place Sacred Heart.
RIT LEADERS
Goals: Gianfranco Cassaro, Matthew Wilde (9)
Assists: Cody Laskosky, Aiden Hansen-Bukata (12)
Points: Cody Laskosky, Carter Wilkie (18)
PPG: Gianfranco Cassaro (4)
SHG: Simon Isabelle (2)
GWG: Gianfranco Cassaro (5)
Blocks: Dimitri Mikrogiannakis (42)
SV%: Tommy Scarfone (.929)
UP NEXT
After playing RIT, the Colonials will travel to the northeast region of the country in Springfield, Mass., to play AIC in a two-game series.
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