Men's Hockey | 3/16/2013 10:41:00 PM

Box Score

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Marc Zanette scored 13:12 into overtime to lift host Niagara (23-8-5), ranked No. 15 nationally, to the Atlantic Hockey Association semifinals with a 2-1 win over the RIT men's hockey team in game two of the AHA Quarterfinals series at Dwyer Arena on Saturday evening. The loss eliminates RIT from postseason season play, as the Tigers finish the season 15-18-5.
 
Ryan Murphy collected a turnover along the left side boards and fed a perfect cross-ice pass to Zanette, who was wide open at the right face-off circle. Zanette wired a shot past a diving Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) for the game-winner to send the top-seeded Purple Eagles to Rochester for the AHA Seminfinals next weekend.
 
Before the goal, Ruby was the story of the overtime period, making four unbelievable saves to keep the game tied and had 12 saves overall in the extra period. He made a sensational pad save on Patrick Divjak in close while Niagara was on a power-play, then robbed Divjak again seconds later from the door step. Ruby then stopped C.J. Chartrain with a big glove save from the slot.
 
RIT had two power-plays in overtime, but could not get the puck past the Niagara defense, which blocked 30 shots in the game. The Tigers had two glorious chances four minutes into the extra session. Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies) wired a shot that Niagara goaltender Carsen Chubak stopped, but the rebound was sitting in the crease. Adam Mitchell (Crofton, MD/Baystate Breakers) had a chance at it, but a Niagara player poked it away at the last second. RIT then came in on a 2-on-1 right as a penalty expired but were unable to get a shot off.
 
The RIT power-play entered the game as the top-ranked in all of Division I, but went scoreless on seven chances with the man-advantage. Niagara was 0-for-4.
 
Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) scored for RIT just 1:12 into the game. Ruby was tremendous in net for the Tigers, stopping 39-of-41 Niagara shots, as the Purple Eagles out-shot the Tigers, 35-20 after the first period, and 41-35 overall.
 
Chubak continues his torrid run for the Purple Eagles, making 34 saves for his 23rd win of the season. Divjak also scored for Niagara, while Murphy assisted on both goals.
 
“I was proud of the way our guys played this weekend,” said RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson. “I thought we played very well in the first period, but needed to get the two-goal lead. Both games in the series were incredibly physical, very well played and could have went either way. Give Niagara credit, they were able to get the job done each night.”
 
The Tigers absolutely dominated the opening 20 minutes of play, out-shooting Niagara 15-6, while getting four power-plays, but led by just 1-0.

RIT scored on its first shot of the contest, just 1:12 into the contest, as Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) collected a feed in the slot from Lynch and wristed a shot past Chubak for his third goal of the season. Lynch corralled a turnover at the left wing boards, went behind the net and found Mitchell open in front for the goal.
 
Moments later, RIT had a golden opportunity to extend the lead, with a two-man advantage for 1:09. The Tigers could not convert however, as the Niagara three-man unit did an incredible job blocking shots from the point and keeping the quality chances to a minimum.
 
The Lynch, Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs), Jeff Smith (Spokane, WA/Tri-City Storm) line continued to buzz later in the period, getting three great chances on one shift midway through the period, including a shot that Smith put past Chubak, that just went through the crease.
 
Lynch had a golden opportunity on a 2-on-1 in the final seconds of the period, toe-dragging a defenseman, and cutting to the middle from the left wing. His shot cleanly beat Chubak, but clanged off the crossbar and out, keeping it 1-0.
 
RIT continued to dominate play for long stretches of 5-on-5 play in the second period, but could not finish, while Niagara took advantage with a goal late in the period to tie the game at 1-1 after 40 minutes of play.
 
Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) and Dan Schuler (Webster, NY/Powell River Kings) nearly converted on a great chance off a giveaway in the Niagara zone. Garbowsky had a clear lane to the net and had Schuler open at the left side of the net, but his past was deflected by a Niagara player at the last second.
 
Niagara tied the game with 5:43 left in the period, as Divjak fired a shot from the right face-off circle that somehow eluded Ruby off the post and in. C.J. Chartrain kept the puck in at the left point, skated in down low and found Divjak. Ruby looked to be in perfect position, but Divjak's low shot found room for his eighth goal of the season.
 
Lynch nearly gave RIT its lead back seconds after the Niagara goal, getting a golden chance in the slot, but his shot went right into the crest of Chubak from the slot.
 
Ruby needed to make two big saves from the slot late in the period to keep the game tied. C.J. Chartrain wired a blast just as a power-play was expiring that Ruby gobbled up. Moments later, a Tiger giveaway came right to Ryan Rashid coming off the bench. Rashid ripped a blast from 30-feet out that Ruby smothered.
 
Neither team scored in a tightly played third period, as Niagara out-shot RIT 12-5, with several of those chances coming from the perimeter.
 
RIT had its best chance of the frame in the opening two minutes, as Lynch stole a puck in the neutral zone and fed Smith, who fired a shot that Chubak stopped. The rebound was there for the Tigers, but they could not get the puck past the goaltender in the ensuing scrum.
 
On the next shift, Niagara had a golden chance on a rebound, but Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies) was able to swat the puck out of harm's way right as a Niagara player was crashing the net.
 
Niagara had a great chance with 4:15 left, as Rashid won a draw and fired a shot right towards the net that Ruby smothered from point-blank range.
 
RIT is now 16-8 all-time AHA Postseason contests since becoming eligible for the league's postseason in 2007-08. It is the first time that RIT played away from Rochester in any AHA postseason contests and first time they did not qualify for the AHA Semifinals.
 
RIT finished 0-3-2 against Niagara this season and is 3-12-8 all-time against the Purple Eagles and 1-10-6 in the Division I era.
 
This was the second time that the two teams have met in the postseason, as the Tigers ended Niagara's season last year with a 2-1 overtime win in the AHA Semifinals at Blue Cross Arena.