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RIT plays American International for Atlantic Hockey championship: What to know

Justin Ritzel, Canandaigua Daily Messenger
·3 min read
RIT's Carter Wilkie skates with the puck against Canisius on Jan. 16 at Gene Polisseni Center in Henrietta.
RIT's Carter Wilkie skates with the puck against Canisius on Jan. 16 at Gene Polisseni Center in Henrietta.

RIT men's hockey is one win away from reaching its first NCAA tournament in eight years.

The Tigers (26-10-2) host American International (Springfield, Massachusetts) in the Atlantic Hockey championship on Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at the Gene Polisseni Center at RIT.

How they got here

RIT earned the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Hockey tournament, and swept a pair of best-of-3s against Robert Morris and Niagara.

The Tigers have won six straight games, dating back to a home-and-home sweep against Canisius in late February. In four postseason games, RIT has outscored its two opponents 21-4.

What's at stake

Unlike the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, the championship game is a single, winner-take-all contest.

The winner of Saturday's championship receives an automatic bid to the 16-team NCAA tournament, while the loser will hope to receive one of 10 available at-large bids. The remaining six spots are given to the six conference champions (Atlantic Hockey, Big 10, ECAC, Hockey East, NCHC and WCHA).

RIT has not reached NCAAs since claiming back to back Atlantic Hockey titles in 2015 and 2016. The Tigers are 3-2 all-time in the Atlantic Hockey championship game.

RIT vs. American International matchup

The Tigers and Yellow Jackets split their season series during a two-game stand at AIC in December. The hosts won the opener 3-2 in overtime, while RIT bounced back to win the second game, 5-2.

RIT owns a 35-11-3 all-time record against AIC in the teams' Division I meetings. That includes an 18-4-2 record on home ice, though AIC is 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings.

The Tigers enter Saturday's championship ranked No. 1 in the conference in both goals for (3.89 per game) and goals against (2.32 per game).

Players to watch

RIT's Tommy Scarfone makes a save against New Hampshire Nov. 25 at Gene Polisseni Center in Henrietta.
RIT's Tommy Scarfone makes a save against New Hampshire Nov. 25 at Gene Polisseni Center in Henrietta.

RIT owns three of Atlantic Hockey's top five scorers: Cody Laskosky (13-27-40 points in 36 games), Carter Wilkie (16-23-39 points in 38 games) and Gianfranco Cassaro (17-19-36 points in 38 games).

There's also junior goaltender Tommy Scarfone, who is a semifinalist for the Hobey Baker Award for top collegiate player and was recently named the Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Year.

Scarfone compiled a 24-8-2 record with a .928 save percentage and 2.19 goals-against average. He is one of only four goaltenders in the national to reach the 20-win plateau so far this season.

Wayne Wilson continues coaching prowess

The 2023-24 season marked Wayne Wilson's 25th behind the RIT bench. Entering Saturday's championship, Wilson owns a 460-313-80 record. That win total is 35th all time in collegiate history and 10th among active coaches.

Wilson has led the Tigers to 12 winning seasons since the program made the leap to Division I in 2005-06. In 2010, he pushed RIT to its first and only Frozen Four appearance, when the Tigers bowed out to Wisconsin in the national semifinal.

Wilson was named the Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year earlier this week, the second consecutive season he's won the award.

This article originally appeared on MPNnow: RIT vs American International in Atlantic Hockey championship: Preview