Men's Hockey falls, 2-1, in OT to AIC in AHA First-Round

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The RIT Men's Hockey team fell, 2-1, in overtime to AIC in the first-round of the Atlantic Hockey America Tournament, Friday.
 
First-year goaltender Ethan David was credited with a career-high 33 saves, but it was the eighth-seeded Yellow Jackets finding the deciding goal 6:01 into the extra period to eliminate the ninth-seeded Tigers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Following a scoreless first period RIT got on the board at 6:21 of the second. First-year forward Ty Whyte took a loose puck in the neutral zone and fed senior forward Grady Hobbs breaking the other way. Hobbs took a shot from the right faceoff circle that Chase Clark sticked aside, but Jacques was there to clean up the rebound inside an empty left post.
•  AIC tied the game 2:58 into the third. John Lundy redirected a long slapshot from the left point by Alexander Malinowski that made it way over David's pads inside the left post.
• In overtime, Oscar Geschwind blocked a RIT shot at the top of the Yellow Jacket zone and took a quick return pass from Brett Rylance headed the other way for an odd-man rush. Geschwind fed Casey McDonald trailing in the slot for a one-timer under the bar for the deciding goal. 

GAME NOTES

• Due to a scheduling conflict on AIC's home ice, the game was played at Tate Rink in West Point, N.Y. – home of the Army Black Knights.
• David eclipsed the 30 saves he made in at New Hampshire on Nov. 30 for his second career game with at least 30 saves.
• AIC finished with a 35-32 shot advantage.
• Both teams finished 0-for-1 on the power play.
• The game was a rematch of the 2024 AHA Championship game. The top-seeded Tigers defeated fifth-seeded AIC, 5-2, at home to win the league and earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history.