SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts - The American International College ice hockey team opened November with a bang, earning a 7-3 win over Atlantic Hockey Association rival Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, November 6.

FAST FACTS:
Final Score: AIC 7, RIT 3
Records: The Yellow Jackets rise to 2-5-1 overall and 2-1-0-0-0-0 in the AHA, while the Tigers drop to 4-3-2 overall and 2-1-2-1-0-0 in AHA action
Location: MassMutual Center, Springfield, Massachusetts

KEY STATS:
RIT:
Will Calverley: One goal
Diarmad DiMurro: One goal
Kobe Walker: One goal
Kolby Matthews: Loss (4-1-2), 14 saves on 20n shots in 27:43
Tommy Scarfone: 19 saves on 20 shots in 32:17

AIC:
Brian Rigali: Two goals, two assists
Blake Bennett: One goal, one assist
Zak Galambos: One goal, one assist
Chris Theodore: One goal, one assist
Chris Van Os-Shaw: Two assists
Luka Maver: One goal
Hunter Johannes: One goal
Jake Kucharski: Win (2-4-1), 21 saves in 58:26

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• AIC opened the scoring on the power play early in the first as graduate student Brian Rigali moved the puck through the neutral zone to junior Blake Bennett. As Bennett crossed the RIT blueline, he found senior Chris Theodore coming in on the left wing, and Theodore snapped off a shot over the glove of Kolby Matthews for his second of the year at 5:12.
• RIT responded with a power play goal of its own shortly after, although in unusual fashion. AIC won the faceoff to start its penalty kill, but the subsequent clearing attempt hit a linesman in the back and bounced right to Will Calverley in the slot, and he took advantage to tie the game at 8:17.
• AIC regained its edge late in the first. Rigali stole the puck just inside his own end of the ice and fired it up the right-wing boards to graduate student Chris Dodero, and then followed his own pass. Dodero absorbed a hit, but was able to get the puck back to Rigali, and he drove right to the net before beating Matthews for his first in an AIC uniform at 16:01.
• RIT's situation went from bad to worse as they took a penalty on the next shift, and AIC punished the Tigers for it. After a failed clear that was held in by sophomore Matt Rickard, the Yellow Jackets moved the puck around the zone, with senior Elijiah Barriga connecting with Theodore in the same spot he had scored from previously. This time, however, Theodore dished across the goalmouth to Bennett, and the junior cashed in his first of the season at 16:19.
• AIC wasted no time in adding to the advantage in the second period. Rigali started a breakout with a pass to sophomore Julius Janhonen at the center faceoff dot, and Janhonen continued the puck toward the right side, where redshirt junior Zak Galambos joined the rush. He was able to carry the puck all the way to the net and stuff home his first of the year just 0:31 into the frame.
• Graduate student Luka Maver continued the piling on for AIC not long after, stealing the puck at RIT's right point and carrying it all the way into the RIT end before snapping a shot five-hole at 5:10 for his second of the season.
• AIC chased Matthews from the net with the team's third of the period less than three minutes later on a rush up the ice as sophomore Aaron Grounds was able to find Rigali in the neutral zone. As he came over the line, he executed a perfect back-and-forth with senior Chris Van Os-Shaw, slapping home his second of the game on the return feed at 7:43.
• RIT cut into the lead just after the media timeout, as Diarmad DiMurro one-timed a shot from the right point off the faceoff at 10:18.
• AIC was able to quickly get back up by five, as Van Os-Shaw passed into the slot from behind the RIT net. He found Galambos for a one-timer, and the shot hit junior Hunter Johannes on the way in for his second of the season at 11:38.
• Kobe Walker scored on a shorthanded breakaway to once again cut the lead to four, but neither team scored in the third as AIC held on for a 7-3 win.

POINTS OF AUTHORITY:

• Five Yellow Jackets had multipoint nights.
• Galambos, Bennett, and Theodore each had a goal and an assist, while Van Os-Shaw notched two apples, and Rigali had two goals and two helpers.
• A total of 11 AIC players made it onto the scoresheet.

QUOTABLE:

• "It just shows we have depth and everyone can contribute," Galambos said of the offensive outburst, adding "I think we're just resilient. It's pedal-to-the medal and that's how we play. You're going to get our best shift, every time we're out there."
• "I thought we played well together, and a lot of those goals were from second and third effort," Assistant Coach Cory Schneider noted, saying as well that "We need to do a better job in one-on-one battleswe know we're going to get RIT's best effort tomorrow night, and we need to be ready for that."

NEXT UP:

• The teams conclude the weekend set on Sunday, November 7 at 3:05 p.m. at the MassMutual Center.