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Canisius University Athletics

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Canisius goaltender David Fessenden makes a save of RIT foward Carter Wilkie during action on Jan. 16, 2024 at Gene Polisseni Center in Henrietta , NY. RIT Men’s Hockey tie 1-1 against Canisius in the 2nd period . (Caroline Sherman/RIT Sports Network)
Caroline Sherman / RIT Sports Ne
3
Winner Canisius CAN 8-12-3, 7-5-3
2
RIT RIT 13-8-1, 9-5-0
Winner
Canisius CAN
8-12-3, 7-5-3
3
Final
2
RIT RIT
13-8-1, 9-5-0
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 OT 1 F
Canisius CAN 0 1 1 1 3
RIT RIT 0 1 1 0 2

Game Recap: Ice Hockey |

Hockey Tames No. 20 RIT in Overtime, 3-2

Senior Randy Hernandez scored two goals, including the game winner, while senior David Fessenden made a career-high 44 saves to lift Canisius to a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 20 RIT in Atlantic Hockey Association action Tuesday at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester.
 
Hernandez tallied the first and third goals for the Golden Griffins (8-12-3, 7-5-3 AHA). Senior Jackson Decker accounted for the second Canisius tally while freshman Matteo Giampa picked up a pair of assists.
 
Christian Catalano and Tanner Andrew scored the two goals the Tigers (13-8-1, 9-5-0 AHA).
Tommy Scarfone finished with 28 saves between the pipes for the home team.
 
Hernandez notched the game-winning goal at the 2:09 mark of overtime, firing a wrist shot over the glove of Scarfone from the top of the slot during a 4-on-3 power-play opportunity for the Griffs. Canisius trailed 2-1 with just over five minutes to play in the third when Decker collected a loose puck near the right sidewall and moved towards the right point before spinning and firing a wrist shot through a screen and over the glove of Scarfone to knot the score at 2-2. Earlier in the contest, Catalano gave RIT a 1-0 lead at the 7:23 mark of the second period when his shot from the left point found its way through traffic and over the glove of Fessenden for his second of the campaign.
 
Hernandez brought the Griffs level at the 11:41 mark of the middle frame with a power-play tally, finishing off a zone entry by depositing a cross-ice pass from fellow senior Max Kouznetsov into the Tigers goal to knot the score at 1-1. Andrew put the Tigers back in front with a power-play goal with 7:08 elapsed in the third period, firing a slap shot from the left point just inside the right post, giving the Tigers a 2-1 lead and setting the stage for the Griffs comeback and victory.
 
POSTGAME COMMENTS GAME NOTES
• RIT outshot Canisius by a 46-31 margin for the contest, highlighted by a 33-16 margin over the final two periods of regulation.
• Canisiu was 2-of-8 on the power play while RIT was 1-of-6 with the man advantage.
• Canisius played its fourth overtime contest of the season. It picked up its first win as it moved to 1-0-3 in extra-session games in 2023-24.
• Tuesday's game was the Griffs third of the season against a nationally-ranked opponent. Canisius improved to 1-2 in those contests.
• Canisius held its opponent to two goals or fewer for the ninth time this season, improving to 6-2-1 in 2023-24 when doing so.
• Hernandez tallied multiple goals in a game for the second time this season and the third time in his career with his two-goal performance on Tuesday.
• The game-winning goal was Hernandez's first of the season and the fifth of his career.
• Giampa recorded multiple assists in a game for the second straight contest and third game this season as he finished with two helpers on Tuesday.
• Giampa also extended his point-scoring streak to four games with his two-assist performance on Tuesday (2g, 4a).
• Decker scored goals in consecutive games for the second time in his career with his third-period tally on Tuesday. He last scored in back-to-back contests in Oct. 2022.   
• Fessenden established a career high with his 44 saves on Tuesday. His previous personal best was 42, which came against Ferris State on Feb. 9, 2021 while at Alabama-Huntsville.
• Fessenden recorded 40-or-more saves in a game for the second time this season and the fourth time in his career with his 44-save performance on Tuesday.
• Tuesday's game served as the first of three regular-season meetings between Canisius and RIT. The teams close out the regular season with a home-and-home series Feb. 23-24.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius hosts "Battle of the Bridge" rival Niagara Friday in an Atlantic Hockey Association contest. Puck drop for the contest between the Griffs and Purple Eagles is slated for 7 p.m. at LECOM Harborcenter.
 
Tickets for the game are still available. They can be purchased by calling the Canisius Ticket Office at 716-888-TIXX, visiting the tickets page at GoGriffs.com or at the ticket kiosk at the LECOM Harborcenter on gameday.
 
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