ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Top-ranked RIT (7-0, 1-0 Liberty League) scored 10 third quarter goals en route to an 18-8 win against Clarkson University (4-2, 0-1 Liberty League) in the Liberty League opener on Saturday. RIT scored eight consecutive goals in the third quarter to break the game open.
Kyle Aquin and Casey Jackson led RIT with three goals apiece. Aquin finished with six points, dishing out three assists. Ryan Lee had four points on two goals and two assists, while Allister Warren finished with five points on two goals and three assists. In all, 11 different Tigers scored goals on Saturday.
RIT held a slight 41-40 shot advantage, and won the ground ball battle 46-38. The Tigers dominated at the face-off "x", winning 24-of-30 draws. RIT was 14-of-17 on clearing attempts and held Clarkson to zero goals in nine man-up attempts for the Golden Knights.
Tyler Brooks-Lambert won a career-high 22 face-offs, grabbing a career-high 17 ground balls. He went 22-of-25 on draws and added an assist. Brad Gillies scored a goal and dished out an assist and had a team-high three caused turnovers. Pat Johnston picked up his fifth win of the season, making 14 saves. Jarryd Lee played the entire fourth quarter, making nine saves.
Ryan Darin led Clarkson with four goals. Matthew Gold added two goals while Mike Nortz had a goal and two assists. Harrison Washuta got the start in net for Clarkson, taking the loss, making five saves. J.D. St. Croix had a team-high three caused turnovers for Clarkson, who fell to 4-2 on the season.
St. Croix opened the scoring for Clarkson, scoring at 13:36 of the first quarter, off an assist from Nortz.
Braden Wallace tied the score at 1-1 at the 7:10 mark of the first quarter on his fifth goal of the season. Taylor Wisman gave the Tigers their first lead of the game at 5:26 off a feed from Aquin.
Nortz scored with 3:10 to play in the opening quarter for the Golden Knights, tying the score at 3-3.
Goals from Aquin with 19 seconds to play, and Cory Ashmore with .04 seconds to play in the quarter, gave the Tigers a 5-3 lead after the first quarter.
Warren scored off a feed from Ryan Lee to open the scoring in the second quarter, extending RIT's lead to 6-3.
Mac Keehfus made it 7-3 RIT with his third goal of the season with 9:26 to play in the second, while Aquin tallied his second goal of the first half with 2:11 to play, giving the Tigers a 9-3 lead at the half.
RIT's defense tightened in the second quarter, holding the Golden Knights scoreless in the quarter, and killed off four Clarkson Man-up chances.
The Tigers got consecutive goals from Warren and Aquin to open the third quarter scoring, extending RIT's lead to 10-3.
Darin broke the scoring run by RIT with his second goal of the game at 13:02 of the third quarter, cutting RIT's lead to 10-4.
RIT rattled off eight consecutive goals to break the game open, taking an 18-4 lead with 6:54 to play in the third quarter on Jackson's 24 goal of the season. He scored three consecutive goals to close out the third quarter, while Gilles, JD Hall, Lee and Matt Hossack also scored for the Tigers in that stretch.
Darin scored two consecutive goals for Clarkson to end the third quarter, cutting the Tigers' lead to 18-5.
Gold and Darin scored the only goals in the fourth quarter, making it an 18-8 final.
