Rochester Institute of Technology junior forward Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario) notched three goals to lead the Tigers past visiting Mercyhurst, 6-4, in Atlantic Hockey action, Thursday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mercyhurst junior defenseman Michael Bevilacqua scored from a sharp angle from RIT senior goalie Logan Drackett’s (Calgary, Alberta) glove side with 13:35 on the clock before sophomore forward Jonathan Bendorf finished an odd-man rush with a left-wing shot with 10:51 left in the first period.
Calverley made the Lakers pay for a slashing penalty with 5:51 on the clock, skating into the slot from the left wing to flip a forehand shot into the top-right corner of the Mercyhurst goal.
Skating two men down less than a minute into the second period, Calverley tipped a loose puck out of the RIT zone and beat a Laker defender back to deke senior goalie Hank Johnson with a shot inside the left post to tie the game, 2-2-, with 18:36 on the clock.
Mercyhurst re-took the lead on a goal by freshman forward Austin Heidemann less than two minutes later, but the Tigers took advantage of a failed Laker clear to re-tie the game with a power play tally at the 14:50 mark. Senior forward Nick Bruce (Fall River, Nova Scotia/Johnstown Tomahawks) skated the puck into the left face-off circle and slid a pass across the slot to senior forward Alden Dupuis (Edmonton, Alberta) for a one-timer into the open net.
Bendorf deflected a loose puck past Drackett to put the visitors back on top with 3:24 left in the second, but RIT once again found the equalizer with less than 20 seconds left in the period. Senior defenseman Dan Willett (Bayville, N.Y.) sent a long shot on goal from the top-left corner of the Mercyhurst zone that deflected off Johnson into the slot where sophomore forward Elijah Gonsalves (Scarborough, Ontario) hammered home the rebound to tie the game, 4-4, heading into the final period.
RIT took the lead for good 52 seconds into the third period after Bruce intercepted a pass just inside the Mercyhurst blue line and slipped a pass from his knees to Calverley on the right post for the easy finish and the hat-trick.
RIT senior forward Jake Hamacher (Corona, Calif.) was awarded a penalty shot after drawing a slash while breaking in on the Mercyhurst goal with 9:18 left in regulation. Hamacher glided down the right wing into the slot and snapped a wrist shot inside the left post to put the game out of reach.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].