Favot stays hot for RIT hockey
Andrew Favot is streaking again. So are the RIT Tigers.
The diminutive junior scored the go-ahead goal with 6:41 left Friday night, and the Tigers held on to edge Sacred Heart 3-2 in an Atlantic Hockey Association game before 1,459 fans at Ritter Arena.
Favot’s goal came on a two-man advantage and marked the 10th consecutive game he has recorded at least one point.
He can tie the school record he shares with Simon Lambert, set last year during an 11-game winning streak, when the teams meet again at 4:05 this afternoon.
“If I don’t score and we win an NCAA title, that’ll be all right with me,” the 5-foot-7, 160-pounder from King City, Ontario, said.
Rochester Institute of Technology has won seven straight following an 0-5 start, and sits atop the AHA with 14 points.
Favot is a huge reason why. He has five goals and 13 assists in the streak.
“He’s a little guy who works his tail off,” Tigers coach Wayne Wilson said. “He’s always talking, always involved.”
The teams were deadlocked at 2, and RIT was already on the power-play when Sacred Heart’s Matt Gordon was whistled for holding. The Tigers had 52 seconds to work a two-man advantage, and the way Favot is playing, that’s like letting CC Sabathia pitch from 40 feet.
Center Cameron Burt fired a shot on Pioneers goalie Olivier St. Onge, and Favot was stunned to see the puck lying in the crease.
“My eyes opened wide,” said the center, who poked it past St. Onge.
RIT still had to kill off a Sacred Heart power play over the final 1:38 to seal the conference win against their pesky visitors from Fairfield, Conn.
RIT burned off another man advantage early in the second period, then scored the first goal of the game at the 10:59 mark. Chris Haltigin’s shot was blocked by goalie St. Onge and bounced back to RIT left wing Tyler Mazzei. He quick-passed it to freshman Chris Tanev whose shot glanced off a defenseman’s skate and into the net for his fifth goal.
The equalizer came two minutes later. Gordon fired a shot on Jared DeMichel (21 saves) that hit the left post, then poked in his own rebound.
Tyler Brenner pushed RIT in front 4:31 into the third period, taking a pass from left wing Scott Knowles in front of St. Onge and firing the puck past the junior.
But again, Sacred Heart answered just two minutes later.
Freshman right wing Kyle Verbeek — the son of former NHL winger Pat Verbeek — took a pass from Eric Delong from outside the right circle and slipped it past DeMichiel at 13:14.
It stayed that way until Favot worked his magic.
Wilson didn’t think the Tigers played that well but said much of their flatness was due to final exams for the trimester, which ended on Friday.
