Chris Langer

As of this issue, there hasn’t been nearly enough home games to serve the entertainment needs of all you sports-hungry fans at RIT, and I know there are a lot of you.

Men’s Hockey

It must’ve been a rude awakening for Men’s Hockey as they played back to back games on the January 1 and 2 against Minnesota State. The Tigers were a little off their game in the beginning of the New Year, having lost both games by a margin of at least three goals. Going 6-1 on the first night of play, fourth year Packaging Science major Stevan Matic was the only contributor, scoring his third goal of the season with 13:19 left in the game.

The next night’s game was a shut out by Minnesota State, scoring three goals while preventing the Tigers from making any significant offensive advancements. This was their first shutout in 42 games, the last one being on December 5, 2008. First year Business Management major and goaltender, Shane Madolora couldn’t have minded too much; he was challenged and performed brilliantly under the pressure, making a mind-blowing 33 saves.

Mike Janda, #23, greets admiring young fans after winning against Holy Cross Crusaders, 5-2 RIT win on January 8.
Chris Langer

Despite this, it’s time for Men’s Hockey to shake these losses because January 2’s game marked the end of non-Atlantic Hockey Conference play, which started back up on the 8th against Holy Cross.

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

Men’s and Women’s Basketball both traveled to Nazareth on January 5. For the Lady Tigers, the battle began at 6 p.m. RIT had a solid lead for most of the game, making sporadic scoring runs and occasionally creating a comfortable distance. The Lady Tigers’ offense was intimidating, consistently wearing down the Nazareth players to the point of futility. RIT dominated the boards and shot well for the entire game, putting the opponent in their place for the first time since the 2007-2008 season. The final score was 72-60, and the win marked the end of the Tiger Tip-Off Tournament that started their season. The Lady Tigers will start competing in the Wendy’s College Classic on the January 12.

Sadly, Men’s Basketball wasn’t quite as fortunate, losing 58-76 to an intense and unstoppable Golden Flyer offense. RIT tried and failed to match Nazareth’s hurried scoring pace. Just like Hockey’s Madolora, second year Engineering major Brendan Harder managed to thrive in the face of adversity, sinking a career-high 26 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. He was on fire for the majority of the second half, dropping 14 of his 26 when the game started getting clutch.

Scott Knowles, #3, fights for the puck against Kyle Atkins, #5 of the Holy Cross Crusaders.
Chris Langer

Up until the beginning of the second half, the game was pretty one-sided; that’s when RIT went on an optimistic scoring run. It didn’t last too long, but RIT kept trying to hack away Nazareth’s lead until the clock struck zero. The 88-76 loss marked the end of the Harold J. Brodie Tournament, and the Wendy’s College Classic started on the 13th in Rochester.

Men’s and Women’s Swimming

Men’s and Women’s Swimming both cleaned house at SUNY Brockport, each improving their record to 4-2 and 3-3 respectively. Men’s Swimming may have actually mopped the floor, scoring an impressive 165 to a paltry Golden Eagle 65. Events taken by RIT include the 200-yard medley, the 1,000, 200, 500, 50, and 100 yard freestyle, 200 yard individual medley, and 200 yard breaststroke. Not too shabby.

Each Tiger shattered their opponents with exhilarating times in each run. The Men’s swim team has a few good seasons to look forward to, as most of the breadwinners are underclassmen. Home games at the Judson Pool resume on the January 16, racing teams like SUNY Geneseo and New Paltz. The Tigers are only halfway through their season, so there will be plenty of opportunities to watch these guys swim.

RIT’s Sean Murphy, #17, chases after Brendan Baker, #2 of the Holy Cross Crusaders during the January 9 game at RIT vs. Holy Cross.
Chris Langer

Women’s Swimming had a similarly successful day, taking down the Golden Eagles by a margin of 50 points (143-93). Races won by the Lady Tigers include the 200 yard medley, 200 yard butterfly, 100, 200, 500, and 50 yard freestyle. The Women’s Hockey team shares similar roster experience ranges as the Men’s; therefore, there is still plenty of room for this clearly talented group of young athletes to develop with RIT.

Fourth year Finance major Caitlyn Burr raised pulses when she broke the pool record for 200 yard backstroke with a time of 2:13:28. If this performance was any indication, the Tigers are just starting to gain momentum, and hopefully, they can use it to their advantage when they return home.

The New Year was a mixed bag in terms of athletic performance, but a fresh start with new resolutions could benefit a few of these teams. A few upcoming contests on more familiar turf could chalk up some easy wins for these hungry RIT teams.