University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Host Tigers In AHA Matchup At Freitas
1/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Jan. 15, 2010
STORRS, Conn. - On Friday night, the University of Connecticut men's hockey team will return to the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum for a weekend series with RIT. The game will commence at 7:05 p.m.
The Tigers enter this game with a 11-8-1 record, 11-2-1 AHA ranking them in second place in the conference. RIT enters the game on a 12-game AHA unbeaten streak.
The Huskies are coming off of an 0-1-1 weekend at Air Force where they took the top-ranking AHA team to the limits falling just 2-1 in their national television debut on Friday night and battling to a 2-2 tie with the Falcons in the Saturday finale as freshman Garrett Bartus set a new Division I Single Game Save record recording 57 saves on 59 shots.
UConn is led by freshmen Sean Ambrosie and Alex Gerke and junior assistant captain Andrew Olson. Ambrosie is the first Husky to crack 10 points on the season on four goals and six assists while defenseman Gerke has eight points on four goals and four assists and Olson also has eight points on a team-leading five goals and three assists.
FOLLOW THE GAME: Gametracker will be available for both of the games this weekend and fans that are unable to attend can view the games on the B2Networks.
SCOUTING RIT: Since last meeting with the Huskies, RIT has earned an 11-3-1 record going undefeated in conference games with its only losses coming to Niagara at home and Minnesota State on the road.
The Tigers earned their first wins of the year against UConn fueled by consecutive hattrick performances by Alan Mazur and Dan Ringwald. Ringwald recorded six points on the weekend and was named the AHA and Inside College Hockey Player of the Week for his efforts.
Since then they have swept Army, Mercyhurst and Sacred Heart.
SERIES PAST: The two teams have met 15 times in their 25 year series. Overall RIT holds the 11-5-1 advantage in the series also posting a 6-3-1 record since joining Division I and Atlantic Hockey.
RIT won both games earlier this season at Ritter Arena by scores of 6-2 and 7-0 but the Huskies hold the 3-2-1 advantage at the Freitas Ice Forum.
Last season, the two teams met a series record four times, twice at Ritter and twice at the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum. RIT came away with a 3-1 record last season as the Huskies earned the first victory of last year's series, but fell to the eventual Atlantic Hockey Regular Season Co-Champions.
HUSKIES LAST TIME OUT: The Huskies headed out to Air Force this weekend where they were shown on national television for the first time in the history of the program on Friday night. UConn battled to a 2-1 loss, scoring their second shorthanded goal of the season.
On Saturday, Air Force once again got out to a 1-0 lead, but the Huskies tied the game up before the end of the first period on a power play goal. In the second, after a 5 on 3 opportunity, UConn took the lead and held on until Air Force pulled their goalie with two minutes remaining in the game. Air Force went on to tie the game at two-all with 1:40 remaining in the game but the Husky defense buckled down for the remainder of regulation and the overtime period pulling out a 2-2 tie and ending their eight-game skid.
On Saturday night, freshman Garrett Bartus set a new UConn Division I Single Game Saves Record making 57 saves on 59 shots on goal. Bartus finished the night with a .966 save percentage, 1.85 GAA and helped the Huskies to kill off nine of their ten man-down opportunities on the night.
THE CLASS OF 2009: Of the 10 freshman that joined the Huskies this season, six of them have played in almost every game. [Miles Winter is sitting out the season after transferring from Quinnipiac, while Matt Grogan will be joining him.]
Forward Sean Ambrosie leads the team in points recorded this season with ten (four goals, six assists) followed by defenseman Alex Gerke who has eight points on the year (four goals, four assists.) Forward Jim Gallagher also has four points on the year coming on a goal and three assists.
Tom Janosz, a defenseman, has played in all 20 games on the season recording an assist while forward Evan Carriere has seen his share of time on the front line playing in 14 games this year, recording two assists.
In goal, Larson played in 15 games turning in a 2-9-2 record and making 397 saves on the season for a 3.46 GAA before leaving the team for personal reasons.
Bartus has taken over for Larson in the second half of the season and has already filled in nicely between the pipes setting a new UConn Division I Single Game Saves Record making 57 saves in one game.
OLSON's OFFENSE: Junior assistant captain Andrew Olson (Alexandria, Minn.) is back at it as one of the Atlantic Hockey's top scorers. Through 20 games this season Olson had notched five goals, all five coming in conference action.
ALL-AROUND AMBROSIE: Freshman Sean Ambrosie (Moorhead, Minn.) is a leader on both the UConn hockey team and in the rankings. Ambrosie has recorded four goals and six assists on the year.
BEYOND THE BLUE LINE: Freshman Alex Gerke (Tomah, Wisc.) ranks second on the team in points scored this season with eight, Gerke is also a top-defenseman on the team. He has tallied four goals and four assists this season which puts him among the leagues best as one of the top scoring defensemen in the league and one of the top scoring freshman as well.
SETTING RECORDS: In just his third game in a UConn uniform, freshman Garrett Bartus (St. Charles, Ill.) set the new UConn Division I Single Game Saves Record making 57 saves in 59 chances in a game at Air Force on Jan. 9, 2010.
SAVE MACHINE: Rookie Jeff Larson set a career high on Friday, November 20 against Air Force. The Falcons took 51 shots on goal on the night and Larson allowed just two to get by him for making 49 saves which is good enough for fifth on the UConn All-Time Division I Single Game Saves List. He ended the game with a save percentage of .960.
Larson made 397 saves this season in just 15 games averaging just over 26 saves per game before leaving the team for personal reasons. The amount of saves that Larson made in his 15-game career was one of the highest in Atlantic Hockey as-well-as the country.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK (PART II): For the second time this season, a UConn freshman has earned Rookie of the Week honors. This time it was goaltender Larson who was honored after earning the first two wins of his collegiate career against American International.
Larson allowed just two goals on the weekend for an outstanding 1.00 GAA. He played all 120 minutes between the pipes making 48 saves for a career best .960 save percentage.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: After his performance against Ferris State, University of Connecticut freshman Sean Ambrosie (Moorhead, Minn.) earned AHA Rookie of the week honors.
Ambrosie recorded two points on the weekend tallying his first collegiate goal and assist in the series against Ferris State. Ambrosie earned his first assist of the season on Daniel Naurato's goal in game one that gave the Huskies a 1-0 advantage over their CCHA opponent. He notched the first goal of his career in game two. His goal was the only one of the game for the Huskies and came in the second period.
SPREAD OFFENSE: This season, 21 different Huskies have already tallied a point, 15 of those players have scored a goal and 17 players have tacked on an assist.
Of the 21 point-getters, 13 have recorded multiple points this season.
FOUR AWAY FROM 300: Head Coach Bruce Marshall, in his 22nd year at the helm of the UConn Hockey program is closing in on winning his 300th game. Marshall currently holds a 296-321-59 record, 64-91-17 in Atlantic Hockey play.
HUSKIES IN NOVEMBER/AT HOME: The Huskies posted a 2-6-2 record in November. The series' with AIC and Air Force were the lone home games of the fall season for the Huskies.
UConn won both of their games against AIC earning their first victories of the season to begin the 11th month of the year earning a 0-1-1 record against Air Force to have a 2-1-1 record at home during the fall season.
TO BE IN THE LEAD: When UConn is in the lead after the second period, they have not lost a game this season.
The Huskies were up after the middle period both times in their victories over AIC.
When UConn trails, or is tied, after the second period they are 0-15-2 on the year.
