Bears Host AIC in Final Game of Semester

Looking to extend its current four-game winning streak, the Brown men's hockey team (4-7-1) hosts AIC (2-12-1) tonight at 7:00 in a non-league contest. The game marks the fourth game in eight days for the Bears, who will close out the 2009 calendar year tonight. The contest is also Brown's final home game for over a month, as the Bears won't return home until January 29th. Tonight's game is also the last game that Brown will be collecting toys to benefit the Hasbro Children's Hospital. The game will be video streamed via B2 Networks, while fans in the Providence area can tune into the game on AM 790 or listen at www.790thescore.com.

Tonight: Tonight's game against AIC marks the fourth and final game in a stretch of eight days for the Bears. Brown will close out the 2009 calendar year against the Yellow Jackets this evening, looking to extend its current winning streak to five games.

Last Time Out: Brown earned an ECAC sweep with wins over Princeton (3-1) and #4 Quinnipiac (2-1), stretching its winning streak to four games. The last time a Brown team swept a regular-season ECAC weekend was February 1-2, 2008 when the Bears earned a pair of wins over Harvard and Dartmouth. The four-game winning streak is also the longest since the 2004-2005 season, when Brown went 4-0-0 against Providence, Yale, Princeton, and Vermont. On Friday night against Princeton, Brown was led by sophomore Jack Maclellan, who had a goal, his fourth goal in as many games, and an assist. Senior Jordan Pietrus scored his team-leading sixth goal of the year, while senior Aaron Volpatti also scored in the win. Sophomore Mike Clemente stopped 36 of 37 shots. The next night against Quinnipiac, the two teams were scoreless through two periods, but sophomore Jeff Buvinow and junior Sean Connauton opened the game up with back-to-back goals for Brown just 1:23 apart. The Bobcats then made it 2-1 at the 6:32 mark, but Brown clamped down the rest of the way to come away with the win. Clemente posted 22 saves on the night.

Coming Up: Brown is off for the rest of December, as it enters a three-week break for final exams and the holidays. The Bears return to the ice after the new year when they travel to Minnesota for a two-game set with St. Cloud State. The games begin a stretch of six straight on the road, as Brown does not play another home game until January 29th.

This Date Historically Speaking: All-time, Brown has played 18 total games on December 8th and has posted a 7-9-2 record in those games. Brown is 5-4-1 in home games played on 12/8 and 2-5-1 in away games played on this date.

Brown vs. AIC: Brown leads the all-time series with American International by a 7-0-0 margin, winning the most recent meeting by a 4-2 margin on November 25, 2006. The series began during the 1948-49 season, with Brown earning a 10-5 victory at AIC. After playing three straight games in Springfield, the two teams first met in Providence during the 1962-63 season, a 15-1 Brown win. Tonight'sgame marks the fifth straight meeting in Providence for the two squads. Senior Devin Timberlake has the only career point against AIC among current members of the team, scoring a goal in the last meeting. Classmates Jordan Pietrus, Scott Van der Linden, and Aaron Volpatti, and junior Jeremy Russell all played in that game as well.

Scouting AIC: The Yellow Jackets have lost six straight games, while getting outscored, 32-7, during this time. AIC's last victory came on November 14, when it claimed a 2-0 win over Amry to snap a three-game skid. The most recent pair of losses came at the hands of Air Force, which earned a 5-3 win on December 4 and a 6-2 win on December 5. Freshman Adam Pleskach currently leads the team with 12 points (8g, 4a) in 15 games and is the only player to reach double digits in scoring. Senior Josh Froese (3g, 4a) and freshman Richard Leitner (2g, 5a) are tied for second on the team with 7 points. 16 other players have posted at least one point this season, while eight other players have scored at least one goal. Freshman Ben Meisner (431:05) and junior Dan Ramirez (404:04) have shared the majority of time in net this season. Meisner has a 3.48 GAA to go along with a .901 save percentage, earning both of AIC's wins this season. Ramirez has a 3.42 GAA with a .908 save percentage.

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