The semifinals are set, and RIT stands as the lone sweep of the first round. The three other series went the full three games in the best-of-three format.

The Tigers paced the conference this season with 57 points, finishing with a 10-point cushion on second-place AIC and what is now a 16-point difference between them and the next-closest remaining tournament team.

RIT is the front-runner out of Atlantic Hockey, but “it ain’t over ‘til it’s over,” as world-renowned pop culture underdog Rocky Balboa likes to say.

And, since it’s not over, you can catch every second of the best-of-three semifinal action live, right here on FloHockey.

The Tigers made quick prey of No. 8 Mercyhurst, skating to a 5-3 win and 4-3 overtime victory for the sweep.

Now, RIT turns its attention to the No. 7 seed that upset the very team they dethroned after four regular season titles. Needless to say, they should expect a bigger fight in the semifinals.

RIT still has the upper hand, though, with national recognition. Nationally, the Tigers have the second-best penalty kill and eight-most goals scored. They’re comfortable playing high-scoring barnburners or low-scoring extra-time contests.

POLL | Back into the @USCHO top-20 we go. #RoarTech pic.twitter.com/ew7gosKhet

— RIT Men's Hockey (@RITMHKY) March 6, 2023

The Tigers’ attentiveness to 60-minute hockey is what has kept them consistent, despite a sluggish February, and within reach of an at-large bid to the national tournament, should the Riley Trophy wind up elsewhere.

Sitting 21st in the PairWise Rankings, mixed with the politics of being above programs such as Minnesota Duluth, Boston College and UMass Lowell, means every win counts through the conference tournament.

“The PairWise is that it is,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “I don’t know what would happen if we ran the table and where that would put us. We had all year to try and take care of that, and our focus last weekend was Mercyhurst. This weekend, it’s Holy Cross.”

RIT will enter the weekend 3-0-1 in their season series, claiming two regulations wins and spitting a pair of overtime games. But, as Holy Cross already showed, the playoff hockey is a different monster, and the Crusaders already took one down.

Their upset powerhouse of AIC, which will miss its first national tournament since 2018, including the canceled 2020 tournament – is a noteworthy one. And, while RIT remains the favorite out of Atlantic Hockey, Holy Cross has shown it can’t be taken lightly.

“Our league was so tight this year,” Wilson said regarding Holy Cross’ upset on the road. “I thought they played [us] really well. They play hard.”

The Crusaders brought that play against AIC and ignored every number but the final score, which helped them claim the second and third games of the series and enter the semifinals against RIT.

Speaking of numbers, their scoring line of Liam McLinskey, Devin Phillips and Alex Peterson packed them in, combining for five goals and seven assists in the upset.

McLinskey posted five goals, including multi-goal games Saturday and Sunday, for the series win. The sophomore has a team-leading 17 goals and 21 points through 36 games.

Today's game 3️⃣ win, but make it 2️⃣ minutes ⬇️#GoCrossGo pic.twitter.com/0xYlLF9LGQ

— Holy Cross M. Hockey (@HCrossMHockey) March 5, 2023

“We believe in our guys,” Wilson said naming players to watch in the Crusaders’ lineup. “We’ve got key guys ourselves.”

Wilson also noted the contributions of freshmen Adam Jeffrey and Xavier Lapointe, who scored their first collegiate goals during the Mercyhurst series.

The playoffs always come down to team contribution, and Wilson knows that while hot scoring lines sometimes can carry the weight, his Tigers are prepared to bring their depth and move closer to the Riley Trophy.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.