Rochester Institute took a 4-2 decision over the Niagara Purple Eagles in regulation, and the middle period was the difference. A 2-0 second frame turned a level game into a two-goal cushion RIT never surrendered.
The teams traded goals in the first and went to the room tied 1-1. RIT then scored twice in the second to lead 3-1 after 40 minutes, and both sides found the net once in the third for the 4-2 final — Niagara never got closer than two the rest of the way.
The number that matters: RIT's second period, won 2-0, accounted for the entire margin. Niagara matched the home side 1-1 in each of the other two periods but could not solve the middle twenty.