HENRIETTA, N.Y. — RIT men’s hockey team Saturday plays American International for the Atlantic Hockey conference championship. The Tigers swept them both times they played in 2011 and 2013.

That’s how the Tigers got to where they are right now. They cruised past Robert Morris in the first round, outscoring them 12-1, and then they swept Niagara in the semifinal last weekend.

The game takes place Saturday, March 23, at the Gene Polisseni Center at 7:05 p.m.

There’s a lot of excitement and anticipation for this game, with a trip to the NCAA Division I championship on the line. Some fans have been out in the parking lot tailgating since 11:30 a.m. and say there is no way they would miss this game, for two reasons: This is the first championship game the team has played in since 2016; and the camaraderie among the fun base here is unlike anything else in local sports.

“RIT has the best fan base …it’s going to be awesome,” said fan JJ Lang. “Tickets in this building sold out two hours after tickets went on sale, filled to capacity … this is going to be huge, incredible.”