RIT men’s hockey names captains for the 2014-15 season; four Tigers given the prestigious honor
ROCHESTER, NY – Head Coach Wayne Wilson and the RIT men’s hockey team have announced its captains for the 2014-15 season. Senior forward Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) will captain the Tigers for the third straight season, while senior Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles), along with juniors Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA/Sioux City Musketeers) and Andrew Miller (Chicago, IL/Chicago Steel) will serve as assistant captains. RIT enters its ninth season in the Atlantic Hockey Association and tenth as a Division I program.
“We have a great group of leaders for the 2014-15 season,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson, who will enter his 16th season behind the bench. “I could not be more excited with this group who will help us greatly in 2014-15. All four men have excellent character on and off the ice and will be great in this leadership role.”
Garbowsky served as an assistant captain in 2012-13 and was RIT’s captain last season. Last season, Garbowsky was limited to just 13 games played due to injury, recording seven points on two goals and five assists. With Garbowsky out of the lineup, RIT was just 8-13-3.
In 2012-13, Garbowsky enjoyed a breakout year, leading the team in scoring with 33 points on 11 goals and 22 assists. He was named co-winner of the 2013 Greg Moss Hard Hat Award and enters his final season at RIT with 22 goals and 38 assists for 60 points in 88 games. He was named the Craig Lauzon Award Winner, as RIT’s Rookie of the Year in 2012 after recording 20 points on nine goals and 11 assists.
“Losing Matt for such a big part of last season was a huge blow to us,” said Wilson. “He is our leader, who does so much for us in all three zones. We were a completely different team with him in the lineup.”
McGowan, a forward, played in all 37 games for the Tigers last season, recording 21 points on five goals and 16 assists. He scored the game-winning overtime goal in game one of the Atlantic Hockey Association First Round Series over Holy Cross. McGowan has played in every game over the last two seasons and 112 in his career, recording 64 points on 23 goals and 41 assists. He recorded a career-best 25 points as a sophomore in 2012-13 and was a two-time AHA Rookie of the Week in 2011-12.
Kuqali, a rugged defenseman, plays a very physical game, and can be counted on offensively as well. Last season, he tallied 10 points on two goals and eight assists in 36 games. On Nov. 23, Kuqali set a RIT Division I team record with a plus-6 rating in a 6-4 win over St. Lawrence. As a freshman in 2012-13, Kuqali played in all 38 games, recording 11 points on three goals and eight assists. He was named the Atlantic Hockey Association Rookie of the Month in Dec. 2012, and earned AHA All-Academic Team honors. Kuqali has 21 points on five goals and 16 assists in 74 career contests.
Miller, a hard working forward, is one of RIT’s top penalty-killers, having appeared in 34 games in each of the last two seasons. Last year, he recorded a goal and five assists after tallying two goals and four assists in 2012-13. Miller and the RIT penalty-killing unit finished the 2013-14 season having allowed just six power-play goals in its final 17 games, killing off 70 of its final 76 shorthanded attempts.
The Tigers experienced several highs during the 2013-14 season, most notably being able to play its first outdoor game in school history. The Tigers finished the season with 12 wins and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Association First Round series. In addition, RIT closed out historic Ritter Arena with a win over Canisius and will play at the 4,200-seat Gene Polisseni Center in 2014-15.
