ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men’s hockey team received its 2016 Atlantic Hockey Championship rings in a ceremony given by the athletics administration at the Gene Polisseni Center on Wednesday, Sept. 7.
The rings were designed by members of the Class of 2016; Greg Amlong (O’Fallon, MO/UMass Lowell), Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA/Sioux City Musketeers), Andrew Miller (Chicago, IL/Chicago Steel), Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs), Dan Schuler (Webster, NY/Powell River Kings), and Brad Shumway (Lafayette, CO/Chicago Steel). For current members of the Tigers, it served as a reminder of how memorable the 2015-16 season was, but also the hard work and effort needed to go for a third straight league title in 2016-17.
“Seeing these rings brings back all the memories, and all that we went through to win the championship, but most importantly it symbolizes the bond that we as teammates have together,” said senior defenseman Michael Holland (Rye, NH/Chicago Steel). “We know that this is a new year, but (a championship) is one of the goals we are striving for and this group is hungry for a third straight title.”
For the second consecutive season and third time in 11 Division I seasons, the RIT men’s hockey team advanced to the 2016 NCAA Tournament, winning the Atlantic Hockey Conference Championship. RIT finished the 2015-16 season with an 18-15-6 record.
RIT opens the 2016-17 season with an exhibition contest against Brock University from the Gene Polisseni Center on Saturday, Oct. 1 at 7:05 p.m. The following weekend, RIT begins the regular season with two contests against Atlantic Hockey for Robert Morris in a rematch of the 2016 league championship on Oct. 7-8.
