ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men’s hockey program announced its award winners at its annual end of the year banquet to close out the 2018-19 season from the Gene Polisseni Center on Saturday, April 20. Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73’s) won three team awards, while Abbott Girduckis (Belleville, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) and Adam Brubacher (Elmira, Ontario/Powell River Kings) each received two awards.
Brown won the Greg Moss Hard Hat Award and Dan and Laurie Barrows Award. He also was co-winner of the Louis Spiotti Coaches Award. Brown, a 2018 All-Atlantic Hockey first team selection and 2019 third team pick, led RIT with 18 goals this season and added 11 assists for 29 points. On. Jan. 11, Brown became the 11th player in RIT’s Division I history to reach 100 points in his career in a win over American International. He also tallied a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Colgate on Oct. 20. He was also a 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award Second Team All-American.
Brown, who set a Division I team single-season mark with 29 goals last year, finished his four-year career with 70 goals, which is RIT’s Division I school record. He is seventh in RIT’s Division I era with 115 career points on 70 goals and 45 assists in 148 games. Brown finished second all-time in the Division I era with 26 power-play goals and 11 game-winning markers.
Girduckis shared the Louis Spiotti Coaches Award with Brown and was named the Art Thomas Award winner for outstanding leadership. Girduckis, a 2019 All-Atlantic Hockey second team selection, led RIT in scoring in 2018-19 with career-best totals of 11 goals, 25 assists and 36 points in 38 games. Girduckis recorded 10 multiple-point games in 2018-19, including a career-best four assists in a 6-1 win over Colgate at Blue Cross Arena as part of RIT’s Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend on Oct. 20. In four seasons, Girduckis recorded 93 career points on 30 goals and 63 assists in 146 games, while taking just 20 minutes in penalties.
Brubacher earned the Tim Cordick Award as RIT’s top defenseman and won the Green B. Williams Award for Academic Excellence. Brubacher, the 2017 AHA Rookie of the Year, recorded a career-best total of 31 points on seven goals and 24 assists, while appearing in all 38 games this season. He recorded eight multiple-point games, including three different three-point outings. Brubacher is now fourth all-time among all RIT defenseman in career scoring at the Division I level with 78 points on 22 goals and 56 assists in 112 games. He also excels in the classroom with a 4.0 grade-point average as a business marketing major.
Freshman Will Calverley (Scarborough, Ontario/Chilliwack Chiefs) was honored as the Craig Lauzon Award winner as RIT’s Rookie of the Year. Calverley led all RIT first-year players in scoring with 16 points on seven goals and nine assists, while appearing in 37 games.
The Dr. Albert J. Simone Distinguished Service Award is given annually to a member of the RIT hockey community who makes a positive impact on the program. This year, the award went to Rocky Perrotta. Perrotta has served as public address announcer for the Tigers since RIT moved to Division I in 2005.
RIT, the 2010, 2015, and 2016 Atlantic Hockey Champions, finished the 2018-19 season with 17 wins and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Tournament Semifinals.
