ROCHESTER, NY – RIT will begin its second decade as a member of Atlantic Hockey in 2016-17. RIT’s first 10 seasons in the league were filled with tremendous accomplishments, as its success allowed the university to become a national power in the Division I college hockey landscape. Here are some of the highlights over the first 10 years as a member of Atlantic Hockey.
Part 1 – Atlantic Hockey Championships
RIT has enjoyed success from day one in Atlantic Hockey, winning four regular season titles and three postseason championships. RIT joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006-07 and promptly claimed the regular season title despite not being eligible for the postseason tournament. After finishing second in the league standings during the 2007-08 season, RIT shared the regular season championship with Air Force in 2008-09.
The 2009-10 season would prove to be one that put RIT on the map as a force to be reckoned with in Division I, as the squad set league records that still stand with 22 wins and 45 points in Atlantic Hockey play to win the regular season title. On March 20, 2010 RIT defeated Sacred Heart, 6-1 to win its first Atlantic Hockey Postseason Tournament and advance to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time.
RIT would enjoy another tremendous year in 2010-11, recording a 16-game unbeaten streak in league play to clinch its third straight Atlantic Hockey regular season title. In 2011-12, RIT would finish tied for third in the league standings, just two points shy of the top spot.
The Tigers would reach the pinnacle of success in Atlantic Hockey during the 2014-15 season, riding a long late season winning streak to its second playoff championship. Last season, RIT entered the postseason tournament as the No. 5 seed, but once again saved its best hockey of the season for the postseason, getting past Mercyhurst, Air Force, and top-seed Robert Morris to claim its second straight league title.
In 10 seasons, RIT has an excellent 155-82-39 mark in Atlantic Hockey regular season play, including an 81-36-21 mark on home ice. The Tigers are also 25-10 against Atlantic Hockey opponents in postseason play.
Every Tiger who has played four years at the Division I level has won either a regular season or playoff championship. Going back to the Division III days, every four-year player has won at least one title since 1979-80, a span of 37 years.
Part 2 – Atlantic Hockey Awards
Since joining Atlantic Hockey in 2006-07, 26 different Tigers have earned 50 All-Atlantic Hockey Conference honors. In addition, 17 different RIT players were named to the Atlantic Hockey Championship All-Tournament Team.
Matt Garbowsky is the lone Tiger to earn six Atlantic Hockey honors in one season. In 2014-15, he was named the league’s Player of the Year, Defensive Forward of the Year, won the Leading Scorer award and was a first team selection. In the postseason, he was named the Atlantic Hockey Tournament Most Valuable Player and earned All-Tournament Team accolades.
Dan Ringwald is RIT’s only three-time All-Atlantic Hockey first team selection, in 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10.
In net, Louis Menard was the Atlantic Hockey Regular Season Goaltender of the Year in 2006-07, while Jared DeMichiel earned that honor in 2009-10 and Shane Madolora in 2010-11. Simon Lambert and Garbowsky won the Leading Scorer Awards in 2007-08 and 2014-15. Dan Ringwald earned Top Defenseman honors in 2009-10, while last season Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers) equaled that feat. Alan Mazur was the conference’s Rookie of the Year in 2006-07, as was Chris Tanev in 2009-10. In 2011-12, Mark Cornacchia won the Atlantic Hockey Individual Sportsmanship Award.
Atlantic Hockey Championship Tournament MVP’s include Cameron Burt in 2009-10, Garbowsky in 2014-15, and Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals) a season ago.
Part 3 – Tigers in the Pros
When RIT joined Atlantic Hockey in 2006, it was rare to hear about RIT hockey standouts continuing their dream on the ice after wowing the Ritter Arena and now Gene Polisseni Center fans. Since 2007, 40 Tigers have moved on to play in the professional ranks. These Tigers are living their dream of playing pro hockey, spread out all over the globe.
In April 2010, Chris Tanev was a freshman defenseman playing a key role in RIT’s legendary run to the Frozen Four. A few months later, Tanev signed a professional contract with the Vancouver Canucks, becoming RIT’s first player to skate in the NHL. He played in 29 regular-season games and the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals. Tanev, who enters his seventh NHL season in 2016-17, has appeared in 295 career games, tallying 65 points on 14 goals and 51 assists. On Feb. 4, 2013, Tanev scored his first NHL goal. Last season, Tanev recorded 18 points in 69 games and is signed through the 2019-20 season.
Steve Pinizzotto was the first Tiger to leave school early, signing a contract with the Washington Capitals in 2007, after his sophomore season. Pinizzotto played a key role in leading the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League to back-to-back Calder Cup Championships in 2009 and 2010. In July 2011, he signed with the Vancouver Canucks and made his NHL debut on March 14, 2013. Pinizzotto played in six NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers in 2013-14.
After the 2011 season, Tyler Brenner signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bobby Raymond, a 2009 graduate, was part of the 2011 Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators. In addition, Raymond helped lead the Florida Everblades to the 2012 ECHL Kelly Cup and 2015 title in Germany’s top league. Cameron Burt, RIT’s all-time leading scorer at the Division I level, played in the AHL with Rochester, while 2016 graduate Andrew Miller (Chicago, IL/Chicago Steel) appeared in two games with Binghamton. Following RIT’s run to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, Matt Garbowsky signed with the hometown Rochester Americans of the AHL.
Several RIT alumni, such as Justin Hofstetter, Matt Crowell, Stephen Burns, Chris Saracino, and Dan Ringwald have played in Europe. Raymond, along with Burt, Pinizzotto, Brad McGowan, and Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) have signed contracts to play in Europe for the 2016-17 season.
Part 4 – Fan Support
RIT has one of the most unique atmospheres in college hockey due to its incredible fan support. From Ritter Arena to the Gene Polisseni Center, to following the Tigers on the road, RIT’s Corner Crew is one of the most passionate, loyal, and dedicated fan bases in all of college hockey.
Founded in RIT’s early years at Ritter Arena, the Corner Crew gained traction during the 1980s and became a fixture in the northwest corner of Ritter Arena during the 1990s and into the Division I era to the right of the opposing goaltender. At the Polisseni Center the Corner Crew is to the left of the opposing net minder, with a variety of loud, rhythmic chants that get the crowds going. In 2010, the Corner Crew gained national notoriety for their entertaining cheers and chants at the Frozen Four in Detroit, Michigan.
When the Tigers moved to Division I in 2005, the student-formed club called the RIT Pep Band began playing music at Ritter Arena. Now with more than 50 members annually, the RIT Pep Band is a fixture at all home games and several road games throughout the season. With a wide array of songs played during stoppages of play and between periods, the Pep Band is affectionately known as the “Best Band in the Land.”
Part 5 – All-Americans/Hobey Baker Finalists
The Tigers have had two players, Simon Lambert (2007-08) and Matt Garbowsky (2014-15) be named one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, college hockey’s most prestigious individual honor.
Garbowsky was also a 2014-15 CCM Hockey and USCHO.com Second Team All-American, while Shane Madolora was an Inside College Hockey (INCH) Second Team All-American selection in 2010-11, and Dan Ringwald, a USCHO.com Second Team pick in 2009-10.
Lambert, a 2014 inductee into the RIT Athletics Hall of Fame, recorded 51 points on 21 goals and 30 assists in 37 games, setting the Division I program records for points in a season. In 2014-15, Garbowsky, who was also named the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year, and Atlantic Hockey Best Defensive Forward, shattered Lambert’s mark with 54 points on 26 goals and 28 assists. He led the nation with 729 face-off wins and was plus-29.
Madolora went 17-3-7, with a 1.93 goals against average, .935 save percentage, and six shutouts in 2010-11. He was the national leader in save percentage, tied for the lead in shutouts, finished third in goals against average, and was fourth in winning percentage (.759). Ringwald was third nationally among all defensemen with 37 points in 2009-10 and was plus-22. He was the Atlantic Hockey Defenseman of the Year that season, leading RIT to the Frozen Four.
Part 6 – Success Against the Best Programs in College Hockey
RIT has won 13 games against nationally ranked opponents in 11 seasons of Division I play, 12 since joining Atlantic Hockey in 2006. The Tigers defeated a nationally-ranked team in each of its first eight Division I seasons, and nine of 11 seasons overall.
In the 2015 NCAA Tournament, RIT became the first No. 16 overall seed to defeat a No. 1 overall seed, knocking off Minnesota State, 2-1. It was the first win for RIT over a team ranked No. 1 in Division I. Denver was ranked No. 2 when RIT skated to the 2-1 win in the 2010 NCAA East Region Semifinal. In addition, New Hampshire was No. 12 when RIT won 6-2 to advance to the 2010 Frozen Four.
In 2005-06, behind the strong play of goaltender Jocelyn Guimond, the Tigers knocked off No. 18 St. Lawrence 3-2 in their first month as a DI program. The Tigers went on the road and beat No. 18 Quinnipiac in 2006-07. On Oct. 27, 2007, the Tigers defeated then No. 18 Cornell 4-1, and two months later, on Dec. 29, RIT shocked the Division I hockey landscape, defeating No. 14 Minnesota at the Dodge Holiday Classic in front of 10,046 fans at Mariucci Arena. On Oct. 30, 2010, the Tigers defeated No. 14 Cornell for the second straight time, 5-3 at famed Lynah Rink in Ithaca.
The Tigers knocked off No. 11 Ferris State 3-1 and No. 16 Lake Superior State, 3-0 to win the prestigious 2011 Catamount Cup at Vermont. On Oct. 12, 2012, RIT won at historic Yost Arena at the University of Michigan, rallying to knock off the No. 3 Wolverines, 5-4. That is the highest ranked team that the Tigers have defeated on the road.
Overall, has knocked off three different Big Ten Opponents in Michigan, Minnesota, and Penn State.
Part 7 – From Ritter Arena to Gene Polisseni Center
One of the instant factors for RIT’s credibility at the Division I level was its home building, Ritter Arena. Widely known as one of the best kept secrets in all of college hockey, Ritter Arena housed 2,100 fans with an atmosphere that was second to none. The Tigers fed off the venerable arena, going 69-25-15 against AHA foes at home from 2006-14, including a remarkable 59-12-12 record against league opponents on home ice during the regular season from the start of the 2006 season until the end of 2011-12.
After RIT made its historic run to the Frozen Four in 2010, games would sellout days in advance and the decision was made that RIT needed a larger arena, and in Nov. 2010, announced the RIT “Power Play” campaign to raise funds for a new on-campus facility. A year later, the announcement came that it would be named the Gene Polisseni Center and during Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend in 2012, ground was broken on the new arena.
On Oct. 10, 2014, the Tigers ushered in a new era by playing its first regular season game at the Gene Polisseni Center against St. Lawrence University. The brand new 4,300-seat arena combines the cozy atmosphere and intimacy of Ritter Arena along with all of the modern amenities of a 21st century building. On Oct. 24, 2015, RIT recorded its first sellout at the new building. Interestingly enough, the Tigers have the won the Atlantic Hockey Championship in each of its first two seasons playing at the Gene Polisseni Center.
Part 8 – Coaching Staff
The RIT coaching staff is one of the most respected in all of college hockey. Head Coach Wayne Wilson enters his 18th season as head coach of the RIT men’s hockey team in 2016-17 and has guided the Tigers to a 320-195-60 record. Since joining Atlantic Hockey in 2006-07, RIT is 195-140-46, and 155-82-39 in league play. He is the only college hockey coach to win both the Edward Jeremiah Award as Division III National Coach of the Year in 2001 and Spencer Penrose Award as Division I National Coach of the Year in 2010.
Associate Head Coach Brian Hills joined the staff when RIT made the jump to Division I in 2005 and in 2011, received the prestigious Terry Flanagan Award from the American Hockey Coaches Association (ACHA), honoring an outstanding assistant coach’s career body of work. Assistant Coach Dave Insalaco is in his ninth season at the university. Both have a tremendous work ethic and a knack for finding several outstanding recruits over the years. Insalaco is widely known as one of the top up and coming coaches in all of Division I.
Volunteer Goaltending Coach Mike Germain has mentored a pair of former Atlantic Hockey Goaltenders of the Year, Jared DeMichiel and Shane Madolora. Former strength and conditioning coach Bryan Gardner is now with the Buffalo Sabres, while Mark Cesari is with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League. Current strength and conditioning coach Nate Van Kouwenberg is highly regarded as one of the top coaches in the area.
Part 9 – Brick City Weekend/Rochester Focus
The Tigers have become a big draw not only on campus, but in the Rochester community as well. Beginning in 2007, the Tigers scheduled one early season regular season game downtown at Blue Cross Arena, and starting in 2009, decided to make it the focal point of the university’s Brick City and Homecoming Weekend.
RIT hosts the University of Connecticut on Oct. 15 in this season’s homecoming game, looking to make it seven straight sellout crowds of 10,556 at the downtown arena. The game has drawn marquee opponents such as the University of Michigan, Penn State University, and Boston College, among others. In addition, national celebrities such as ESPN’s Barry Melrose and United States Women’s Soccer legend and Rochester native Abby Wambach have dropped the ceremonial first puck in previous homecoming contests.
In addition, Atlantic Hockey holds its league championship at the downtown arena, with RIT competing in five championship games in nine eligible seasons, with three league titles to its credit.
On Dec. 14, 2013, RIT played its first outdoor game in program history at Frontier Field in downtown Rochester against Atlantic Hockey foe Niagara University. The game was part of Rochester’s “Frozen Frontier” and attracted a crowd of 4,760 fans that braved 16-degree weather along with snow and wind that was a major factor all evening, creating a winter wonderland.
Part 10 – Success in the NCAA Tournament
The Tigers have made three NCAA Tournament appearances in their Division I history, first in 2010, then consecutive runs in 2015 and 2016.
In 2010, RIT became the story of Division I college hockey after enjoying a magical run to the NCAA Frozen Four in just its fifth season at the Division I level. The Tigers became the first Atlantic Hockey Association squad to make the Frozen Four.
That season, RIT was the only team in Division I to win both its conference regular season and conference championships. The Tigers, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament as the No. 15 seed, upset No. 2 overall seed Denver 2-1, and advanced to the Frozen Four after defeating No. 12 New Hampshire 6-2 in the NCAA East Regional final.
RIT’s storybook season ended in the Frozen Four semifinal to national runner-up Wisconsin in front of a program record crowd of 34,954 fans. The Tigers finished the season ranked No. 10 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national poll, and were ranked as high as ninth.
In 2015, RIT rode an eight-game winning streak all the way to the NCAA Midwest Regional Final. The Tigers faced off against No. 1 overall seed Minnesota State at Notre Dame in the NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal and shocked the college hockey world with a 2-1 win. It was the first time a No. 16 seed beat the top overall seed since the tournament moved to 16 teams in 2003.
In the Midwest Regional Championship, RIT and Nebraska-Omaha were scoreless into the third period before the Mavericks scored four times to end the magical postseason run.
Last season, RIT returned to Albany looking to recreate the magic of 2010, facing off against No. 1 overall seed Quinnipiac in the East Regional Semifinal. The Tigers would battle Quinnipiac evenly throughout the first two periods before the Bobcats would pull away in the third.
