RIT men’s hockey announces award winners at 2013-14 end-of-season banquet on April 19
ROCHESTER, NY – Seniors Ben Lynch (Blaine, MN/Lincoln Stars) and Eliot Raibl (Vancouver, British Columbia/Quesnel Millionaires) both earned a pair of individual honors, as the RIT men’s hockey team announced its 2013-14 team award winners on Saturday, April 19 at the RITz Sports Zone. In all, eight members of the RIT men’s hockey community won awards.
Lynch, an assistant captain, was co-winner of the Louis Spiotti Jr. Coaches Award, as a player who embodies RIT hockey, and the Art Thomas Teammate award. Lynch, who finished his RIT career 11th all-time at the Division I level with 89 points (31-58-89), was among the team leaders with 11 goals, while adding 10 assists. His 147 career games played are tied for the third most in program history.
Raibl was co-winner of the Louis Spiotti Jr. Coaches Award and was one of three recipients to claim the Green B. Williams Award for Academic Excellence. A tough, stay-at-home defenseman, Raibl scored two goals in his final season and was regarded as one of the squad’s hardest workers.
Sophomore forward Dan Schuler (Webster, NY/Powell River Kings) was the recipient of the Greg Moss Hard Hat Award, given to a player who performs at a high level and does it with very little fanfare. Schuler led all RIT players with 13 goals and was a team-best plus-5. He added eight assists for 21 points in 34 games and was the AHA Player of the Week on Nov. 26.
Senior Nolan Descoteaux (Dallas, TX/South Shore Kings) was awarded the Tim Cordick Award, given to the team’s best defenseman. Descoteaux more than doubled his point production from his first three seasons, enjoying a breakout year, with 18 points on five goals and 13 assists. Descoteaux also was the lone Tiger to make his professional debut after the season, suiting up for the Gwinnett Gladiators of the East Coast Hockey League. Descoteaux tallied a goal and two assists in 11 games for Gwinnett.
Senior forward Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies) won the Dan Barrows Fan’s Choice award, given by the Corner Crew. Colavecchia led the way offensively for the Tigers in 2013-14, recording 29 points on 12 goals and 17 assists. On Jan. 10, Colavecchia became the sixth player in RIT’s Division I history to reach the 100-point milestone. He finished his RIT career fifth all-time with 110 points on 44 goals and 66 assists. His 25 power-play goals were second most in RIT’s DI era.
The Craig Lauzon award for the top newcomer was awarded to freshman goaltender Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders). Rotolo emerged as the starter down the stretch and enjoyed a solid season, finishing 9-9-3 with a 2.77 goals against average, .912 save percentage, and two shut outs. Rotolo enjoyed a tremendous start to his collegiate career, becoming the first RIT goaltender to ever win his first five starts, going 5-0-1 with a 1.97 goals against average and .937 save percentage over a 5-0-1 start to his collegiate career. He was a three-time Atlantic Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week.
Senior defenseman Greg Noyes (Lucan, Ontario/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) and forward Anthony Hamburg(Phoenix, AZ/Omaha Lancers) shared the Green B. Williams Award for Academic Excellence with Raibl. Noyes, who tied the RIT all-time record with 150 games played, finished his RIT career tenth all-time in scoring, with 92 points on 24 goals and 68 assists. His 26 points were among the national leaders in scoring by a defenseman. Hamburg appeared in 22 contests in 2013-14, tallying goals against Sacred Heart and Mercyhurst. All three men recorded 4.0 grade-point averages over the last two semesters.
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 J. Roger Dykes, former Sports Information Director, who served at RIT from 1972-1996. Since his retirement, Dykes has been a valuable asset to the program, helping with several projects involved with Ritter Arena and the Gene Polisseni Center, which will open in Fall, 2014.
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.
