ROCHESTER, NY – Seniors Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) and Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) of the RIT men’s hockey team, signed professional contracts to continue their repsective careers on March 31. Garbowsky signed with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL), while Ruby inked a deal with the Toldeo Walleye of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL).
Garbowsky, RIT’s captain, enjoyed an incredible senior season for the Tigers, becoming a finalist for the 2015 Hobey Baker Award. Garbowsky, the 2015 Atlantic Hockey Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Forward of the Year, leads Division I with 729 face-off wins, is tied for third with 26 goals, tied for fourth with 54 points, and is fifth nationally with a plus-29 rating. He led the league in scoring during league play with 44 points on 23 goals and 21 assists in 28 league contests and recorded 13 multiple-point outings this season, including a pair of hat-tricks. Garbowsky was also named the Atlantic Hockey Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Garbowsky became the seventh player in RIT’s Division I history to reach 100 career points, doing so on Feb. 14 at Holy Cross. He has 48 goals and 66 career assists in 128 games. His 114 points are fifth best at RIT in the Division I era.
“Matt was noticed by people all over the hockey world during and after his unforgettable year, and garnered a lot of attention from NHL teams,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “He is a pleasure to coach and hopefully the Amerks staff with be as enamored with his work ethic and attention to details as we are.”
Ruby enjoyed a tremendous senior season, finishing 11-8-4 with a 2.10 goals against average, .924 save percentage, and two shutouts. In the 2015 postseason, Ruby went 5-1 with a 1.67 goals against average and .941 save percentage. He was a three-time Atlantic Hockey Conference Goaltender of the Week in 2014-15. Ruby excelled in the postseason at RIT with a 7-3 mark, 1.59 goals against average and .948 save percentage. Overall, Ruby set the school mark with 1,763 saves and won 23 contests, fourth most in the Division I era at RIT.
“Jordan’s hard work over the last four years and strong late season run put him in a good position to sign and created interest,” said Wilson. “We are excited to see how he performs at the pro level.”
Both men were vital in leading the Tigers (20-15-5) to the 2015 Atlantic Hockey Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the second time at the Division I level.
