RIT Tigers men's ice hockey

RIT Tigers men's ice hockey
Current season
RIT Tigers athletic logo
UniversityRochester Institute of Technology
ConferenceAHA
Head coachWayne Wilson
25th season, 437–303–78 (.582)
Assistant coaches
CaptainCaleb Moretz
Alternate captain(s)
  • Gianfranco Cassaro
  • Elijah Gonalves
  • Aiden Hansen-Bukata
  • Cody Laskosky
  • Carter Wilkie
ArenaGene Polisseni Center
Henrietta, New York
Student sectionRIT Corner Crew
ColorsOrange, white, and black
  
NCAA Tournament championships
Division II: 1983, Division III: 1985
NCAA Tournament Frozen Four
Division I: 2010
Division II: 1983
Division III: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1996, 1999, 2001
NCAA Tournament appearances
Division I: 2010, 2015, 2016
Division II: 1983
Division III: 1985, 1986, 1989, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Conference Tournament championships
Division III: (ECAC 2): 1984 (ECAC West): 1986, 1989, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Division I: (Atlantic Hockey): 2010, 2015, 2016
Conference regular season championships
Division III: (ECAC West): 1985, 1986, 1989, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003
Division II:(ECAC 2): 1984
Division I: (Atlantic Hockey): 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2022–23
Current uniform

The RIT Tigers men's ice hockey team is a collegiate ice hockey team representing the Rochester Institute of Technology in suburban Rochester, New York, United States. The school's men's team competes in the Division I Atlantic Hockey conference. The team has won two national championships, one each at the Division II and Division III levels. It lost in the semifinals of the Division I "Frozen Four" in 2010.

History

Founding, Division II and Division III

RIT's bench explodes in celebration during the final seconds of the 1983 championship game.
RIT players carry coach Bruce Delventhal after winning the 1985 national championship.

In the fall of 1957, RIT student Jack Trickey founded the Monroe County Amateur Hockey (MCAHA) Association. A group of RIT students made up the majority of one of the teams. In 1958, the RIT Hockey Club was founded, and competed in the MCAHA until the league folded in 1960. The RIT hockey team continued to play against junior varsity and club teams. The RIT student council and athletic committee recommended that hockey be added to the athletic program, and men's hockey later became a varsity sport. The team competed at the Division II and III level for several years, winning a national championship in Division II (1983) and another in Division III (1985), before moving up to Division I in 2005–2006.

NCAA Division I

In their first year (2005–2006) in the Atlantic Hockey Association, the Tigers won the regular-season title, and went on to win two more in the next three years. They were ineligible to compete in the playoffs until the 2007–2008 season. In the 2007–2008 season, the Tigers played in the Mariucci classic in which they stunned the number-12-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers 4–3 but fell to number-14-ranked Boston College 6–0. During the playoffs, they swept Holy Cross but were shut out in the first round of the AHA Tournament 5–0 by the Air Force Falcons, who were without their Hobey Baker finalist Eric Ehn. In the 2008–2009 season, the Tigers played some of their best regular-season hockey (notably an 11-game win streak from December 6 to January 25). They met Holy Cross again in the playoffs and won the series 2–1 but fell in the AHA Tournament to the Mercyhurst Lakers 5–4 in overtime. Highlights of the game include Mercyhurst overcoming a 3–1 deficit and the Tigers tying the game with under a minute left. In the 2009–10 season, their most successful season to date, the Tigers made a historic run all the way to the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four, sweeping Connecticut in the first round and winning the AHA Tournament by beating the Canisius Golden Griffins as well as the Sacred Heart Pioneers to advance to the NCAA tournament as the conference's autobid. The Tigers stunned the Denver Pioneers 2–1 and then finished off the University of New Hampshire Wildcats 6–2 in the east regional in Albany, New York, where they advanced to the Frozen Four. The team's run came to an end in the national semifinals, where they fell to the University of Wisconsin Badgers, 8–1.

In the 2010–2011 season, the Tigers played in the Maverick stampede but lost both their games against number-4-ranked St. Cloud State and the University of Nebraska–Omaha. The Tigers won yet another regular season title and made it all the way to the AHA championship game, where they fell to the Air Force Falcons by a score of 1–0. Air Force goaltender Jason Torf made 40 saves in the contest. In the 2011–2012 season, the Tigers struggled early on, but bounced back in the second half of the season, eliminating the Bentley Falcons after falling behind 1–0 in the first round series of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs, but prevailing in their next two games. They advanced again to the AHA championship game where they eliminated Niagara in overtime but fell, yet again, to the Air Force Falcons, getting shut out 4–0. The Tigers struggled over the next two seasons, as they finished 2012–2013 with a record of 15–18–5, their first losing record since joining Atlantic Hockey. This was also the first time they were unable to advance to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals at Blue Cross Arena, as they defeated American International College in the first round, but were swept by the Niagara Purple Eagles in the second round, losing in overtime in the second game. The following year (2013–2014), the Tigers played their final season at their home ice rink, Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena. The Tigers only won 6 out of 16 games at their home arena. Although they struggled that season, the Tigers participated in the "Frozen Frontier," a 10-day hockey festival at Rochester's Frontier Field outdoor baseball stadium. The Tigers took on their AHA rivals, the Niagara University Purple Eagles on December 14. The teams skated to a 2–2 tie in a snow storm and 16-degree temperatures. In their final game at Ritter Arena, the Tigers defeated their long time AHA rival, the Canisius College Golden Griffins 3–1. In the playoffs, the Tigers won the first game in overtime against Holy Cross before getting blown away in game two by a score of 5–1. In the deciding game, The Tigers led 2–0 but Holy Cross came from behind to tie the game in the second period, forcing overtime where they completed the comeback.

The Tigers moved into the 4,300-seat Gene Polisseni Center for the 2014–15 season. Their first season in the Polisseni Center saw the Tigers finish with a 20–15–5 overall record. They played in the Mariucci classic, losing both games against number-9-ranked Massachusetts–Lowell and number-8-ranked Minnesota. In the playoffs, they swept the Air Force Falcons in the second round after receiving a bye in the first round. The Tigers went on to defeat Canisius in the semifinals of the AHA Tournament by a score of 2–1 and the Meryhurst Lakers in the championship game by a score of 5–1 to win the Atlantic Hockey championship and advance to the NCAA Division I tournament for the second time in program history. The Tigers knocked off the Minnesota State Mavericks in the first round of the NCAA tournament 2–1, becoming the first #16 seed to defeat the top overall seed since the 16-team format was implemented in 2003. There would be no repeat, however, of the 2009–2010 run to the Frozen Four as the Tigers fell to the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks in the following round by a score of 4–0, ending their playoff run. In the 2015–16 season, the Tigers lost home ice in the first round to Mercyhurst as they were swept in their last two games of the regular season on home ice; however, the Tigers returned the favor in the postseason by sweeping the Lakers on the road. The Tigers once again were in the AHA tournament and faced the Air Force Falcons once again. The Tigers trailed 1–0 heading into the third and it would appear that they were headed to another shutout loss, but Andrew Miller scored with under 3 minutes left in the third to even the score. In overtime, the Tigers completed their comeback winning 2–1. The Tigers would then claim the Atlantic Hockey championship once again, convincingly defeating the Robert Morris Colonials by a score of 7–4, to advance to the NCAA Division 1 tournament for the second consecutive season. The team's playoff run ended in the first round of the east regional in Albany, New York by the first-ranked Quinnipiac Bobcats by a score of 4–0. The 2016–2017 season was a down year for the Tigers as they flirted with the .500 mark within their conference and were unable to defeat any non-conference teams. They faced Niagara in the first round of the playoffs losing a close one 5–4 in game 1 but shutting them out 5–0 in game 2 setting the stage for the deciding game 3. They were unable to complete the comeback as the Purple Eagles ended the Tigers' season winning 4–1.

In the 2017–2018 season, the Tigers started the season with their first game at Blue Cross Arena for Brick City weekend against the number-14th-ranked Northeastern University. It was the first meeting between these two schools. RIT jumped out to a 3–0 lead only to see Northeastern comeback and tie it. The Tigers performed well during the first half of the season but slumped during the second half. The Tigers finished with an overall record of 14–18–2 and a 13–14–1 for 27 points within their conference. Junior Erik Brown set a new school record with 28 goals during the season (including exhibition games) and also led the entire Atlantic Hockey Conference. His 28 goals was also 2nd overall in Division I hockey. In the playoffs, the Tigers faced the Sacred Heart Pioneers. Both teams split the first two games with both games heading to overtime. The Tigers prevailed in Game 1 scoring quickly in overtime to take a 1–0 series lead. The Pioneers prevailed in Game 2 after tying the game late in the third and finally ending it during triple overtime (the longest game in program history). In the deciding game, the Pioneers jumped out to a 2–0 lead early in the first and held the fort the rest of the way to clinch the series concluding the Tigers' season.

RIT men's hockey in action against Robert Morris University at the Gene Polisseni Center in 2019

The Tigers finished the 2018–2019 with a record (17–17–4) and played the Arizona State Sun Devils for the first time. Despite the Sun Devils recently moving into Division 1, the Tigers got swept on home ice. In the playoffs, they faced Sacred Heart. They split the first two games with lopsided results (9–4 loss in Game 1 and a 7–3 win in Game 2) before edging them out in Game 3 with a 3–1 victory. The Tigers would then face the Niagara Purple Eagles in the next round. The game was intense with the goalies stealing the show. After regulation ended with no goals the game was decided in overtime where Niagara scored 7:03 into extra time to win 1–0.

The 2019–2020 season saw the Tigers play in the Icebreaker tournament in Ohio with a pair of games against Coach Wayne Wilson's and Associate Head Coach Brian Hills' Alma mater, the Bowling Green State Falcons as well as the Ohio State University Buckeyes. RIT prevailed against the Falcons in overtime (3–2) but fell to the Buckeyes (3–1). The Tigers had their ups and downs during the season but play was disrupted throughout the league when the COVID 19 pandemic cancelled the playoffs.

During the off-season, the school was debating whether or not to hold a season for the 2020–2021 season. On November 10, 2020, the school decided to cancel the season due to the pandemic. This prompted the team to issue a statement on Twitter showing an inconsistency (RIT plans to have a 12% increase in in-person learning next semester) as well as the fact that the season was to start in between semesters creating a comfortable bubble. Seven days later, the school reconsidered and declared that the season was set to move forward. The season got underway November 27 against Clarkson with RIT coming out victorious 8–5 in front of zero fans. This season also marked the debut of the Long Island University Sharks which RIT hosted and split the series. RIT finished the abridged season with a record of 9–9–2 and made an early exit from the playoffs getting swept by Canisius.

A game between RIT and Air Force in 2022

The 2022–23 season saw the Tigers win their first Atlantic Hockey Association Regular season Championship since the 2010–11 season. The Tigers began the year strong, with highlights including their 8–5 defeat of Union during the Brick City Homecoming Game (also the team's first victory over the Dutchmen), and an 8-game win streak. As a result of their strong play, the Tigers found themselves nationally ranked in both the USCHO Poll and the USA Today Hockey Poll (peaking at #18 in both). However, the end of the regular season saw the Tigers slide, dropping out of the USCHO and USA Today rankings and winning only 4 of their final 9 contests. Despite this, the Tigers finished with a record of 22–11–1 (18–7–1 in conference play), their most wins since their 2009–10 season, and clinched the first seed in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs. The Tigers swept the eighth seed Mercyhurst Lakers in the Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals best-of-three series, but were upset in the Semifinals by the seventh seed Holy Cross Crusaders, losing that series 2-1.

RIT celebrates a playoff series victory in 2023

The Tigers opened their 2023-24 season with a loss at St. Lawrence, but rebounded with a 3-0 win over Notre Dame in the Brick City Homecoming Game a week later, and opened Atlantic Hockey play with a 4-2 home victory over Sacred Heart. At the start of November, Goaltender Tommy Scarfone was named the Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week three times in the span of four weeks as RIT earned a spot in the USCHO rankings at #20.

Season-by-season results

Brick City Homecoming game results

Author and internet personality Hank Green was a special guest for the 2023 Homecoming Game, participating in the ceremonial puck drop with RIT president David Munson

The Brick City Homecoming game is RIT's annual homecoming game that takes place at the Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester. The game is part of Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend, and typically draws at or near a sellout crowd.

Year-to-Year Results
Date Home Goals For Away Goals Against Results
Oct. 27, 2007 RIT 4 (18) Cornell 1 W
Oct. 18, 2008 RIT 1 St. Lawrence 2 L
Oct. 10, 2009 RIT 2 Colgate 3 L
Oct. 16, 2010 RIT 4 UMass Lowell 4 T/OT
Oct. 15, 2011 RIT 6 St. Lawrence 5 W/OT
Oct. 20, 2012 RIT 2 Penn State 3 L
Oct. 12, 2013 RIT 4 (11) Michigan 7 L
Oct. 18, 2014 RIT 2 (7) Boston College 6 L
Oct. 17, 2015 RIT 2 (10) Bowling Green 2 T/OT
Oct. 15, 2016 RIT 1 Connecticut 1 T/OT
Oct. 14, 2017 RIT 3 (14) Northeastern 3 T/OT
Oct. 20, 2018 RIT 6 Colgate 1 W
Oct. 19, 2019 RIT 4 Merrimack 0 W
Oct. 24, 2020 RIT Notre Dame Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Oct. 16, 2021 RIT 2 St. Lawrence 1 W
Oct. 15, 2022 RIT 8 Union 5 W
Oct. 14, 2023 RIT 3 Notre Dame 0 W
TOTALS 54 44 7–5–4

Records vs. current Atlantic Hockey teams

As of the completion of 2022–23 season

School Team Away Arena Overall record Win % Last Result
Air Force Academy Falcons Cadet Ice Arena 25–36–4 .415 5–2 W
American International College Yellow Jackets MassMutual Center 34–10–3 .755 3–2 W
Army West Point Black Knights Tate Rink 25–6–7 .750 4–1 W
Bentley University Falcons Bentley Arena 25–16–4 .600 1–2 L
Canisius College Golden Griffins LECOM Harborcenter 28–25–2 .527 2–3 L
College of the Holy Cross Crusaders Hart Center 31–13–8 .673 3–4 L
Mercyhurst University Lakers Mercyhurst Ice Center 30–18–6 .611 1–0 W
Niagara University Purple Eagles Dwyer Arena 17–20–14 .471 1–4 L
Robert Morris University Colonials Colonials Arena 18–15–6 .538 4–3 W
Sacred Heart University Pioneers Webster Bank Arena 33–16–2 .667 3–1 W

Head coaches

As of the completion of 2022–23 season

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1964–1968 Jim Heffer 4 46–24–1 .655
1968–1980 Daryl Sullivan 12 131–136–3 .491
1980–1984 Brian Mason 4 86–35–1 .709
1984–1988 Bruce Delventhal 4 87–39–2 .688
1988–1989 Buddy Powers 1 26–8–2 .750
1989–1999 Eric Hoffberg 10 188–82–22 .682
1999–present Wayne Wilson 24 437–303–78 .582
Totals 7 coaches 58 seasons 998–627–109 .607

Current staff

  • Head coach: Wayne Wilson
  • Associate head coach: Brian Hills
  • Assistant coach: Dave Insalaco
  • Athletic trainer: Ben Emke
  • Hockey operations coordinator: Stephen Henchen
  • Student manager: Oscar Nguyen
  • Strength & conditioning coach: Ryan Kelly

NCAA tournament appearances

Division I

Year Bracket Location Opponent Result
2010 East Regional Times Union Center Denver W 2–1
New Hampshire W 6–2
Frozen Four Ford Field Wisconsin L 1–8
2015 Midwest Regional Compton Family Ice Arena Minnesota State W 2–1
Omaha L 0–4
2016 East Regional Times Union Center Quinnipiac L 0–4

Statistical leaders

Source:

Career points leaders

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Chris Johnstone 1981–1985 129 114 136 250
Pete Bournazakis 1997–2001 116 100 129 229
Scott Brown 1985–1989 130 103 122 225
Mike Bournazakis 1999–2003 111 70 144 214
Pat Staerker 1996–2000 121 76 134 210
Chris Maybury 1992–1996 106 82 126 208
Dennis Lepley 1965–1970 79 111 92 203
Ritchie Herbert 1983–1987 102 88 114 202
Ken Vokac 1966–1970 94 102 196
Bobby Trowell 1981–1985 122 96 90 186

Career goaltending leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 30 games

Player Years GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA
Shane Madolora 2009–2012 65 3827 36 14 12 126 13 .932 1.98
Tommy Scarfone 2021–Present 59 2918 27 18 2 118 5 .920 2.43
Tyler Euverman 1999–2003 106 5975 83 13 5 242 12 .918 2.43
Jared DeMichiel 2006–2010 66 3774 41 19 2 156 7 .909 2.48
Mike Rotolo 2013–2017 94 5503 40 44 7 245 6 .906 2.67

Statistics current through the end of the 2022–23 regular season.

Players

Current roster

As of November 9, 2023.

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
4 Ontario Dimitri Mikrogiannakis Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-09-20 Aurora, Ontario Cowichan Valley (BCHL)
5 Sweden Gustav Blom Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-01-30 Stockholm, Sweden New Mexico (USHL)
6 Ontario Matthew Wilde Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 2002-04-30 Mississauga, Ontario Toronto (OJHL)
7 Manitoba Tanner Andrew Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-02-11 Virden, Manitoba Chilliwack (BCHL)
8 Ontario Evan Miller Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-03-07 Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Wellington (OJHL)
9 Ontario Tyler Fukakusa Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-11-30 Toronto, Ontario Toronto (OJHL)
10 Ontario Gianfranco Cassaro (A) Graduate D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 186 lb (84 kg) 1999-03-30 Nobleton, Ontario UMass (HEA)
11 Quebec Philippe Jacques Sophomore F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-10-29 Quebec City, Quebec Ottawa (CCHL)
12 Yukon Simon Isabelle Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-01-12 Whitehorse, Yukon Ottawa (CCHL)
14 Alberta Tyler Mahan Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-12-14 Calgary, Alberta Whitecourt (AJHL)
15 Ontario Adam Jeffery Sophomore F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2001-05-08 Leamington, Ontario Leamington (GOJHL)
16 Ontario Elijah Gonsalves Graduate F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-03-08 Scarborough, Ontario Wellington (OJHL)
18 Virginia Kevin Scott Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2003-04-30 Ashburn, Virginia Fargo (USHL)
19 Ontario Christian Catalano Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-05-23 Mississauga, Ontario Maryland (NAHL)
20 Alaska Caleb Moretz (C) Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-07-14 Fairbanks, Alaska Flin Flon (SJHL)
21 Alberta Carter Wilkie (A) Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-04-03 Calgary, Alberta West Kelowna (BCHL)
22 Manitoba Grady Hobbs Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 177 lb (80 kg) 2000-03-18 Deloraine, Manitoba Dauphin (MJHL)
23 British Columbia Aiden Hansen-Bukata (A) Senior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 179 lb (81 kg) 1999-06-29 Delta, British Columbia Nanaimo (BCHL)
24 Ontario Ryan Nicholson Graduate D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 1999-01-13 Mississauga, Ontario Oakville (OJHL)
25 British Columbia Doug Scott Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-04-16 North Vancouver, British Columbia Humboldt (SJHL)
26 Alberta Cody Laskosky (A) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1999-06-21 New Norway, Alberta Camrose (AJHL)
27 British Columbia Crossley Stewart Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-05-30 Prince Rupert, British Columbia Burlington (OJHL)
28 Quebec Xavier Lapointe Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-01-26 Quebec City, Quebec Flin Flon (SJHL)
30 Quebec Tommy Scarfone Junior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2000-11-19 Montreal, Quebec Surrey (BCHL)
32 Ontario Daniel Chenard Senior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 1999-10-03 Waterloo, Ontario Wenatchee (BCHL)
33 Alberta Luke Lush Graduate G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998-02-15 Sherwood Park, Alberta Sacred Heart (AHA)

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual awards

Division I All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

Division II All-Americans

Division III All-Americans

First Team All-Americans

  • 1984–85: Blaise MacDonald, D
  • 1988–89: Scott Brown, F
  • 1990–91: Bill Gall, D
  • 1993–94: Jay Murphy, F
  • 1995–96: Chris Maybury, F
  • 1996–97: Steve Toll, F
  • 1998–99: Jerry Galway, D; Pat Staerker, F
  • 2000–01: Tyler Euverman, D; Jerry Galway, D; Derek Hahn, F; Pete Bournazakis, F
  • 2001–02: Jerry Galway, D
  • 2002–03: Mike Bournazakis, F

Second Team All-Americans

  • 1984–85: Chris Johnstone, F
  • 1985–86: John Hawkins, D
  • 1988–89: Tim Cordik, D
  • 1989–90: Chris Palmer, F
  • 1994–95: Chris Maybury, F
  • 1995–96: Adam French, D
  • 1996–97: Jamie Morris, G; Brian Cossette, D
  • 1997–98: Pat Staerker, F
  • 1999–00: Pat Staerker, F
  • 2003–04: Mike Tarantino, F

ECAC 2

Individual awards


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