Location Henrietta, New York Colors Orange and Brown Conference Atlantic Hockey | Student section RIT Corner Crew Arena/Stadium Gene Polisseni Center | |
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University Rochester Institute of Technology Head coach Wayne Wilson
18th year, 318–196–61 (.606) Captain(s) Chase Norrish
Brady Norrish
Myles Powell | ||
The RIT Tigers men's ice hockey team is one of two hockey teams representing Rochester Institute of Technology in suburban Rochester, New York. 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.
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Founding, Division II and Division III
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, 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 defeated the Denver Pioneers 2–1 and 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 in fall 2014 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 the program's history. The Tigers knocked off the Minnesota State Mavericks in the first round of the NCAA tournament, becoming the first #16 seed to defeat the top overall seed since the 16-team format was implemented in 2003. 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 straight year. The team's playoff run was ended in the first round of the east regional in Albany, NY by the Quinnipiac Bobcats by a score of 4–0.
Staff
Alumni
