Men's Hockey | 3/27/2013 11:04:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT men's hockey team advanced to the Atlantic Hockey Association Quarterfinals for the sixth straight season in 2012-13, and had one of the nation's most explosive offensive units. RIT opened the season with a overtime win on the road at perennial power Michigan, who was ranked third in the country.
 
Offensively, RIT enjoyed tremendous depth, seven players finished with between 25 and 33 points, while eight had at least nine goals, and six players finished in double digits. RIT's 3.21 goals per game were the ninth most in all of Division I.
 
Senior captain Chris Saracino (St. Louis, MO/Green Bay Gamblers) and junior Greg Noyes (Lucan, Ontario/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) finished the season as one of the highest scoring defensive duos in the nation. Saracino, who was an All-AHA first team selection, finished third nationally in scoring by a defensemen, with 32 points in 38 games. Noyes was right behind with 29 points, which ranked him top-10 in scoring by all defensemen. Saracino's 11 goals tied the RIT's single-season mark for goals scored by a defenseman at the DI level (Dan Ringwald (Oakville, Ontario/) and Chris Haltigin (Oakville, Ontario/), 2010).
 
Up front, the line of sophomores Matt Garbowsky (St. George, Ontario/Powell River Kings) and Brad McGowan (Langley, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles), along with freshman Dan Schuler (Webster, NY/Powell River Kings) emerged as RIT's go-to unit as the season progressed. Garbowsky used a torrid late season run to lead the team in scoring with 33 points on 11 goals and 22 assists. Over his last 11 games, Garbowsky tallied 19 points on nine goals and 10 assists and finished the year as one of the national leaders with 493 face-offs won.
 
McGowan shook off a slow start to tally 25 points on nine goals and 16 assists in 38 games. He recorded 10 points over his last nine games. Schuler enjoyed a brilliant rookie season, emerging as a top penalty killer while showing offensive touch as the season progressed. Schuler tallied 16 points on the season and was a team-best plus-11. He was a two-time AHA Rookie of the Week selection.
 
Senior Jeff Smith (Spokane, WA/Tri-City Storm) emerged as a valuable offensive threat in his final season, leading the way with 14 goals, while chipping in 11 assists. Smith was a two-time AHA Player of the Week. Fellow classmate Adam Hartley (West Vancouver, British Columbia/Surrey Eagles) added 13 points on seven goals and six assists. Three of his goals were game-winners, including overtime tallies in the season opener at Michigan and at Mercyhurst. Hartley was also in the top-10 nationally, winning 59.7 percent of his face-offs taken.
 
Juniors Mike Colavecchia (Maple, Ontario/Lindsay Muskies), Ben Lynch (Blaine, MN/Lincoln Stars), and Adam Mitchell (Crofton, MD/Baystate Breakers) combined for 32 goals, 43 assists, and 75 points on the season and will provide plenty of offense in 2013-14. Colavecchia, a power-play specialist, scored eight times with the man-advantage and was third overall on the team in scoring with 30 points (12-18-30) in 32 games. Lynch added 26 points on 10 goals and 16 assists, while playing in all 38 games. Mitchell missed a dozen games due to injury but was able to put up 11 goals and 20 points. He opened the season with 13 points over his first 10 games.
 
The Tigers received good contributions from its younger forwards as well. Freshman Josh Mitchell (Osoyoos, British Columbia/Alberni Valley Bulldogs) tallied 16 points, while playing in all 38 contests. Sophomores Brad Reid (Delta, British Columbia/Coquitlam Express) and Anthony Hamburg (Phoenix, AZ/Omaha Lancers) chipped in with 12 and 11 points, respectively, while Andrew Miller (Chicago, IL/Chicago Steel) scored a game-winning goal against Army and added six points. Junior Bryan Potts (Niagara Falls, Ontario/Markham Waxers) also appeared in 31 games, scoring a pair of goals.
 
On defense, the freshman duo of Alexander Kuqali (Pittsburgh, PA/Sioux City Musketeers) and Brad Shumway (Lafayette, CO/Chicago Steel) made great strides as the season progressed, both appearing in all 38 games for the squad. Kuqali, the AHA Rookie of the Month in December, tallied 11 points on three goals and eight assists, while Shumway added nine points on a goal and eight assists. Junior Nolan Descoteaux (Dallas, TX/South Shore Kings) chipped in with eight points on three goals and five assists, playing in 37 contests, while classmate Eliot Raibl (Vancouver, British Columbia/Quesnel Millionaires) recorded five points in 35 games. Sophomore Stuart Brownell (Burlington, Ontario/Georgetown Raiders) also appeared in eight contests.
 
In net, sophomore Jordan Ruby (Tavistock, Ontario/Wellington Dukes) and junior Josh Watson (Lititz, PA/Powell River Kings) split time almost evenly. Watson started primarily during the first half of the season, recording a 7-7-4 mark with a 3.04 goals against average and .905 save percentage, and his first two collegiate shutouts. Ruby earned the nod down the stretch, starting RIT's final 14 games. During that stretch Ruby recorded a 2.48 goals against average and .925 save percentage. Overall, Ruby won eight games and looks to have even greater success in 2013-14.
 
The Tigers have always been strong on special teams, with this season being no exception. RIT's power-play was second nationally, scoring 33 times with the man-advantage, while converting at 24.1 percent.
 
RIT will return 20 players next season and with another strong recruiting class, will look to get back on top in the highly competitive AHA in 2013-14.