Men's Hockey | 9/27/2016 1:41:00 PM
ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT men's hockey team opens the 2016-17 season with an exhibition contest against Brock University at 7:05 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 from the Gene Polisseni Center.
RIT, the two-time defending Atlantic Hockey Conference Champions, returns 19 players and adds seven newcomers for 2016-17. Coming back for the Tigers this season are 12 forwards, four defensemen and all three goalies from last season's NCAA Tournament team. Juniors
Brady Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers),
Chase Norrish (Strongfield, Saskatchewan/Yorkton Terriers), and
Myles Powell (Courtenay, British Columbia/Cowichan Valley Capitals) will serve as captains and are joined by a deep senior class in forwards
Caleb Cameron (Sundridge, Ontario/Listowel Cyclones),
Garrett McMullen (Churchville, NY/Trail Smoke Eaters),
Alex Perron-Fontaine (St. Mathieu de Beloeil, Quebec/Chilliwack Chiefs),
Todd Skirving (Thunder Bay, Ontario/Sioux Falls Stampede), and
Danny Smith (Edmonton, Alberta/Sherwood Park Crusaders), defenseman
Michael Holland (Rye, NH/Chicago Steel), and goaltender
Mike Rotolo (Rochester, NY/Cedar Rapids Roughriders).
RIT is picked to finish first in the 2016-17 Atlantic Hockey preseason poll. In addition, RIT is receiving 62 votes in the 2016-17 USCHO.com top-20 preseason poll.
Brock, located in St. Catherines, Ontario, competes in the Ontario University Athletics Conference. The Badgers enter the weekend having played one game so far this season, the annual Steel Blade Game against Guelph, a 4-3 victory on Sept. 16. Last season, Brock finished 7-22, missing the OUA Playoffs, after making the postseason the previous two seasons.
RIT leads the all-time series between the two schools, with a head-to-head record of 6-4-1. RIT and Brock last met two seasons ago, in the first RIT men's hockey competition played in the Gene Polisseni Center, a 5-2 exhibition victory for the Tigers. In that contest, McMullen scored a pair of goals, while Holland also tallied.
The Tigers enter year three at the Gene Polisseni Center, which sits on the south side of the Student Alumni Union. The Polisseni Center boasts 4,000 seats and, with standing room, has a total capacity of 4,300 complete with a student/pep band/Corner Crew section. Other seating options include reserved chair-back seating and a special club section. Six corporate suites are available—four on the club level, one on the media level and a unique bunker suite at ice level.
Tickets for Saturday's game are available at the Gene Polisseni Center and Gordon Field House Box Offices, or by calling (585) 475-4121 or by visiting
www.rithockey.com.
Video and
live stats will available for Saturday's game. In addition, the game will be broadcast on WITR 89.7 FM and
witr.rit.edu.
RIT opens the regular season at home on Friday, Oct. 7 and Saturday, Oct. 8, as Atlantic Hockey rival Robert Morris comes to town in a rematch of the 2016 league championship game. The following weekend, the Tigers host the University of Connecticut at Blue Cross Arena as the focal point of Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend on Oct. 15.
