RIT men's hockey wins Atlantic Hockey title to make NCAA tournament
Winning a championship is a rare thing, just ask three of the heroes from RIT men's hockey's Atlantic Hockey championship game against American International.
Graduate student Elijah Gonsalves won his lone title as a midget hockey player nearly a decade ago. That's a touch more experience than teammates Carter Wilkie and Matthew Wilde, who said they've never won a prior championship.
"Came close a couple times in junior, but couldn't get the job done," Wilde said. "It's super special to do it tonight."
All three's trophy cases will lose some space in the near future. RIT's 5-2 win over AIC secures the Tigers' first conference championship since 2016 and fourth overall since becoming a Division I hockey program in the mid-2000s.
With the victory, RIT now has the second-most conference titles since the Atlantic Hockey Association's inception in 2003-04, with four. Only Air Force (seven) has more championships.
"To win the regular season championship was cool, but this is the one we all chase," Wilkie said. "Now we're excited for the next step, to prove what we can do on a larger scale."
RIT's first Atlantic Hockey title in 2010 was followed by a surprise trip to the Frozen Four, after the Tigers defeated Denver and New Hampshire in the East Regionals before bowing out to Wisconsin in the national semifinal. In subsequent NCAA tournaments appearances in 2015 and 2016, RIT fell in the regional final and semifinal.
The 2010 Tigers remain Atlantic Hockey's only team to reach a national semifinal game.
What's next for RIT men's hockey
By virtue of winning the Atlantic Hockey championship, RIT (27-10-2) earned an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. The 16-team field also includes champions from Division I conferences ECAC, Hockey East, Big Ten, CCHA and NCHA. The remaining 10 teams were at-large bids selected by the Division I men's ice hockey committee.
RIT learned Sunday its first NCAA tournament opponent will be Hockey East runner-up Boston University (26-9-2), in the opening round of the Sioux Falls region. The Terriers are the No. 2 overall seed and boast two finalists for Hobey Baker Award for college hockey's top player: freshman forward Macklin Celebrini and sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson.
Celebrini is the projected No. 1 overall pick in this year's NHL entry draft, while Hutson was a second-round draft choice by the Montreal Canadiens in 2023.
According to RIT's athletic department, the Tigers have never faced Boston University.
The teams will face off at 5 p.m. Thursday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
RIT's special teams step up in win
The Tigers were whistled for the game's first penalty only 1:05 into the first period and four more penalty kills followed through the duration of the game.
All five of AIC's man-advantages were squandered, as RIT successfully swallowed up passing lanes and suffocated the Yellow Jackets' entry attempts. In AIC's five power plays, the team managed only three shots on goal.
The Yellow Jackets' fifth and final power play was arguably the most dangerous in terms of zone time and scoring chances, but RIT goalie Tommy Scarfone turned aside the lone shot on goal he faced.
"I think we're ranked No. 5 in the country (on the penalty kill), and that's the guys sacrificing and making it happen on the ice, and it's the prep work they do with (assistant coach Dave Insalaco)," RIT coach Wayne Wilson said. "We end up taking a few penalties every game, and we've gotta be careful because the next teams we play won't be so forgiving."
RIT's power play was conversely opportunistic on one of its two chances. On the man-advantage early in the second period, Wilde shook loose in front AIC's net and buried a rebound following Aiden Hansen-Bukata's initial shot. That goal stood as the eventual game-winner.
It's a power play goooooooaaaaaaa! https://t.co/G6mm4Y06c4 pic.twitter.com/4Yxbq2LsMk
— RIT Men's Hockey (@RITMHKY) March 24, 2024
AIC pulled goaltender Nils Wallstrom with 3:34 remaining in the third period, and while the ensuing sequence doesn't count as an official man-advantage, it favored RIT all the same. Gonsalves and Wilde both buried empty-net goals to clinch the win.
Teams settle in after uncharacteristic start
Goaltenders Scarfone (.928) and Wallstrom (.920) both ranked among Atlantic Hockey's top three in save percentage this season, but both backstops were heavily tested in the opening 20 minutes.
Scarfone, Atlantic Hockey's goaltender of the year, was beaten on a breakaway by AIC's Jordan Biro only four minutes into the contest. RIT followed with two straight goals, the first an own-goal credited to Tigers defenseman Dimitri Mikrogiannakis followed by Gonsalves' first tally shortly after.
Biro was then the beneficiary of a deflection that tied the score, 2-2, with 1:01 left in the opening frame.
After allowing goals on two of the first seven shots faced, Scarfone returned to his typical form in the second and third periods and finished with 24 saves.
Quotes of the game
"The thing I can say about this team, probably more than other teams I've coached, is the contributions came from everyone. Every night it was someone different, whether it came from our captains and guys you expect production from or freshmen, our goaltending, our role players."
- RIT coach Wayne Wilson.
"On our walls you see the pictures of people who have won championships hoisting the trophy. It's a constant reminder that this stuff is hard. To create a memory like that, you're gonna see a guy 30 years down the line -- we'll remember this the rest of our lives."
- RIT forward Carter Wilkie.
"The beautiful thing about our league is you have to play your way in, you have to earn your way in. I wouldn't want to play RIT right now. That's a really well-coached team."
- American International coach Eric Lang.
This article originally appeared on MPNnow: RIT men's hockey defeats American International for championship
