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…
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