ROCHESTER, NY – Bruce B. Bates Women’s Hockey Coach Scott McDonald announced on Friday, July 1 that former RIT men’s hockey standout goaltender Shane Madolora will join the RIT women’s hockey staff as an assistant coach for the 2016-17 season.
Originally from Salinas, Calif, Madolora played three seasons for the Tigers from 2009-2012, recording a bevy of individual honors, while setting RIT records with a 1.98 goals against average, a .932 save percentage, and 13 shutouts. He is second among all goaltenders in RIT’s Division I era with 1,727 saves and recorded a microscopic 1.57 goals against average and .945 save percentage in the postseason. Madolora was a nine-time Atlantic Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week and back-to-back All-AHA first team selection.
“We are proud to welcome Shane back to Rochester and the RIT community,” said McDonald, who enters his 11th season at the university. “His knowledge and experience of being a former RIT and professional hockey player will be invaluable to our current student-athletes and will certainly help while he is recruiting prospective student-athletes.”
In his two seasons as the starting goaltender, Madolora was 35-12-12. Overall, he was 36-14-12, while appearing in 65 contests. His 36 career wins are third most by a RIT net minder at the Division I level.
After serving as the backup to Jared DeMichiel during RIT’s Frozen Four run in 2009-10, Madolora emerged as the starting goaltender early in the 2010-11 season and excelled, leading all of Division I with a .935 save percentage and six shutouts, while finishing third overall with a 1.93 goals against average and fourth with a .759 winning percentage, going 17-3-7. Madolora, the 2011 Atlantic Hockey Association Goaltender of the Year and Inside College Hockey (INCH) Second Team All-American, started the season with a 20-game unbeaten streak (14-0-6) and was a five-time AHA Goaltender of the Week.
He was the RIT Senior Male Athlete of the Year in 2012. In his final season between the pipes, Madolora finished 18-9-5 and set the single-season record with a 1.93 goals against average. He tied for the Division I lead with a single-season school record seven shutouts, was sixth nationally in goals against average and seventh with a .931 save percentage. Madolora earned All-Atlantic Hockey Association first team honors for the second straight season, won the RIT Corner Crew Fan’s Choice Award and was named to the Catamount Cup All-Tournament Team.
“I would like to thank (Executive Athletic Director) Lou Spiotti and Scott McDonald for welcoming me back to the RIT family,” said Madolora. “Rochester and RIT have always been a special place for me ever since my first day on campus as a student athlete on the men’s hockey team. I am extremely fortunate for the opportunity to transition from playing professionally in the United States and Europe to coaching at the highest level of NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey.”
Madolora received his bachelor’s degree in business management from RIT in 2012 and also served as a student worker in the athletics office and equipment cage. In 2012, he was named to the AHA All-Academic Team.
“I am excited to get back to campus this summer and to get to work preparing for the upcoming season,” said Madolora. “I am eager to pass along my experiences and knowledge to our current student athletes and future incoming recruiting classes.”
After leaving RIT, Madolora played professionally for three seasons in North America with the Stockton Thunder and Las Vegas Wranglers of the East Coast Hockey League, Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League, and Tulsa Oilers of the Central Hockey League. He played the 2014-15 season with Briancon in France and most recently with the Nottingham Panthers of the Elite Ice Hockey League in England and HC Valpellice of Italy in 2015-16.
“Shane has a clear understanding of the mental and physical preparation it takes to become a champion,” said McDonald. “I can’t wait for him to get started working with our team on a daily basis.”
Madolora will work with the RIT goaltenders, alongside fellow assistant Matt Woodard, assisting McDonald in all aspects of the program. Madolora replaces Lisa Marshall, who is now an assistant coach at Penn State University.
