ROCHESTER, NY – Head Coach Wayne Wilson is proud to announce the RIT men’s hockey Class of 2019 on Thursday, July 9. Five first-year student-athletes, which includes four forwards and one goaltender will join the current squad.
“We are very excited about this class, that will fill a lot of needs,” said Wilson, now entering his 17th season at RIT in 2014-15. “We lost a lot of leadership and talent from last year’s team, but return our entire defensive unit. We like to play an up-tempo, exciting brand of hockey and this group will continue that level of play for us.”
Forwards Erik Brown (Keene, Ontario/Kemptville 73’s), Abbott Girduckis (Stirling, Ontario/Wellington Dukes), Liam Kerins (Caledon, Ontario/North York Rangers), and Mark Logan (Calgary, Alberta/Brooks Bandits) will help add depth and scoring to an offensive unit that was among the national leaders last season.
Brown, who stands 6-foot-2, played the last two seasons for the Kemptville 73’s of the Central Canadian Hockey League under former NHL goaltender Ron Tugnutt. Last season, Brown finished 10th in league scoring with 69 points on 30 goals and 39 assists in just 47 games, while earning CCHL Third Team All-Star honors. In two seasons with Kemptville, Brown recorded 61 goals and 60 assists in 97 games.
Girduckis played the last three seasons for the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. Last season, he tied for the team lead with 29 goals and added 32 assists for 61 points. He also added nine power-play and six game-winning tallies and was named the Dukes Sportsman of the Year. In three seasons with Dukes, the 6-foot-2 forward tallied 55 goals and 60 assists in 152 games.
Kerins, a strong, 6-1 forward, could emerge right away as one of RIT’s top goal scorers. In his final season with the North York Rangers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2013-14, Kerins finished fifth in league scoring with 74 points on 37 goals and 37 assists. His 37 goals and 13 power-play tallies were both tied for third in the OJHL. He added 67 points in 2012-13 with North York.
Logan played the last three seasons for the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League in 2014-15, helping lead the squad to the AJHL Championship round. Logan, a 5-11 playmaker, tallied 45 points on 22 goals and 23 assists in 59 regular season games and added 11 points in 20 postseason contests. He recorded 77 points in 144 career games with Brooks.
In goal, Christian Short (Woodbridge, Ontario/Surrey Eagles) will look to see time right away. Short, RIT’s tallest net minder at 6-foot-4, played the 2014-15 season with the Surrey Eagles of the British Columbia Hockey League. Despite playing on a team that won nine of 58 games, Short was a bright spot, picking up six of those victories, while compiling an .897 save percentage. He faced at least 40 shots in a game 12 times, while making a season-high 55 saves on two different occasions. The season before, he was a All-New England Prep School first team selection while with the Canterbury School.
“We had a lot of underclassmen step and play valuable roles last season, and I am confident our newcomers will do the same this year,” said Wilson, who signed a seven-year extension through the 2022 season on June 4.
The Tigers enter their 11th season at the NCAA Division I level. Last season, RIT (20-15-5) won its second Atlantic Hockey Conference Championship, and made its second trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament, advancing to the Midwest Regional final. The 2015-16 season begins on Oct. 3 with an exhibition contest against Ontario Institute of Technology. Ticket information for the 2015-16 season is available at www.rithockey.com.
