Hockey 101: How to become a superfan

OK, Tiger fans. It’s time to sharpen your knowledge of the RIT hockey program now that the men’s team has advanced to the NCAA Hockey Tournament.

Afterall, you want to appear to be the smartest person at Thursday's viewing party being hosted at the Gene Polisseni Center.

So, let’s load up on some history and fun facts about the program:

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The women’s hockey team won the NCAA Division III crown in 2012 and elevated to Division I that same year.

• While hockey was unofficially played by RIT students in the 1950s (even at one time being named the Techmen with blue and gray uniforms), it wasn’t until the 1961-1962 season that a team was officially sanctioned by the university.
• The team’s goal (pun 100 percent intended) this year is to win an unprecedented triple crown in hockey by winning the Division I national title. The Tigers already captured the Division II crown in 1983 followed by a Division III title in 1985. The men’s team moved to Division I in 2005.
• The women’s hockey team won the NCAA Division III crown in 2012 and elevated to Division I that year.
• All three of these NCAA championship trophies are displayed in the Gene Polisseni Center.
• RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson and Associate Head Coach Brian Hills already have a national championship ring. The duo were the captains of the 1984 championship team at Bowling Green.
• RIT Head Coach Wayne Wilson is in his 25th season at the helm of the Tigers. He was just named Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year and is the ranked 34th all time in NCAA wins.
• With 30,000 plus in attendance, the Tigers have played in one of the largest indoor hockey competitions in history when they squared off against the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2010 Frozen Four. The Frozen Four was hosted that year at Ford Field in Detroit.
  • That year, the Tigers regularly played in sold-out Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena. Capacity: 2,100.
• David vs. Goliath?
  • RIT’s opponent, Boston University, currently has 17 players in the National Hockey League. RIT has one, Chris Tanev of the Dallas Stars, who played on the 2010 Frozen Four team.
  • The Terriers currently have 13 NHL draft picks on their roster. RIT has none.
  • Macklin Celebrini, Boston’s freshman center and youngest player in the NCAA at 17, is the consensus top prospect for the 2024 NHL Draft.
  • This is the first time RIT and Boston University have faced each other.
• After the amazing 2010 Frozen Four run, university officials decided it was time to build a larger arena then Frank Ritter. The “Power Plan” campaign was on to build a new arena.
  • RIT alumni Stephen Schultz ’89 (computer science) and his wife, Vicki Schultz ’94 (business administration), ’99 (MBA), presented the campaign’s opening gift of $1 million. A founding member of RIT’s colorful Corner Crew cheering section, Schultz considers this donation an extension of his ongoing loyalty to the Tigers.
• This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Polisseni Center.
• There is one lone orange seat at Polisseni. That seat is in honor of Green B. Williams ’78 (business administration), a former RIT goaltender. After graduating, Williams enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, where he served with distinction. Tragically, he was killed in a pilot-training accident on March 21, 1984

So, are you ready to cheer on the Tigers with your superfan knowledge? If you want to learn more, there is even a book published by RIT Press, Frozen in Time: The History of RIT Hockey.

Get your game on and Go Tigers!