Men’s hockey captain prepares for season opener

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Brady Norrish, a third-year business management student, is entering his third season of play with the RIT men’s hockey team.

Brady Norrish, a third-year business management student, is entering his third season of play with the RIT men’s hockey team. Norrish, from Strongfield, Saskatchewan, is one of three captains leading the team this year. He is joined by his brother, Chase Norrish, and Myles Powell. In his time away from the classroom and rink, Norrish enjoys farming, fishing and golfing.

The RIT men’s hockey team will compete in its season opener against Robert Morris University at 7:05 p.m. tonight at the Gene Polisseni Center.

Question: What brought you to RIT?
Answer: The hockey program was what really brought me to RIT. I was recruited by Brian Hills out of the league that I was playing in at the time, and he offered my brother and me the chance to come out for a visit to see the school and watch a game in Ritter arena. The atmosphere was incredible, and the school was gorgeous. RIT also has a great business program, so all of that together brought me to RIT.

Q: How do you find the balance between school and hockey, and what’s the most challenging part of being a student-athlete at RIT?
A: The balance between school and hockey is just something that you have to sort out as a collegiate athlete. Work needs to be done, so you either find a way to do it and manage yourself properly or you fail and are unable to hold a spot in the lineup. That's it. Just like any athlete here, you take it one day at a time and try not to let the stress get to you because that only makes things worse. Finding the balance helps you to mature as a person and player.

Q: What is your favorite thing about being a student-athlete at RIT?
A: Student-athletes are treated very well at RIT. Our fan base is amazing, and most of the professors are more than willing to accommodate our schedules. It’s fun to play hockey at a place where the school gets behind you and supports you fully.

Q: Not only are you and your twin brother teammates, you are co-captains. What’s it like to hold a leadership role at this level, alongside Chase? Did you always want to play at the same school?
A: It's always a great honor to be recognized as a captain. I think that Chase feels the same way. We always try to lead by example and to be the best teammates that we can be, on and off the ice. Holding a leadership role is very humbling, but our team is full of veterans who lead on the ice, excel in the classroom and are great teammates. It makes the job that much easier. One of the big reasons that Chase and I came to RIT was because we were offered positions together. It was easier on our family having us both in the same place, and we were glad to be able to stay together.

Q: What’s it like to come off of back-to-back AHC championships? Do you feel like you have a target on your back going into your first game of conference play?
A: It’s a great feeling. We accomplished a lot in the past two years, but that’s now a part of the past, and this is a whole new year. We are looking forward to the season and hope to have another successful year. We are going to play good, hard Tiger hockey every night whether there is a target on our back or not. We hope to rise to the challenge. There are a lot of great teams in the league, and we can't afford to take a night off.

Q: What do you do to prepare yourself for home games? Do you have any pregame rituals?
A: I have a cup of coffee before the game, and I tie my left skate first.

Q: What is one of your proudest moments as a Tiger?
A: Freshman year when we knocked off the No. 1 ranked team in the country in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Q: What are your plans following your time at RIT? Do you hope to go on to play professionally?
A: I definitely hope to continue to play and to pursue my hockey career professionally.

Lauren Peace compiles “Student Spotlight” for University News. 

Brady Norrish