JOURNEY OF IT w a s s e c ond p er io d
MEN’S MOVE TO DIVISION I
and t he game was
In truth, the move to Division I and the suc-
tied. It could go either
cess in reaching the Frozen Four is not all that
Coach Wayne Wilson was quoted, “We accept this
w a y, I f r e t t e d , m y
surprising to many. In Jared’s sophomore year,
challenge, we do expect to win hockey games … I
sweat y hands g r ip -
the team had an undefeated season, losing
am confident we can compete in our conference
pi ng t he st ick y ba r
only when they got to the playoffs in the na-
and ultimately win our conference.” Five years
table. Then, in what
tional championship game. Said Jared, “From
later, Wilson’s prediction and more came true.
seemed like a matter of seconds, RIT scored
that point on, you would hear the common-
This season, the road to the Frozen Four was
three goals. Suddenly it was 4-1. From there, it
place whisper about the program taking the
a fairytale. Like Reporter, the men’s hockey cel-
seemed like a downhill slide into a win against
next step to the Division I level.”
ebrated its own 100th accomplishment when
University of New Hampshire and a place in the Frozen Four. On March 27, 2010, I watched RIT make history from an unlikely place. Snuggled in the corner of a bar called The Famished Frog in Northern New Jersey, four devoted RIT hockey fans watched their team fight for glory. Two of the four spectators were hockey alumni, Julie Conlon (formerly Romans) and Jared Conlon. Julie wore an RIT women’s hockey shirt, Jared a men’s hockey hat. When asked to reflect back on his own experiences in RIT hockey, Jared described them as “the best years of my life.”
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN “Rochester who?” wrote David Goricki, a journalist for the Detroit News. He continued, “That’s pretty much the reaction the private university gets when its name is placed with traditional hockey powers.” As Goricki described, the Division I newcomers were causing quite a few double-takes — both by the media and by college hockey fans across the nation. Yet despite the lack of name recognition, RIT’s program has been established for some time. RIT’s program began in 1962. They played 10 games against local teams such as Hobart and the University of Rochester. Men’s hockey became a varsity sport in 1965 and ended the season with a 15-5 record. From there, hockey was on the road to Division I.
40 100th Anniversary | 04.30.10
When asked about the move to Division I in the
Spring 2005 issue of RIT’s “University Magazine”,