# 2024–25 RIT Tigers men's ice hockey season

The 2024–25 RIT Tigers men's ice hockey season was the 61st season of play for the program, the 20th at the Division I level and the 1st in Atlantic Hockey America. The Tigers represented the Rochester Institute of Technology in the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at the Gene Polisseni Center and were coached by Wayne Wilson in his 26th season.

## Season

Fresh off of one of the best seasons in program history, RIT was expected to take a small step back but was still thought of as one of the top teams in Atlantic Hockey America. The loss of several star players, including its top four scorers and starting goaltender, diminished the lineup but did not completely denude the team of talent. However, once the season was underway, it became apparent that not all of the holes in the lineup had been plugged. The offense was a little slow out of the gate thanks in no small part to Matthew Wilde missing the first month of the season due to a preseason injury. Even after his return, the scoring never quite got up to snuff; beyond the top line the Tigers had a great deal of trouble scoring and saw their goal total nearly cut in half.
A bigger problem for the Tigers came in goal. Senior transfer Trent Burnham very soon proved himself to not be up to the task as the team's starting netminder. This left coach Wilson to rely mostly on the Jakub Krbeček, a freshmen who wasn't quite used to the pace of the college game. The lack of scoring and the inconsistent play in goal put RIT in a bad spot throughout the first half of the season. The Tigers were able to win just 4 of their first 19 matches and had them mired near the bottom of the standings. Things didn't much better for the club after returning from the winter break. Even with Ethan David thrown into the mix in goal, the Tigers went 1–6 after their return to play and looked to be heading for their worst season as a Division I program. Right at the end of January, Krbeček turned in his best performance all season, allowing the Tigers to sweep their first weekend series all season at Air Force. Just when it looked like their luck might have turned, everything went pair-shaped in the next game when they were hammered by Holy Cross in the worst outing of the campaign. After Krbeček allowed 7 goals in the first period, David took over and remained in the crease for the remainder of the season.
While RIT finished the final two weeks of the regular season by winning each of their games (once in a shootout), that only allowed them to finish 9th in the conference standings. While the team got a solid performance in goal, the offense faltered and the Tigers were only able to scrounge a single goal. The overtime loss ended a rather forgettable season for the program.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Gianfranco Cassaro | Defenseman | Canada | Graduation (signed with Lehigh Valley Phantoms) |
| Daniel Chenard | Goaltender | Canada | Graduation (retired) |
| Elijah Gonsalves | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Cincinnati Cyclones) |
| Aiden Hansen-Bukata | Defenseman | Canada | Graduate transfer to Ohio State |
| Cody Laskosky | Forward | Canada | Graduate transfer to Wisconsin |
| Luke Lush | Goaltender | Canada | Graduation (signed with Tulsa Oilers) |
| Caleb Moretz | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Ryan Nicholson | Defenseman | Canada | Graduation (signed with Savannah Ghost Pirates) |
| Tommy Scarfone | Goaltender | Canada | Transferred to Wisconsin |
| Carter Wilkie | Forward | Canada | Transferred to North Dakota |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Tristan Allen | Defenseman | Canada | 21 | Kamloops, BC |
| Trent Burnham | Goaltender | United States | 24 | Eagle River, AK; transfer from Lindenwood |
| Nick Cafarelli | Forward | United States | 22 | Middleton, MA; graduate transfer from New Hampshire |
| Mathieu Cobetto-Roy | Forward | United States | 20 | Outremont, QC |
| Mason Croucher | Defenseman | Canada | 20 | Victoria, BC |
| Ethan David | Goaltender | Canada | 20 | Vancouver, BC |
| Jakub Krbeček | Goaltender | Czech Republic | 21 | Prague, CZE |
| Kevin Marx Norén | Forward | Sweden | 22 | Knivsta, SWE; transfer from Northern Michigan |
| Ty Whyte | Forward | Canada | 21 | Richmond, ON |
| Ryan Williams | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Pleasantville, OH |

## Roster

As of September 10, 2024.

## Standings

2024–25 Atlantic Hockey America Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OW | OL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| Holy Cross † | 26 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 56 | 92 | 47 | 37 | 22 | 13 | 2 | 119 | 85 |
| Sacred Heart | 26 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 53 | 80 | 64 | 37 | 21 | 11 | 5 | 116 | 93 |
| Bentley | 26 | 16 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 51 | 79 | 57 | 36 | 20 | 14 | 2 | 100 | 75 |
| Niagara | 26 | 15 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 48 | 90 | 70 | 37 | 18 | 16 | 3 | 124 | 109 |
| Army | 26 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 84 | 74 | 36 | 16 | 18 | 2 | 102 | 109 |
| Canisius | 26 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 38 | 84 | 79 | 37 | 12 | 23 | 2 | 98 | 120 |
| Air Force | 26 | 11 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 37 | 59 | 58 | 40 | 16 | 21 | 3 | 86 | 112 |
| American International | 26 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 31 | 63 | 77 | 38 | 13 | 23 | 2 | 92 | 117 |
| RIT | 26 | 9 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 28 | 65 | 102 | 35 | 10 | 23 | 2 | 82 | 133 |
| Robert Morris | 26 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 27 | 72 | 86 | 35 | 10 | 20 | 5 | 95 | 115 |
| Mercyhurst | 26 | 4 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 59 | 113 | 35 | 4 | 27 | 4 | 77 | 150 |
| Championship: March 22, 2025 † indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy) * indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll Updated: March 10, 2025 |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 5 | 7:00 pm | at St. Lawrence* | Appleton Arena • Canton, New York | ESPN+ | Burnham | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 1,235 | 0–1–0 |
| October 6 | 4:00 pm | at Clarkson* | Cheel Arena • Potsdam, New York | ESPN+ | Krbeček | W 3–2 | 2,136 | 1–1–0 |
| October 11 | 7:00 pm | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Burnham | L 2–4 | 876 | 1–2–0 (0–1–0) |
| October 12 | 4:00 pm | at Mercyhurst | Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Krbeček | W 4–2 | 939 | 2–2–0 (1–1–0) |
| October 19 | 7:05 pm | Bowling Green* | Blue Cross Arena • Rochester, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 10,566 | 2–3–0 |
| October 25 | 7:05 pm | Colgate* | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 4–5 | 3,170 | 2–4–0 |
| October 26 | 5:05 pm | Colgate* | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Burnham | L 3–4 | 2,857 | 2–5–0 |
| October 30 | 7:05 pm | at Niagara | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 1–4 | 883 | 2–6–0 (0–1–0) |
| November 8 | 7:00 pm | at Bentley | Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Burnham | L 0–5 | 1,050 | 2–7–0 (0–2–0) |
| November 9 | 4:00 pm | at Bentley | Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Krbeček | W 6–2 | 1,234 | 3–7–0 (1–2–0) |
| November 15 | 7:05 pm | Army | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 1–5 | 4,300 | 3–8–0 (1–3–0) |
| November 16 | 7:05 pm | Army | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 2–4 | 3,768 | 3–9–0 (1–4–0) |
| November 22 | 7:00 pm | at Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut | FloHockey | Burnham | L 2–3 | 2,505 | 3–10–0 (1–5–0) |
| November 23 | 7:00 pm | at Sacred Heart | Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut | FloHockey | Krbeček | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 2,910 | 3–10–1 (1–5–1) |
| November 29 | 7:00 pm | at New Hampshire* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | Krbeček | L 1–5 | 3,717 | 3–11–1 |
| November 30 | 4:00 pm | at New Hampshire* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+ | David | L 1–6 | 3,619 | 3–12–1 |
| December 3 | 7:05 pm | Canisius | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 4–6 | 1,923 | 3–13–1 (1–6–1) |
| December 6 | 7:05 pm | Robert Morris | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Burnham | L 3–7 | 2,888 | 3–14–1 (1–7–1) |
| December 7 | 5:05 pm | Robert Morris | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | David | W 4–3 | 2,613 | 4–14–1 (2–7–1) |
| December 29 | 3:00 pm | at Bowling Green* | Slater Family Ice Arena • Bowling Green, Ohio | Midco Sports+ | Krbeček | L 1–2 | 3,297 | 4–15–1 |
| January 4 | 5:05 pm | Guelph* | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York (Exhibition) | FloHockey | David | W 5–3 | 1,104 | |
| January 10 | 7:00 pm | at Canisius | LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 2–5 | 855 | 4–16–1 (2–8–1) |
| January 11 | 7:00 pm | at Canisius | LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York | FloHockey | David | L 2–5 | 1,064 | 4–17–1 (2–9–1) |
| January 17 | 7:05 pm | at Robert Morris | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 1–6 | 903 | 4–18–1 (2–10–1) |
| January 18 | 7:05 pm | at Robert Morris | Clearview Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | FloHockey | Burnham | W 3–2 | 785 | 5–18–1 (3–10–1) |
| January 24 | 7:05 pm | Niagara | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Burnham | L 0–7 | 3,946 | 5–19–1 (3–11–1) |
| January 25 | 5:05 pm | Niagara | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 3–6 | 4,300 | 5–20–1 (3–12–1) |
| January 31 | 10:00 pm | at Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena • USAF Academy, Colorado | FloHockey | Krbeček | W 2–1 | 2,327 | 6–20–1 (4–12–1) |
| February 1 | 8:00 pm | at Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena • USAF Academy, Colorado | FloHockey | Krbeček | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 2,586 | 7–20–1 (5–12–1) |
| February 7 | 7:05 pm | Holy Cross | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | Krbeček | L 2–9 | 2,615 | 7–21–1 (5–13–1) |
| February 8 | 5:05 pm | Holy Cross | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | David | L 0–3 | 3,162 | 7–22–1 (5–14–1) |
| February 14 | 7:05 pm | American International | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | David | W 3–0 | 2,517 | 8–22–1 (6–14–1) |
| February 15 | 7:05 pm | American International | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | David | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 2,617 | 8–22–2 (6–14–2) |
| February 21 | 7:05 pm | Mercyhurst | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | David | W 3–2 | 3,045 | 9–22–2 (7–14–2) |
| February 22 | 5:05 pm | Mercyhurst | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | FloHockey | David | W 6–3 | 3,138 | 10–22–2 (8–14–2) |
| Atlantic Hockey Tournament ||||||||||
| February 28 | 6:05 pm | vs. American International* | Tate Rink • West Point, New York (AHA First Round) | FloHockey | David | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 171 | 10–23–2 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Tyler Fukakusa | C | 35 | 9 | 27 | 36 | 18 |
| Matthew Wilde | LW | 27 | 18 | 14 | 32 | 24 |
| Christian Catalano | RW | 33 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 73 |
| Tanner Andrew | C | 34 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 33 |
| Xavier Lapointe | D | 27 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 45 |
| Tristan Allen | D | 33 | 2 | 13 | 15 | 45 |
| Simon Isabelle | RW | 35 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 12 |
| Dimitri Mikrogiannakis | D | 30 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 17 |
| Grady Hobbs | LW/RW | 31 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Nicholas Cafarelli | F | 33 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 34 |
| Philippe Jacques | C | 34 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Crossley Stewart | D | 24 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 21 |
| Tyler Mahan | LW | 35 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 |
| Ty Whyte | C | 27 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 26 |
| Kevin Scott | D | 35 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| Adam Jeffery | LW | 26 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Mathieu Cobetto-Roy | F | 29 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Gustav Blom | D | 26 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Evan Miller | C | 28 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Doug Scott | D | 28 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| Kevin Marx Norén | LW/RW | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jakub Krbeček | G | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Ryan Williams | D | 29 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Trent Burnham | G | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Ethan David | G | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason Croucher | D | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Total | | | 82 | 137 | 219 | 461 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Ethan David | 12 | 650:18 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 29 | 290 | 1 | .909 | 2.68 |
| Jakub Krbeček | 19 | 1001:07 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 65 | 540 | 0 | .893 | 3.90 |
| Trent Burnham | 10 | 456:01 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 195 | 0 | .855 | 4.34 |
| Empty Net | - | 20:36 | - | - | - | 6 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 35 | 2128:02 | 10 | 23 | 2 | 133 | 1025 | 1 | .885 | 3.75 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | | | |
| USA Hockey | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | | | |
Note: Neither USCHO nor USA Hockey released a poll in week 12.