Hockey is an intense sport that requires athleticism, grit, integrity, and passion. RMU Men’s Ice Hockey Team exemplifies all these qualities on and off the ice arena. Their most recent achievements include: placing in the NCAA tournament (2014) and holding Atlantic Hockey regular season titles (2014-2015 and 2015-2016 season). In the 2016 – 2017 Atlantic Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll, RMU ranked sixth place and was in the Division 1 which included the Air Force, Army West Point, and other teams.
Not only do the Colonials possess spectacular athletic prowess, they are a bunch of highly intelligent young men. Last season, 24 of the players made it to the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team. In order to qualify for this prestigious honor, a player must have a 3.0 GPA or higher in all academic semesters. How does the RMU Hockey Team achieve this high caliber of brilliance? I say they have it all: talent, brawns and brains!
Special thanks to Ashley Chase – RMU hockey media coordinator for inviting me to the Media day/press conference. I was lucky enough to interact, interview and experience what makes this talent laden team so driven and extraordinarily special.
Team Leaders
Head Coach – Derek Schooley
Derek Schooley is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. Coach Schooley has been there since the start of the RMU hockey program when he was hired in 2003 as head coach (First ever varsity hockey coach in RMU history). Under his sterling leadership, the graduates of the 2016 class were the winningest in team history with 87 wins in the past four seasons. Also, nine of the players he coached went on to NHL rookie, training, and developmental camps. When recruiting new players, Coach Schooley looks for well-rounded individuals with athletic ability, work ethic, attitude, skill set, and passion.
Assistant Coach – Kody Van Rentergem
In September 2015, Kody Van Rentergem started his career with the RMU team as assistant coach. While serving as a team assistant for SUNY Fredonia, Coach Van Rentergem was the Blue Devils’s goaltender for three seasons. At Suny Fredonia, he also was involved in the “Learn to Play” program, which taught kids how to play hockey and got the Blue Devils involved with community service.
Assistant Coach – Michael Gershon
Michael Gershon has been with the RMU Colonials for two seasons. During the 2015-2016 season, Coach Gershon was the Coordinator of Hockey Operations. Then, he was promoted to Assistant Coach. Prior to RMU, Coach Gershon was a three-year NAHL head coach and was responsible for 31 players moving into college ranks. Also, he was a NCAA Division III Defenseman back in the day.
Captain and Defenseman – Rob Mann, #6
2015-2016 season, he was placed in the NCAA’s top 10 for the most number of blocks he made per game. In addition, he placed 6th nationwide for 94 blocks, and 4th for an average of 2.52 blocks per game. As evidenced, he is one of the three all time best defensemen in the history of RMU men’s ice hockey team.
Assistant Captain and Forward – Daniel Leavens, #26
Daniel Leavens is from Toronto, Ontario. He is a senior majoring in Sports Management. Before joining RMU, he played for the Newmarket Hurricanes on the OJHL league. Last season, Dan skated in all of the 39 games. His 18 goals and 11 assists makes him a leading returning goal scorer. When the RMU Colonials played against the Air Force on February 19th, he scored his first hat trick and contributed to a 7-4 win.
Assistant Captain and Forward, Ben Robillard, #22
Ben Robillard is from Ottawa, Ontario. He is a senior double majoring in Accounting and Finance. Ben was a former player for the Ottawa Jr. Senators on the CCHL league. Unfortunately, he has been sidelined due to numerous injuries and surgeries, but despite that, He played in 51 games and has scored 6 goals and 5 assists in his career.
Assistant Captain and Defenseman, Alex Bontje, #2
Alex Bontje is a native of Nobleton, Ontario. He is a junior majoring in Finance, and previously played for the Wenatchee Wild on the NAHL league. Alex is a double-digit scorer delivering 13 points on 2 goals and 11 assists with 50 blocked shots. These numbers played a pivotal role in being named one of the three best RMU Colonial defensemen.
Seniors
Goaltender, Dalton Izyk, #31
Dalton Izyk was born and raised in Oswego, New York. He is majoring in Accounting and Finance, and was a former player for the Indiana Ice on the USHL league. During his junior year, he had a 34-save shutout against Michigan and 40-save performance against the Air Force. Dalton had an injury in January 2016 that immobilized him for the rest of the season. However, he has made a full-recovery and is currently goaltending.
Defenseman, John Rey, #3
John Rey is from Turnersville, New Jersey. He is a double Finance and Accounting major. John previously played for the Amarillo Bulls on the NAHL league. With 15 points, 2 goals, and 13 assists, he was RMU’s second-best when it came to defense.
Juniors
Forward, Brady Ferguson, #12
Brady Ferguson is a native of Lewisville, Texas. Before commencing his collegiate career with RMU, he was with the Amarillo Bulls on the NAHL league. Last season, Brady played in all 39 games and scored 13 goals and 24 assists. Also, 15 of his 34 points made it to the NCAA’s best power plays.
Forward, Spencer Dorowicz, #15
Spencer Dorowicz comes from Olds, Alberta. He is a business major and was a former player for the Olds Grizzlys on the AJHL league. Spencer is a double-digit scorer. His total 16 points (Consisting of 5 goals and 11 assists) placed him in 3rd place amongst RMU underclassmen.
Forward, Timmy Moore, #20
Alex Dagnal was born and raised a Pittsburgher. He is currently majoring in Biology. His academic tenacity and 4.0 GPA made him Student-Athlete of the year. Before RMU, he was a part of Lone Star Brahmas on the NAHL league. Alex began his first season last year with 3 goals.
Forward, Elias Ghantous, #4
Elias Ghantous is a native of Ottawa, Ontario. He is majoring in Sports Management, and previously played for the Carleton Place Canadians on the CCHL league. Elias recorded two blocked shots, one shot on goal and a plus-one rating.
Defenseman, Robert Powers, #21
Robert Powers is from Ajax, Ontario. He is an Economics major and was part of the Toronto Lakeshore Patriots on the OJHL league. When the RMU Colonials faced the American International Yellow Jackets in a 7-1 win, he blocked 2 shots.
Forward, Michael Louria, #7
Michael Louria is a native of Gibraltar, Michigan. He is a former UMass Lowell hockey player. Since Michael is transferring and will have to abide by the NCAA transfer rules, he will sit the season.
Goaltender, Andrew Pikul, #30
Andrew Pikul hails from Cleveland, Ohio. He is a business major. On the CCHL league, he suited for the Brockville Braves. Last season, he played in 4 games. Andrew made 53 saves and did a 55-minute stint during the Air Force game last February. 19 of his 53 saves resulted in his longest career outing
Sophomores
Defenseman, Eric Israel, #8
Eric Israel was born and raised in Huntington Woods, Michigan. He is a former Brockville Braves player on the CCHL league. Eric is one of the three best RMU Colonial defensemen because of the 63 blocked shots, 2 goals, and 9 assists he made last season.
Forward, Kyle Horsman, #11
Forward, Brandon Watt, #17
Brandon Watt comes from Ottawa, Ontario. He used to play for the Ottawa Jr. Senators on the CCHL league. During his time with the Senators, his junior career included 280 games and 160 points. As a RMU Colonial, Brandon scored 2 points (1 goal and 1 assist).
Forward, Alex Tonge, #24
Alex Tonge hails from Kingston, Ontario. On the OJHL league, he was a part of the Kingston Voyageurs on the OJHL league. Because he scored 69 points, the OJHL named him a 2014-2015 second-team all-star.
Freshmen
Forward, Matt Graham, #44
Matt Graham is a native of Bedford, Nova Scotia. He was only 3 years old when he started skating in the backyard rink. His father wanted him to play hockey, and Matt fell in love with it right away. Before RMU, he was the alternate captain for Langley Rivermen on the BCHL league. He recorded eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in 8 games. Matt likes being a wing (also referred to a forward) position because he learns new steps, likes to use his speed, and does not have to work as hard on the Defensive Zone (It gives him more energy). Matt emphatically stated that he is honored to be a colonial!
Forward, Jacob Coleman, #27
Jacob Coleman is a native Pittsburgher. His older brother, AJ, started to play hockey when he was 3 or 4 years old. It was around the same age that Jake started playing too. He previously played for the Muskegon Lumberjacks on the USHL league where he skated in 49 games and scored 9 points (3 goals and 6 assists). He considers his competitiveness and speed to be his strengths as a player. Jake stated that although he is not that tall, he is fast and he likes to get in the corners and dash away with the puck. He wasn’t kidding! I watched him play with lightning speed and was amazed by his agility. Outside of hockey, Jake plays golf in his spare time.
Forward, Luke Lynch, #28
Luke Lynch is also a native Pittsburgher. He was the go to guy/player for the Johnstown Tomahawks on the NAHL league. With the Tomahawks, Luke had 22 goals and placed 2nd with 41 points. Because of this, he was in 11th place for leading scorers in the league. Luke likes playing forward because he can focus on defense and score goals. His favorite player is Sidney Crosby all because of the way Sid plays and carries himself (It is not surprising since Luke looks like him and can be mistaken as Sid’s brother or cousin).
Forward, Daniel Mantenuto, #9
Daniel Mantenuto is originally from Thornhill, Ontario. He joined the Aurora Tigers on the OJHL league when he was just 16 years old. With the Tigers, he played in 53 games with a total of 46 points (21 goals and 25 assists).
Forward, Chris Schutz, #16
Chris Schutz is a Fort Worth, Texas native. He was the assistant captain for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in the BCHL league. During his stint with said team, Chris played in 48 games and had 55 total points (34 goals and 21 assists). Currently, he is sidelined with an ankle injury, but is expected to return around late October. With his prolific track record and performance, Chris will surely contribute and add offensive power to the Colonials.
Forward, Michael Coyne, #18
Michael Coyne was born and raised in Buffalo, New York. Before RMU, he was a captain for the Wenatchee Wild on the BCHL league. In 58 games, he scored 16 goals and 31 assists.
Defenseman, Sean Giles, #5
Sean Giles is a native of Thornhill, Ontario. He was a former captain for the Lone Star Brahmas on the NAHL league. Sean scored 2 goals and 16 assists.
Forward, Kevin Lavoie, #10
Kevin Lavoie is from St. Catharines, Ontario. He is majoring in Nuclear Medicine On the OJHL League, he played 51 games for the Trenton Golden Hawks with 20 goals and 22 assists.
Defenseman, Alex Robert, #19
Alex Robert is a Novi, Michigan native. He transferred to 2 games in the 2015-2016 season. With the Waterloo Black Hawks, he scored 2 goals and 8 assists. Afterwards, he played in 11 games for the Madison Capitals on the USHL league.
Goaltender, Francis Marotte, #1
Francis Marotte is from Longueuil, Quebec. With the Nepean Raiders on the CCHL league, his goals against average was 3.02 and had a save percentage of .913.
The RMU Hockey Team is full of spectacular, sporty, smart individuals. Their teamwork and dedication to the sport is remarkable and awe-inspiring! Not to mention that the games are a must see! My friend and I went to the October 1st game against Queen’s University. It was our first RMU hockey game, and it was wonderful that they won 3-2 to the opponent in a shoot-out. We had tons of fun, and all of the Colonial fans were supportive. Hockey is such an exciting sport to watch. Please show support for the hockey team by going to the games (The schedule is attached in the link below). Our Hockey Team and RMU student body are an epitome of what it means to have colonial pride on and off the ice.
