Last winter, a strong contingent of British Columbia Hockey League alumni helped the Rochester Institute of Technology men’s hockey team compete in the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament for the first time since 2016.
In the national tournament, the No. 15-seeded Tigers lost 6-3 to No. 2-seeded Boston University in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Terriers featured Macklin Celebrini, who was later selected first overall by the San Jose Sharks in the 2024 National Hockey League draft.
RIT earned its berth in the 16-team tournament by winning the Atlantic Hockey Championship. On its way to that title, the Rochester, New York-based school squad won five straight games, outscoring its opponents 26-6. At home for the championship tilt, the Tigers beat American International College 5-2. Eight former BCHL players played roles in RIT’s successful season.
“We recruit in the BCHL because we know we are getting not only a great hockey player but a great student and person,” said RIT head coach Wayne Wilson. “The coaches in the BCHL prepare their players for the difficulties of playing at the next level and beyond. We find the players are ready for the next challenge and adjust quickly to the higher speed and strength that they face after playing in the BCHL. We have had great success in the BCHL.”
RIT seniors helped lead the way
The trip to the national tournament wrapped up a stellar career at RIT for defender Aiden Hansen-Bukata, who played for the Nanaimo Clippers from 2018 to 2020. and had a handful of contests with the Surrey Eagles in 2016-17 as an affiliate player. Hansen-Bukata scored five goals and accumulated 31 points in 37 games for RIT last season and is only the third RIT defender to have multiple 30-point seasons.
Hansen-Bukata finished his NCAA career tied for 27th all-time in Division I hockey at RIT with 78 points and tied for sixth among defenders. Last season Hansen-Bukata was named Atlantic Hockey Second Team All-Conference and Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team.
Fellow senior Dimitri Mikrogiannakis was also a key player on the Tigers backend. He had two goals and seven assists in 40 games in 2023-24 and was named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team. Mikrogiannakis played for the Cowichan Valley Capitals from 2018 to 2020. RIT has announced that Mikrogiannakis will be back for a fifth season in 2024-25.
Senior goalie Daniel Chenard helped the RIT Tigers on the ice and excelled in the classroom. He was named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team for the fourth straight season and was a Co-Student-Athlete of the Year for the fourth time. The Civil Engineering Technology major posted a 4.0 grade point average for the fourth consecutive season for both semesters.
Last season, Chenard won both games he played for RIT. In his BCHL career, he spent two seasons with Chilliwack Chiefs from 2017 to 2019, helping them win the 2018 Royal Bank Cup national junior A championship. He capped his junior career with the Wenatchee Wild in 2019-20.
Wilkie and Scarfone transfer from RIT
Junior forward Carter Wilkie played a huge role for RIT last season. He scored 16 goals, tied for the team lead in points with 41, and is only the third Tiger in RIT’s Division I era to have back-to-back 40-point seasons. Wilkie was a nominee for the Hobey Baker National Player of the Year award, an Atlantic Hockey First Team All-Conference selection, and a member of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team.
The 2023 Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year has opted to transfer to the University of North Dakota for 2024-25. He leaves RIT as the eighth leading scorer in its Division I era with 111 points. Wilkie is the fourth-fastest Tiger in this era to reach 100 points, doing so in 107 games.
Before coming to RIT, Wilkie developed his game in the BCHL. He was with the Chilliwack Chiefs in 2018-19 and split the following season between them and the West Kelowna Warriors. He wrapped up his junior career with a full season for the Warriors in 2020-21.
Junior standout goalie Tommy Scarfone is also transferring away from the Tigers and has landed at the University of Wisconsin. The netminder had three strong seasons at RIT after playing with the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles from 2019 to 2021. Scarfone departs Rochester as the winningest goaltender in RIT’s Division I era with a 55-29-4 record. He also made a program-record 2,494 saves.
Scarfone is the lone Division I RIT goalie with multiple 20-win seasons and multiple seasons with more than 900 saves. Last season, he had a 2.26 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage. Among his honours were being named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Year, Atlantic Hockey First Team All-Conference, a Hobey Baker nomination, a semifinalist for the Mike Richter Award for Division I outstanding goaltender, and Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team.
Ex-BCHLers help the Tigers succeed
After starring in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, Tanner Andrew suited up for 20 BCHL contests with Chilliwack in a 2020-21 season altered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last season, the junior forward scored six goals and 21 points in 38 games for RIT. He earned Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team honours.
Sophomore forward Adam Jeffery had a goal and an assist in 11 games last season. The Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team selection played in Alberni Valley in 2020-21. The following season, he suited up for four games with the Cowichan Valley Capitals before finishing his junior career in Ontario.
Defender Douglas Scott finished his junior hockey career captaining the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Humboldt Broncos. Before that, he spent time with the Coquitlam Express (2017-18), Cowichan Valley Capitals (2018-19), and Vernon Vipers and Merritt Centennials (2019-20). In his second season at RIT in 2023-24, Scott saw action in seven games as a junior.
