Rotolo's hot start puts new spin on RIT's season

Hours before RIT's hockey game against St. Lawrence on Nov. 23, freshman goaltender Mike Rotolo received a text from coach Wayne Wilson.

"You're starting tonight," the text read.

Rotolo was floored. He was also extremely excited and just a tad nervous about his first collegiate start.

"I didn't see it coming," the Rochester native says. "I called my parents, and of course my dad called all my relatives because it was a home game."

Rotolo wasn't great that night — he allowed four goals and recorded 26 saves — but RIT won 6-4. Wilson decided to give him another shot last weekend, and he stopped 64 of 66 shots in two wins against Sacred Heart en route to being named Atlantic Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week.

He enters this weekend's two-game home series against American International 3-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and 90 saves. He has supplanted junior Jordan Ruby as the starter and helped wake up a Tigers team that began the year 1-7-2.

"He has been very good, and he has gotten better each game," says Wilson, who will continue to play the hot hand in goal. "We needed a spark, and he gave it to us."

Rotolo was named Atlantic Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week after two sparkling games last weekend against Sacred Heart. He stopped 64 of 66 shots and posted his first career shutout.

He has been playing hockey since he was 4. As a freshman at Greece Athena, he was the backup goalie on the Greece Lightning powerhouse that won a state high school title. He was undefeated in seven starts for the 27-0 Lightning.

Rotolo played two seasons for the Buffalo Regals 18-under Midget team, then was drafted by the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League.

"It was pretty amazing because we played right across the street from Lambeau Field (home of the Packers)," he says.

Rotolo went 13-2-1 with a 2.15 goals-against average in the 2011-12 season, leading Green Bay to the Clark Cup championship. He split last year between Green Bay and USHL rival Cedar Rapids, going 19-14-4 with a 2.78 GAA.

Rotolo originally committed to St. Lawrence but soon realized it wasn't the place for him. He has always wanted to play for RIT, his hometown team, and after he decommitted with St. Lawrence, Wilson offered him a spot.

"Mike plays with a lot of energy," the 15th-year coach says. "He's a chatterbox, always talking to his teammates and keeping them up. He's done a great job for us."

There's no place like home, says Rotolo, who watched numerous games at Ritter Arena with his dad.

"I just love the idea of playing Division I hockey in my hometown," he says. "You can't beat it."

Ruby was the undisputed starter when the season began, but the Ontario, Canada, native has struggled. He posted a 3.67 GAA and an .889 save percentage in 10 starts (with only one victory).

Wilson decided a change was in order, and Rotolo has made him look like a genius over the past three games.

"I'm just doing my job," he says. "My job is to allow fewer goals than the other goalie."

The 6-foot-1, 245-pound Rotolo isn't the only local talent helping the Tigers. Sophomore forward Dan Schuler (Webster) has six goals and four assists and ranks third on RIT's scoring list. Freshman forward Garrett McMullen (Churchville) has been limited to three games because of illness but is plus-1 in his limited time.

"Dan is really forging a path for future Section V players," Wilson says. "Perhaps we were too critical of local talent. These guys have really opened our eyes."

Rotolo is a criminal justice major, and his dream is to become a crime scene investigator. Right now he's stopping opponents dead in their tracks.

JMAND@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/jmand1