Chris Rotolo

@rote7123

The Ice Knights home opener is set for Sept. 30 at ProSkate against Navy

Middletown North alum James Felice will captain Rutgers for the 2nd straight season

Brian Gnad returns after leading Rutgers in scoring a season ago

Middletown South alum Chris Marisllo is a 2nd-year starter in net for Rutgers

The Ice Knights are set to defend the Rutgers kingdom.

Rutgers University Ice Hockey opens its 2016-17 campaign on Thursday and will do so with American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHS) National Tournament hopes hovering above this veteran-laden club.

“We really want to get ourselves back to the National Tournament, and not just get back there but make some noise,” Rutgers Head Coach Martin Bernstein said of his club, which is ranked No. 20 in the ACHA Division 1 Pre-Season Top 25 Poll.

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And post-season tournament competition shouldn’t be viewed as such a lofty goal for this group, which gained significant ground a season ago when it improved to a mark of 12-12-1 after compiling just four wins in 2014-15.

Further growth is expected from his group as the Ice Knights will return eight of its top 10 scorers from last year, as well as its top six defensemen.

The Defensive End: Berstein is especially excited about his defensive corps, as he believes the Ice Knights personality is derived from its play in the defensive end and a corps of experienced blue liners fronted by Randolph alumni Brenden Seigal and Rob Bollinder, as well former Middletown North captain and current Rutgers captain James Felice.

“We’re very focused defensively. Our defense is the foundation of this team. We believe that everything has to start from that point. You have to be strong in your own end, before you can go play offense,” Bernstein said.

In the Crease: Being strong in your own end is also predicated on play in net, and Rutgers will go to battle with a talented senior manning the crease in Chris Marsillo, a Middletown South alum who started all 25 games the Ice Knights last season.

“Chris has looked great in the first couple of weeks of practice and compared to where he was at this point last year, he’s way ahead of the game,” Berstien said of Marsillo, who posted a save-percentage of .890 last year to go with a 3.36 goals-against average. “Chris is our rock back there, and he really gives us an opportunity to win every game we’re in, and that’s really all you can ask from your goalie.”

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The Offensive Zone: Rutgers will also return its leading scorer in Kinnelon product Brian Gnad, who delivered 45 points on 21 goals and 24 assists in 2015-16. Gnad shared a top line with Wall Township alum Kevin Fitch a season ago, and Bernstein expects the duo to harness the same chemistry that allowed the latter to also finish as better than a point-per game scorer with six goals and 24 assists.

“Though we’re focused defensively, we want to be able to get north and play a speed game, and with guys like Brian and Kevin at the top I know we have the personnel to do that. We have some very fast players on our team and I want to utilize their speed and give them some freedom to run.

New to the Ice Knights: Freehold native Joe DeLandro will be an exciting addition to Rutgers roster after putting up 36 points in 2014-15 for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knigts of the Metropolitan Jr. Hockey League, before spending parts of last year with the Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL), the Gloucester Rangers (CCHL) and the Portland Jr. Pirates (USPHL – Premier).

Rutgers Ice Knights Roster

Forwards: 6 James Summers (National Park, NJ), 7 Victor McCutcheon (Cortland, NY), 9 Brian Gnad (Kinnelon, NJ), 11 Matt Langlois (Middletown, NJ), 12 Kevin Fitch (Wall Township, NJ), 15 Edward Parfitt (Fords, NJ), 17 Nick Holowko (Randolph, NJ), 19 Andrew Yasenchock (Little Egg Harbor, NJ), 20 Griffin Privitera (Old Tappan, NJ), 21 Joeseph DeLandro (Freehold, NJ), 23 Mitch Crenshaw (Toms River, NJ), 24 Tyler Mischenko (Boynton Beach, FL), 26 Kevin Rivera (Belmar, NJ), 27 Chris Holowko (Randolph, NJ), 44 Vinny Addeo (Hoboken, NJ), 61 Timothy Bizub (Colonia, NJ), 81 Tyler Gutierrez (Mahwah, NJ), 93 C.J. Maksut (Saco, ME).

Defensemen: 2 James Felice (Middletown, NJ), 8 Ross Asroff (Cherry Hill, NJ), 13 Brendan Siegal (Randolph, NJ), 16 David Stickle (Monmouth Beach, NJ), 25 Hunter Rule (Kendall Park, NJ), 47 Ned Richard (Kennebunk, ME), 77 Robert Bolinder (Randolph, NJ).

Goaltenders: 37 Chris Marsillo (Lincroft, NJ), 31 Daniel Rubin (Old Bridge, NJ), 60 Andrew Krynicki (Randolph, NJ).

Home Opener: After opening the season on the road with two games at the University of Colorado (Sept. 22-23) and two more with Colorado State University (Sept. 24-25), the Ice Knights return home to ProSkate Arena in Monmouth Junction, NJ for their home opener on Sept. 30, where Rutgers plays host to the U.S. Naval Academy at 9:15 p.m.

Ice Knights to Watch

James Felice: The blue liner is set to serve as the Ice Knights captain for the second straight year and returns to the defensive end after notching 10 points on six goals and four assists. Felice was a three-year varsity starter at Middletown North from 2011-13 where he also wore the ‘C’. Felice was honored as ACHA Academic All-American after the 2015-16 season.

Brian Gnad: The forward was named an assistant captain for the Ice Knights after leading the club in scoring a season ago with 45 points on 21 goals and 24 assists. Gnad continues to be a natural scorer at the ACHA level after starring at Kinnelon High School where he recorded 109 career points in three varsity seasons.

C.J. Maksut & Kevin Fitch: Kevin Fitch and C.J. Maksut each scored 30 points last year, but it was the latter who finished with the second-highest goal total on the team (15). Maksut won’t be available for Rutgers in the first semester, placing a premium on Fitch’s playmaking abilities.

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Griffin Privitera: The forward returns after a stellar freshman campaign in which he logged 13 points on five goals and eight assists. Privitera recorded 82 career points for Old Tappan High School in three varsity seasons and comes from a talented hockey family, as both of his older brothers – Alexx (Boston University & U of Vermont) and Jarrid Privitera (U of Vermont) – played NCAA Division I hockey.

Meet the Boss: Coach Martin Bernstein is behind the bench for his second season at Rutgers after the Matawan native played four years for the Ice Knights’ Division II ACHA club. A New Jersey Raiders and Protec Selects alumnus, Bernstein completed his undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers in Sports Management in 2013, and has since completed his Masters degree in Sports Psychology at Florida State University. While at Florida State Bernstein served as co-head coach of their ACHA Division III program for two years.

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