By LIAM HOFFMANN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — RIT women’s hockey is one game away from hosting its first ever postseason game at Gene Polisseni Center. Head coach Celeste Brown didn’t have to look far to find who’s become her most productive skater. After playing high school hockey just 20 miles north of the Tigers’ home in Greece, New York, native Addie Alvarez is RIT’s leading scorer.
“Not a lot of people get to play in college, especially at the D-I level, in front of their hometown,” Alvarez said. “It’s special to see all the family, friends, anybody come to support.”
This year, the sophomore forward leads the Tigers in assists (24) and points (30). Those are both the most by a Tiger skater since the team joined Division I before the 2012-2013 season.
“I want to be the best version of myself that can help this team as much as I can,” Alvarez said. “I’m honored to be able to produce as much as I can.”
Brown shared that she’s had eyes on the Greece product since she was 13 or 14 years old.
“She had swagger and it was appropriate swagger in my opinion…you could tell she had confidence when she was on the ice. The kid can skate, she has puck skills, she has hockey I.Q., she can shoot the puck, like it’s all there.”
Entering this weekend, the Tigers’ 30 power play goals ranked fourth nationwide. Their conversion rate (.273) was sixth. Alvarez has been on that unit since her first year.
“She’s heading the power play at the top and you know, I think that changes your role a little bit,” Brown said. “Not that she doesn’t score up there but I think she’s trying to facilitate a little bit. I think it’s been really impressive actually because last year was a little bit of the opposite, she was a goal-scorer for us.”
RIT is 15-14-4 and 8-9-2 in Atlantic Hockey America play. Fifteen wins are the Tigers’ most since 2014-15 (15-19-5), and their eight conference wins are the highest since 2018-19 (8-11-1). RIT will be the No. 4 seed in the AHA postseason and have the right to host No. 5 in the quarterfinal.
“It’s definitely big, being able to play at home,” Alvarez said. “We want to be able to play at the Gene. We know that the community is here behind us, and they’re going to support us and bring the energy to help us win this game.”
Postseason hockey on home ice has been the Tigers’ vision all year.
“It was our players’ goal going into the season and they accomplished that so we can check that off,” Brown said. “But we have more goals so we want to continue to start our new season next week and we want to continue that season as long as it’ll take us.”
A year ago, Alvarez’s first year campaign saw her finish second among Tigers in goals (8), assists (12) and points (20). She was named to the College Hockey America All-Rookie Team.
“She came in as a first-year last year and put her head down and worked,” Brown said. “Multiple skill sessions on top of practice, video, constantly asking questions.”
Her game has only evolved since then.
“I think she’s learned the game, understood some more patterns, or how to get into better spaces to get pucks, or how to approach pucks differently,” Brown said. “So that’s what’s fun when you have a player of Addie’s caliber is like you can start to tweak these little things over the four years and add tools to their tool belt, partnered with them. By no means is it just us, she has to want to do that, want to learn.”
The 19-year-old played four seasons with the Syracuse Valley Eagles before RIT. In 2022-23, her last with the club, she was the team’s leading goal (53) and point (71) scorer in 51 games played. Alvarez specialized in goal-scoring.
This year, her 24 assists rank 12th highest in the nation. Whether Alvarez is putting pucks in the back of the net or not, she’s helping RIT stack wins.
“Point-to-point, it’s not always about the goals,” Alvarez said. “Being able to find other people on the team that can put pucks in the net, assist or goal, it’s just special to have those people who can help you.”
In September 2022, the National Girls Hockey League announced Alvarez had committed to staying home and playing for the Tigers. She wasn’t going to leave Rochester that easily.
“It was a big part to be home,” Alvarez said. “The coaches made you feel even more at home, making a transition from youth hockey to college.”
“As a player going through the recruiting process, that might not always be a thought is like ‘I want to be close to family…’ but I think once you get a taste of it, which was last year for Addie, she couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else,” Brown said.
But before heading to RIT, she had her senior high school season to play.
Section V high school athletics do not house girls’ hockey. So when the time came as a junior, Alvarez tried out for then-coach Mike Callahan’s Greece Storm boys’ team. It was a no-brainer when she made the roster.
“During tryouts, you could see her hockey I.Q. was significantly higher than the boys on the team,” Callahan said. “Her skill base was as good, if not better, than our best player on the team.”
The physicality of boys’ hockey was no problem. She embraced it.
“She has great hands, she can bury the biscuit, and she also does not shy away from contact even at the boys’ level,” Callahan said. “She’d put her nose in there and grind to win wall battles.”
A couple of years later, Alvarez has her hometown Tigers looking down the nose of the AHA playoffs. This afternoon, RIT lost to No. 4 Penn State 4-1.
Whether the Tigers had won or not, their No. 4 standing in the AHA was locked. RIT’s regular season ends tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 15, after playing Penn State again. Puck drop is set for 2:00 p.m.
Robert Morris hosts Lindenwood tonight and tomorrow. Entering the back-to-back, each team holds nine postseason seeding points. The two teams are currently in a tie for fifth place. RIT will host the team that finishes No. 5 next Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3:05 p.m. in the AHA quarterfinal.
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