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24 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 2010 Oakville defencemen help RIT Tigers earn national respect By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF When Chris Haltigin heard at the beginning of the season that the NCAA hockey championship would be held at an indoor football stadium -- Ford Field in Detroit -- his first thought was, `How are they going to do that?' College hockey observers may very well have asked the same question if you told them that the Oakville defenceman and his Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers teammates would be playing in the Frozen Four. The Tigers became the first team from the Atlantic Hockey Association to advance to the Frozen Four after they upset the second-ranked team in the country, Denver, last Friday and followed that up with a victory over New Hampshire the next day. "This is a lot bigger than just our team," said Oakville's Dan Ringwald, the Tigers' captain. "It's huge for the individuals but it's also huge for our school and for our league. It doesn't get the credit it deserves." While the other five Division I conferences had at least two teams in the 16-team NCAA tournament (even the four-team College Hockey America got two entries), the Tigers received the AHA's lone berth by winning the league championship. Even now, with just two wins separating them from a national championship heading into last night's (Thursday's) semifinal, the Tigers still seem to be college hockey's Rodney Dangerfield. The lack of respect for the Tigers was evident in the national coaches poll. Ranked 18th heading into the tournament, RIT's standing improved to ninth -- after it advanced to the semis. The other teams in the Frozen Four -- Miami (Ohio), Wisconsin and Boston College -- occupy spots one through three respectively in the poll. "This is a chance to show what our program is all about," said Haltigin, who had a career-best 11 goals in his sophomore season. "We can compete with the big boys, the Michigans, the Winconsins and the Denvers. Our league is not as low, I guess, as some people think. We have a lot of good teams and good players." Even the Tigers had their moments of doubt, though. They lost their first five games of the season and though they rebounded to finish the season with a league best 22-5-1 record, their 0-6 record -- four of the losses by a single goal -- in non-conference See Ringwald page 25 SUPER SOPHOMORE: Former Oakville Blades blueliner Chris Haltigin scored 11 goals in his sophomore season with the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers, helping the team reach the NCAA's Frozen Four. PHOTO BY DYLAN HEUER / COURTESY OF ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Adult Soccer League Starts Soon! Divisional Play Minimum 15 Game Season Divisional Championship Awards OSA Certified Referees and Linesmen Oakville Cup, Playoffs and Championship Register Now. We also offer a Summer Adult Indoor League. 1520 Pine Glen Road (Dundas and Third Line) 9:30 a.m. ­ 10:00 p.m., Monday ­ Sunday. For more information, please visit our website at www.oakvillesoccer.ca