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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, December 27, 2012 · 50 Sports Oakville Beaver By Joe Connor SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-632-0588 (ext. 294) email sports@oakvillebeaver.com Local hockey players flourishing south of border ick up a game program at a premier college hockey game in the northeastern U.S. and you quickly notice a commonality as you learn about the hometowns of the participants. Many are from Oakville, Burlington and Milton. "It's no surprise. I have a lot of pride in Oakville," said Oakvillle native Matt Lorito, a forward at Brown University. "It's a great hockey town." In fact, there are more than a dozen players from the local area lacing up the skates at college hockey programs in the northeastern U.S. states alone. Many more still are playing Division I NCAA hockey -- the highest university level south of the border -- in Michigan, Minnesota and other parts of the U.S. "The speed is the biggest difference," explained Oakville's Steven Guzzo, a forward at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, which competes in one of the toughest conferences, Hockey East. "The game is a lot faster and the guys are older and stronger." Choosing to flock south to play college hockey in the U.S. often has something to do with having a backup plan after hockey, too. While each of the locals aspires to play professionally ­ whether in the National Hockey League or overseas in Europe ­ these student-athletes know eventually one day they will have to hang up the skates. "(Academics) was definitely stressed growing up," Lorito said. "I was overlooked for the (Ontario Hockey League) because I was pretty small but my ultimate goal was to play (college hockey in the U.S.)" Lorito also choose Brown for a chance to turn around a program that's fallen on hard times, having not posted a winning season since 2005 nor earning a post-season appearance in nearly 20 years. Last season, as a freshman, Lorito had the fourth-most points on the team despite missing eight games. He was named to the All-Academic team for also excelling in the classroom and earned an invitation to the development camp of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks. During the summer he returned home, improving his strength in an Oakville gym. It seems to be paying dividends. This year, Lorito is tops on the team in scoring and third in the ECAC Conference in points even though the Bears continue to struggle for wins. "He's an elite level guy. We lean on him," said Brown coach Brendan Whittet. "I think he chose us because of our unique combina- P PHOTO COURTESY UMASS-LOWELL MAKING AN IMPACT: Oakville native Scott Wilson is the University of Massachusetts at Lowell's top scorer in his sophomore season with the Riverhawks. Wilson, selected in last year's NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, is determined to leave a winning legacy at UMassLowell. until the 1980s and has struggled to make a foothold in a conference with longstanding powers such as Boston College, Boston University and the University of Maine. "Playing in Hockey East, you learn to relish it," said Wilson, the former captain of the Georgetown junior A Raiders. "All the road games are hostile environments and Maine's a whole different level. The first time you go there, it's scary. But last year we won two games there. I want to leave a legacy here of having won." Burlington's Josh Jooris and Stuart Brownell have already made lasting impacts on their college hockey programs, at Union College and the Rochester Institute of tion of academics and athletics, especially if hockey can't pay the bills." Another local trying to leave a legacy by turning around a college hockey program is Oakville's Scott Wilson, who plays for the University of Massachusetts at Lowell (UMass-Lowell). The sophomore forward leads the Riverhawks in scoring and ranks in the top 10 in assists in Hockey East, a prestigious conference that has produced eight national champions in the last 20 years. Last season, the 6-foot, 175-pound Wilson finished second in points in all of U.S. college hockey after being selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. UMass-Lowell didn't move up to Division I Technology (RIT), respectively. A year ago, Jooris, a forward, helped Union advance to its first Frozen Four in school history with a goal and an assist, including the game-winner, against Wilson and UMass-Lowell in the quarter-finals. "He was one of our top three forwards in the playoffs," said Union coach Rick Bennett. "First and foremost, we try to recruit `character guys' and Josh has those attributes. I think he's ahead of last year as far as production." Jooris, a junior, ranks third on the team in points this season and has also taken on more of a leadership role, including leading drills during practice. With Union coming off its final four appearance of a year ago, opponents have been gunning for the Dutchmen and Jooris has welcomes the challenge. Currently, Union is in second place in the ECAC Conference behind unbeaten Quinnipiac. "We know teams are coming at us harder (this year), but we want to carry that swagger (of having made the Frozen Four last year)," Jooris said. "Since I've been here, I've learned a lot on how to lead by example." Just a few years ago, all eyes seemed to point to Jooris playing at Union's arch-rival, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) where his father, Mark, excelled. The two schools outside the state capitol of New York in Albany are separated by a mere 30-minute drive. But RPI wanted Jooris to play one more year of junior hockey, the Burlington native "fell in love with Union" during a recruiting visit, and the rest is history. "Every time we play RPI, it's intense," Jooris said. "The first time, I was quite nervous going in. I had the whole family there. I heard it from the fans, `You're a disgrace to the family name. You'll never be as good as your dad.'" For Brownell, playing in front of sold-out crowds and family is a regular occurrence at the Tigers Ritter Arena in Rochester, N.Y., less than a three hour drive from Oakville. RIT's fan base has grown since Oakville products Dan Ringwald and Chris Haltigin helped the team become the first from the Atlantic Hockey Conference to advance to the Frozen Four in 2010. There's so much excitement for RIT hockey that the school is building a new arena to accommodate demand, which Brownell hopes will open in Oct. 2014 -- when his senior season would begin. "Our crowd definitely pushes us to play better," said the defenceman, who hopes one day to attend medical school and eventually See College, page 51