RoughRiders graduate Shumway decides on RIT B
By Adam Dunivan
rad Shumway attended the North American Hockey League’s (NAHL) annual Showcase Tournament in Blaine, Minn., in September with a pretty good feeling something big was going to line up for his future.
And when the Rochester Institute of Technol- ogy (RIT) came calling, it didn’t take Shumway too long to make up his mind that playing for the Tigers was the direction he was supposed to take. A recent campus visit was the visual confirma- tion he needed, and the product of Peak to Peak High School and the Rocky Mountain RoughRid- ers organization recently made the commitment to the university, where he’ll attend and play hockey beginning next season.
“It felt really good right away,” the 19-year-old defenseman from Lafayette said of solidifying his college plans.
Shumway anticipates majoring in Computer Information Systems or Computer Programming at RIT, and he acknowledged the challenge of go- ing to a prestigious school where academics reign. But, he’s also pretty stoked about the growth of the hockey program, one that put its name on the map when the team upset the University of Denver in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament, then went on an improbable run to the Frozen Four.
The Tigers are also in the process of build- ing a state-of-the-art arena, something that may or may not be completed by the time Shumway graduates.
Regardless, the opportunity to call the Upstate New York school home for the next four years while skating for the At- lantic Hockey Association team offers him a bright future. “They’re doing some big things for their hockey pro- gram, but, at the end of the day, it’s a heck of an opportu- nity for him, school-wise,” said RoughRiders director of hockey operations Derek Robinson. “It’s a well-known, high-caliber school.
“We’re happy for him as a player, as a student and as a man. He was a big piece to our puzzle the first year of our program.”
The team at RIT also plays a brand of hockey that lends itself to Shumway’s strength: being a two-way player who can contrib-
Lafayette’s Brad Shumway, who is playing this season in the NAHL, is the first former Rocky Mountain RoughRiders player to com- mit to a Division I program. Photo/NAHL
ute offensively. Robinson said Shumway always had the knack for getting involved and scoring points, and that he grew as a true defender with the help of RoughRiders assistant coaches Jason Grahame and Nick Larson.
“He’s always been able to skate well and play at a high level,” Robinson added.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pounder has shown value on offense during both of his years in the Tier II Junior A NAHL. This season, he had three goals
and 13 points through 25 games with Wichita Falls. “(RIT is) an offensive- minded team that love to have its defensemen jump in on plays, and that’s the way I like to play, for sure,” Shum- way said. “I think I’ll fit in well.”
Shumway is also mak- ing history of sorts for the RoughRiders as the organiza- tion’s first NCAA Division I commitment ever.
“That’s really why we do this,” Robinson said. “To try to get these kids a crack at the junior level, and get them to the point where they’re playing college hockey to advance their playing careers and their life careers. “Not all of them are going to make the pros, so to be
able to get an education out of it is the next best thing.”
“I definitely feel like it’s an accomplishment,” Shumway said of being the first RoughRiders graduate to commit to a D-I program. “I think for (the RoughRiders), it should help them look even better, too.
“They already have a great program, and I really believe they’ve been doing a good job of helping players move along.”
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