Robert Morris men's hockey names captains in advance of next week's relaunch

Gavin Gulash was surprised at his own reaction to seeing the new jerseys skating around the rink.

A forward on the Robert Morris men’s hockey team, Gulash attended Sunday’s exhibition between the women’s team and the Cambridge Rivulettes.

“It was kind of surreal just being there for the national anthem and seeing Robert Morris hockey on the ice. It kind of hit me in a spot I didn’t really expect,” Gulash said. “Seeing the whole team across the blue line during the national anthem, it was something that I never thought was going to happen again at certain points. Now, to see it in person for the first time, it was really cool.”

It was the first time either of RMU’s hockey teams took the ice against an opponent since both programs were cut from the school’s budget in the spring of 2021.

Now, both teams are about to make their returns to the ice. The women will do so formally on Friday on the road at Union. The men will do so at home on Neville Island on Oct. 7 versus Bowling Green, following a women’s game against Saint Anselm.

Gulash is one of three holdovers on the Colonials roster that had been on the depth chart when the programs were cut two years ago. On Monday, he was one of six players to be named a captain.

“It’s a huge honor,” Gulash said Monday. “To be named captain anywhere, it’s a really humbling experience and something I take a lot of pride in. But especially being one here, it’s even more special.

“When I was a freshman, I looked up to those kinds of guys that led the way when we did have hockey. Going from then to not knowing if you’re ever going to play hockey again, let alone play for RMU. Now that it’s back, it makes it a little bit more exciting.”

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Gulash is one of five Colonials that will wear an alternate captain’s “A” on his chest during games this season. Dallas Tulik will do so every game. Gulash, fellow returning player Cameron Hebert, and newcomers Mitch Andres and Luke Johnson will rotate wearing an “A” between home and away games.

Meanwhile, graduate student transfer Rylee St. Onge will have the honor of wearing the captain’s “C” every night.

“I knew I was one of the older guys coming in here with a lot of experience,” St. Onge said. “This team has been together for such a short period of time. But I think we’ve become close, and it’s an honor for me to be able to wear this letter. That means that the guys believe in me and are looking up to me. I really can’t put it into words. I’m excited to get the season going and hopefully lead this to some success on and off the ice.”

A 25-year-old graduate student transfer, St. Onge is now on his third NCAA hockey team, having already played for Alaska Anchorage and Mercyhurst. Head coach Derek Schooley thinks his experience will be a key pillar to lean on for the rebuilt roster.

“He just had a lot of different experiences,” Schooley said. “He played junior hockey until he was 20. He also had the ability to wear a letter last year (at Mercyhurst). It was just the level of conversation. The way he handled himself. The professionalism. You could tell right away that he was a player who had been respected in a Division I locker room as a leader.”

Schooley outlined the reasons why he went with so many captains at the outset of the team’s first season.

“We had some small group discussions, and you could tell who were mature leaders before,” Schooley said. “It was really a process that we wanted to play out for a little bit. And we took the players’ opinions, and the staff made a decision after going through all their opinions, and the staff came up with these six young men as part of our leadership.”

St. Onge and company will begin to discover how much their leadership translates into on-ice performance in two weeks. Since Gulash was so much more emotional than he expected simply attending the women’s scrimmage, imagine how he’ll feel when the puck is dropped for a game of his own.

“Opening night, it’s going to make all the waiting worth it,” Gulash said. “I’ve been looking forward to that day for a long time. I think about it every day.”