Cruthers Leaves Mark on RMU Hockey
By Keith Koval (RMU '91)
With just its fourth season of play now complete, the Robert Morris University men's ice hockey team has accomplished feats that would make other young NCAA Division I programs jealous.
The Colonials already have made it to the conference championship game, playing for the College Hockey America title in 2007. They have 10 players who have ascended from the program into professional hockey, as Kurt Wright, Doug Conley, Aaron Clarke and Joey Olson signed contracts in 2007, while Sean Berkstresser, Tom Biondich, Joel Gasper, Chris Kaufman, Rob Cowan and Ryan Cruthers joined them after the 2007-08 campaign. RMU upset the No. 2 ranked team in the country on the road when it defeated Notre Dame last season. Robert Morris also won the Nye Frontier Classic to open the 2007-08 season, knocking off Boston University.
Now, Robert Morris has another reason to smile, as senior forward Ryan Cruthers was named the 2008 CHA Player of the Year and was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, which is awarded annually to college hockey's most outstanding player.
"I did not expect this," Cruthers said. "But, as the season progressed, you kind of look at your numbers and see how you are playing. You start to think about it a little bit but it definitely wasn't one of my goals at the beginning of the year. My goal was to be a top-three scorer in the conference, then a top 10 scorer in the nation. It has been great to be able to accomplish those goals."
Although the CHA Player of the Year and Hobey Baker Award are individual honors, Cruthers knows he would not have been nominated for either award if it wasn't for the other players around him.
"That also says a lot about the team and where it has come from," Cruthers said. "Having a guy nominated for the Hobey Baker Award is really a team effort. For a team that has only been around for four years, to get a guy nominated for that you really have to do some things right. I think we did that by beating some of those big name teams. People start looking at the team and then individuals start to get noticed."
It was head coach Derek Schooley who first noticed Cruthers and recruited him to come to RMU when the hockey program was first announced back in 2003. However, the Farmingdale, N.Y., native originally decided that West Point was the place for him and he entered the academy to play hockey for Army. After playing two seasons for Army, Cruthers felt it was time for a change and decided to transfer.
"I left on good terms," Cruthers said. "Being there for two years, I decided hockey was my passion and I wanted to pursue hockey opportunities after college instead of serving time in the military. I thought the best way to do that was to transfer."
Luckily for RMU, he still had Schooley's cell phone number.
"I had never been to Pittsburgh before," Cruthers said. "I knew that Coach Schooley was at RMU since he had recruited me to go to Air Force when he was an assistant coach there. When I decided to transfer, I got in touch with him because he knew the type of player I was so I came out here for a visit. I had narrowed it down to three schools at the end, Quinnipiac, RMU and Merrimack. I came out here for a visit and fell in love with the area. It is a nice city and a nice school and I actually committed to Coach Schooley the day that I visited."
"Ryan is one of the top players I've ever coached," Schooley said. "His knack for not only scoring goals but also for always being around the puck are two reasons why he has been so successful and will continue to be successful."
Due to NCAA regulations, Cruthers had to sit out the 2005-06 season after he transferred to RMU. It was tough on him to practice with the team everyday and then have to sit in the stands during home games or be left behind when the team went to play on the road. Having a positive attitude and knowing he would play in a year helped him make it through that season.
"When I got here, it was interesting because most of the team were sophomores," he said. "At Army, I was used to having a senior class and seniors as leaders. You could definitely see this team developing, and we've come a long way. Aaron Clarke, by far, has been the biggest influence on me. He was my line mate my first year with Robert Morris and is a great hockey player. He taught me a good work ethic and showed me a lot of things on the ice to improve my game and it has carried over to this year."
Cruthers led the CHA in scoring with 49 points (tied for eighth-best in the nation) on 22 goals and 27 assists as a senior in 2007-08. The year before, he tallied 17 goals and 20 assists to pace the Colonials with 37 points. But it is the little things that Cruthers did off of the ice that caught people's attention. Recently, Cruthers met some youth hockey players at the Island Sports Center and promised them he would come to one of their practices.
"We went to public skate on Martin Luther King Day," said Schuyler Kidd, team manager for the Arctic Foxes Mite A Major team. "After the public skate, we noticed that the RMU men were going to practice on the stadium rink. Justin and Stefan (her sons) wanted to watch so we hung around for a bit. After about 45 minutes, I ran to get something from inside and when I came back out, the Zamboni was on the ice and I didn't see the boys. I realized they were on the bench talking to the RMU players. The guys were so wonderful to them laughing and talking about hockey. As they talked, Ryan mentioned to Justin that he would love to come to help at a practice or watch a game. I thought he was just being polite, but it was nice of him to offer."
Having been impressed with the RMU players, Mrs. Kidd sent an e-mail to Schooley, complimenting him on his fine team. She wanted to let him know the great impression that his players had made and what great role models they were for her young sons.
"A few days later, I received an e-mail from Ryan asking for Justin's game and practice schedule," she continued. "Ryan said that he and a few of his teammates really wanted to come to help at a practice and watch a game if possible. They ended up coming to a Saturday practice. I can not stress how much it means to Justin to have met someone like Ryan and to have him follow through with his promises to come and help him. It makes Justin feel so special that Ryan knows him and wants to help his team and because of that Justin really looks up to him. We are so lucky to have a group of guys like the RMU men's ice hockey team to give our children role models."
Fourteen RMU senior hockey players completed their eligibility at the end of this past season, including 12 who have been with the program all four years.
"The senior class really is a tight group of guys," said Cruthers. "If you look at the 14 of us now, to be that tight is something special. All 14 of us get along great and we really are a tight-knit group. It will be different for all of us after this year."
When Cruthers speaks of the future, he hopes it includes a chance to play professional hockey. Because he sat out the extra year due to his transfer, he is only six credits short of receiving his degree in sport management and would consider leaving school early if the right opportunity came along.
"My goal right now is to play professional hockey at some level," he said. "I know that coach has been contacted by a handful of teams, including Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders. There are a couple of other ones that have come to watch. I am only taking six credits right now. Since I transferred, I have that extra year of classes and only need six credits to graduate. If I could get a contract I would leave because it is my life long dream to play hockey at the highest level. If leaving means fulfilling my dream, I would jump on that.
"This has been the greatest decision that I have made in my life," he said. "I feel that I have made the best choice in coming here. I have made some friends that I will have forever. I was on a great hockey team at a great school and I loved the experience. I have never had any doubts here. The coaching staff has been great. The guys are a great group of guys and it has been a good experience for me. Last year was my first chance to play and we went to the CHA championship. Obviously, we lost that game but it gave us a lot of motivation over the summer to come here and get to the NCAA championships."
Editor's note: Cruthers signed a pro hockey contract with the American Hockey League Bridgeport Sound Tigers (affiliate of the New York Islanders) in late March. Earlier this month, he added RMU team MVP honors for 2007-08 to his resume in a vote by his teammates.
