Rochester Institute of Technology has named former Tigers players Shane Madolora and Josh Mitchell new assistant coaches for the men’s hockey team.
A former All-American goaltender, Madolora graduated as RIT’s Division I-era career leader with a .932 save percentage, which is still tied for 11th in NCAA history. He is also tops with a 1.97 goals-against average, which remains tied for 20th in the NCAA record book.
“Shane was someone that I targeted right away,” said first-year RIT head coach Matt Thomas in a statement. “His familiarity with RIT as both a player and coach coupled with his notable work with goaltenders was something that I knew would be an asset to our program. He embodies the qualities and standards that has helped RIT elevate to a championship caliber program.”
Madolora established single-season program records as a junior which still stand, leading the nation with a .935 save percentage to go along with a stingy 1.93 GAA. The following year, he tied his own record with a 1.93 GAA to go along with a .931 save percentage while tying for first nationally with a program-record seven shutouts. Madolora remains first in Tiger history (and tied for 24th in NCAA history) with 13 career shutouts, as well as fourth with 1,727 saves, fifth with 36 wins, and tied for fifth with 65 appearances. His 18-9-5 record during the 2011-12 campaign tied for the second-highest single-season win total by a Tiger, completing his RIT career with a 36-14-2 record.
Madolora recorded three straight shutouts during the 2011-12 campaign, which remain tied for the fourth-most in NCAA DI history, while the 211:01 scoreless stretch remains 21st. He was voted the 2010-11 Atlantic Hockey goaltender of the year after landing the first of back-to-back first-team all-conference nods. The team’s Dan & Laurie Barrows “Fan’s Choice Award” winner following the 2011-12 season, he was also tabbed the RIT senior athlete of the Year before graduating with a business administration management degree.
Madolora played professionally for four years following his RIT career, including training camp invites from the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and the AHL’s Rochester Americans, along with appearances across the top leagues in France, England and Italy.
Most recently serving the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Vermont, Madolora also served as a goaltending development coach from 2020 to 2023, working with both the RIT men’s and women’s programs, along with the men’s and women’s programs at nearby Nazareth as well as with the PWHL’s Buffalo Beauts.
The owner of Madolora Consulting and Development, Madolora previously served as head coach/director of player personnel for the Rochester Monarchs junior program.
Following the end of his playing career, he spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the RIT women’s hockey team from 2016 to 2019.
One of only five Division I-era RIT players to eclipse 120 career points, Mitchell remains fifth all-time with 121 points. He also graduated with 90 career assists — one of only two Tigers who have ever hit the milestone.
“I’m excited to add a former Tiger to the staff,” said Thomas. “Josh’s accomplishments as a player are impressive and he has translated that same level of success into his coaching career. He has a sharp eye for talent and his focus on development will have an immediate impact on our current and future players.”
Mitchell was part of back-to-back Atlantic Hockey championships and NCAA tournament appearances in 2015 and 2016. He scored the game-winning goal in the Tigers’ 2-1 upset of No. 1 Minnesota State in the opening round of the 2015 tournament, marking the first time the 16th seed upset the top seed in NCAA hockey history. He then captained the Tigers to another title the following year as RIT became only the second AHA program to win consecutive championships.
“I’m incredibly honored to return to the RIT men’s hockey program,” said Mitchell. “Having the opportunity to coach at the program that gave me so much as a player is truly special. I’m grateful to be back and excited to contribute to the continued success and grow RIT Hockey.”
As a junior, Mitchell totaled 52 points — only trailing teammate Matt Garbowsky (54 points) for the highest scoring season in program history — while his 36 assists remain the most ever by a Tiger.
Mitchell didn’t miss a game during his four-year stint in a Tiger uniform, graduating with a program-record 154 appearances that remain the fourth-highest total in program history.
A two-time Atlantic Hockey all-conference honoree, Mitchell also received the 2016 Louis Spiotti Coaches Award, given annually to the player who best embodies RIT Hockey.
Mitchell earned a degree in environmental science in 2016, before embarking on a five-year professional career that included four seasons in Germany. He has spent the last five seasons serving as a coach with nearby Bishop Kearney Selects, one of the premier junior programs in the nation, while serving as the head scout with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks.
