OMHA Graduate Profile - TONY RIZZI - UOIT RIDGEBACKS
Courtesy of: Keith Howell
Featured in the Winter 2011 issue of Hometown Hockey
Winger Tony Rizzi earned a reputation for his powerful shot and keen scoring touch over four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League.
The Kingston native scored 36 goals and collected a total of 86 points as a member of the Kingston Frontenacs and Peterborough Petes in the OHL, where he skated alongside NHLers such as brothers Anthony and Chris Stewart, and Steve Downie.
Fast forward a few years. Rizzi has taken his hockey talents to the UOIT Ridgebacks of Ontario University Athletics (OUA) and his mind is on a new challenge - establishing a career as a police officer.
To make this happen, he's executing a delicate stick handling manoeuvre, juggling his university and hockey careers.
Now in his third year skating in OUA, his eyes are focused on not just the puck, but his career and Criminal Justice education, too.
"It's tough in university," Rizzi said. "Time management is the biggest thing. You've got to find the right balance between school and hockey."
"You really need to stay on top of the workload and not procrastinate."
Academics have certainly moved up the priority ladder in his life.
"This is your potential career and you can't just sit around and let it happen. You've got to grab the bull by the horns and work hard," said Rizzi.
"I hadn't gone to school in two years. It was a real eye-opener attempting to get back into studying after this long break.
"In the OHL, your mindset is just on the (making it to the) NHL," said Rizzi, 23, who had a total of 19 goals and 24 assists in his first two OUA seasons. He has added two goals and an assist in six games this year.
Hockey, both junior and university, has helped him mature a great deal as a person, he said. It has also helped him better understand people.
"In the OHL, I met a lot of different people and really learned to be a good judge of character," said the Right Winger.
He thinks this practical life experience enhanced his interpersonal skills and will stand him in good stead during his policing career.
A big key to being a good police officer comes down to "being able to assess situations and knowing how to judge people's characteristics" in often stressful situations.
Undoubtedly, this much needed discernment is something a good university education will help bolster on his way to Police College.
He grew up playing for in the Kingston Minor Hockey Association before graduating to AAA with Greater Kingston Predators where he won gold with the U17 team in St. John's Newfoundland. Among his career highlights is a bronze medal at the OMHA finals in Minor Pee Wee.
Rizzi's OHL days were bookended with two stints skating for the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League, first as a 15-year-old and then again as an over-ager three years ago. He has fond memories of the large small town crowds who packed the arena in Wellington each game, and the hockey lessons he learned there that shaped his path to the university game. The Dukes went on to win the Ontario Semi-Finals followed by a placement at the Royal Bank Cup.
Rizzi said he sees a lot of positives in how they battled hard with top-seeded Western during the first round of the playoffs last season, his first in the league. They upset the Mustangs 2-1 in the first game of the best-of-three series before losing a couple of tight-skating affairs, and
the highly competitive series two games to one. That series "was a real confidence booster. It shows we can compete with the best teams in the league," and bodes well for this season, said Rizzi, adding the OUA squads are very evenly balanced top to bottom in the standings.
Despite their slow start, he said the Ridgebacks are still within striking distance of the powerful Western Mustangs with the better part of the season ahead.
His personal goal is to keep improving game by game and “play hard every night. If I do that, the points will come."
Rizzi's biggest game of 2009-10 came when he scored a hat trick and netted the winner with a minute left last February, leading his underdog Ridgebacks to a major upset over No. 7-ranked Lakehead University. It was only the second home loss for the Thunderwolves in Thunder Bay last season.
He chalked up his success that night to "sometimes you have games where you can't do anything wrong."
UOIT Coach Marlin Muylaert is counting on Rizzi's leadership this season.
"If he gets a quality scoring chance, he's going to put the puck in the net," said Muylaert, who praised Rizzi for his booming shot and scoring ability, but also noted the intangible qualities the 6’3” winger demonstrates.
"He's a great guy in the dressing room -- a real team leader, who brings a very positive energy to the team."
