DiTullio enjoying extended hockey career
BEAVER FALLS — All good things must come to an end.
Hockey has been a good thing for Cranberry Township resident Joe DiTullio, but he hasn’t quite reached the finish line there yet — thanks to the Pittsburgh River Monsters of the newly-formed Union Hockey League.
The UHL is a 12-team semi-pro league in its first season.
“I wrapped up my (hockey) career at IUP (Indiana University of Pa.) last year,” DiTullio, a winger, said. “Yeah, I kinda thought that might be it. But then Curt Schmidt, our team captain at IUP, told me about the River Monsters. I was intrigued by it, reported to a tryout and here I am.”
The River Monsters play their home games at Bradys Run Ice Arena in Beaver Falls. League play started in January and consists of a 20-game schedule, all on weekends. DiTullio works in sales (not with the River Monsters) along with playing for the team.
“We generally practice one night a week, whenever we can get the ice,” Coach Tristan Wenzig said. “I applied for the assistant coaching position. The original head coach didn’t show up for a couple of practices, said caching the team wasn’t going to work out for him, so I fell into the position.
“We’ve put together a pretty good team. Our goal from the first day was to have the best team in the league.”
The River Monsters won their first three games and DiTullio has been a big part of that early success. He scored two goals and added an assist in a 6-2 win over the Niagara Falls Buffalos and tallied three assists in a 16-5 triumph over the West Michigan Sentinels on Saturday night.
DiTullio scored 25 goals in three seasons for Pine-Richland in high school and had 15 and 12-goal scoring seasons at IUP.
“He’s a big body who grinds his way to the net,” Wenzig said. “Joe’s got great hockey sense, too, and he skates like the wind. Our roster will be undergoing a lot of changes yet, but Joe is a constant. He’ll stay among our top six (forward) for sure.”
The River Monsters play in the Western Division of the UHL with the Motor City Generals, Soo Nordiques, Sun Prairie Killer Bees, Toledo Mobsters and West Michigan Sentinels. A Beaver County native, Wenzig previously played hockey for Slippery Rock University and had a tryout with Toledo of the East Coast Hockey League.
He's been involved in hockey for more than 30 years and had to end his playing career due to multiple concussions.
Team owner Jaison Kelly said the team’s traveling and operating budget comes “100% from fundraising we do as a team.” The players do not get paid.
“The players are free to go out and make their own sponsorship deals,” Kelly said. “Our roster ranges in age from 18 to 37. All of the players are in good shape, This is highly competitive hockey.”
Kelly added that the the team has already collected for Toys For Tots at a home game and had a pair of charity nights planned for upcoming games, one to fight cancer, the other to aid military veterans.
“I came on board a little late this season, so I don’t know much about the fundraising,” DiTullio said. “”I’m sure I’ll be getting involved in that.
“The caliber of play in this league is similar to college, but a lot more physical. I don’t mind the physicality, but you’re allowed to fight in this league. I’ve never been involved in that side of hockey before.”
He has been involved in being an impact player offensively. And with the UHL entertaining plans to expand to 40 teams next season, DiTullio hopes to stick around for a while.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Some guys will be getting opportunities to move on, based on their play in this league. If i get such an option ... I’ll definitely have to look at it.”
