« Hockey 2015-16

Alexander Kuqali

School
RIT
Position
Defense
Major
Accounting

Classroom

Alexander Kuqali is involved with the RIT Next Generation of Accountants and the RIT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Kuqali has an excellent 3.89 grade-point average as an accounting major. He won RIT’s Green B. Williams Award for Academic Excellence in 2014-15 and is a three-time member of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team. He was one of eight student-athletes to earn AHC Academic All-Star honors for maintaining a 4.0 grade-point average during the 2014-15 season. Kuqali is a seven-time RIT Dean’s List recipient.

Character

Kuqali is a team captain as a senior and was an assistant captain as a junior. He emerged as a leader from day one on campus. Kuqali serves on the RIT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He provides support for RIT students and holds events that promote each RIT “Tiger Den” game, particularly for seniors. Kuqali aspires to earn his MBA from RIT and become a tax accountant. Kuqali serves as an RIT assistant facility supervisor and is a RIT business systems administrator student-manager. He is a 2016 RIT Saunders College of Business commencement speaker nominee.

Community

Kuqali delivered teddy bears to children at the Rochester Regional Health Pediatric Department after the annual Teddy Bear Toss Game against Robert Morris on Dec. 5. Kuqali and the team participated in a sled hockey practice and game with a local Rochester area group and USA Hockey at Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex. Kuqali has spent time with physically handicapped youth and enjoyed the experience of seeing the game of hockey through their eyes.

Competition

In 30 games this season, Kuqali, one of RIT’s three captains, has 14 points on three goals and 11 assists in 34 games, as the Tigers have a 14-14-6 overall mark and finished 14-9-5 in Atlantic Hockey play, good for the No. 5 seed. He was named the Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week on Jan. 19. In 2014-15, Kuqali garnered All-Atlantic Third Team honors and was named to the NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team as RIT advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship game. He also scored RIT’s regular season goal at the brand new Gene Polisseni Center. Kuqali tallied 22 points on five goals and 17 assists in 40 games and was plus-16. Kuqali was a two-time Atlantic Hockey Defensive Player of the Week: Dec. 16, 2014 and March 31, 2015. He was named the RIT Male Athlete of the Week, Oct. 13, 2014. Kuqali was the Atlantic Hockey Association Rookie of the Week, Dec. 10, 2012 and was the AHA Rookie of Month in Dec. 2012.