2020–21 Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2020–21 Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey season was the 25th season of play for the program, the 23rd at the Division I level, and the 11th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Purple Eagles represented Niagara University and were coached by Jason Lammers , in his 4th season.
Season
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Niagara's players would lose a season of play.[ 1] [ 2]
Niagara had a difficult start to their season, with the team's defense unable to withstand sustained pressure for most of their games. By mid-January the team was near the bottom of the conference with just 2 wins in 13 games. To make matters worse, the Purple Eagles weren't able to play any games for 6 weeks due to COVID cancellations. When they finally managed to play again they decided to use Chad Veltri as their starting goaltender. In the final two weekends of the regular season the choice appeared to work out as Niagara split both weekends while Veltri recorded the only shutout for the Purple Eagles on the campaign.
Niagara entered the postseason as the 9th seed and needed to beat Mercyhurst to keep their season alive. After the Lakers scored the first two goals of the game it looked like NU would have an early summer but Veltri withstood a barrage of shots from Mercyhurst over the final 38 minutes and allowed Niagara to crawl its way back and win on a late marker from junior transfer Walker Sommer. In the quarterfinals, the Purple Eagles had to face Robert Morris , a team that had won all four meetings to that point. The Colonials won the first game but they needed overtime to do so. In keeping the game close, Veltri game his team an opportunity to win and the sophomore netminder remained hot in game 2 as well; Veltri faced 51 shots over an 80-minute span and the frantic pace appeared to wear on Robert Morris who weren't able to get a single shot on goal in over 7 minutes of play in the second overtime. Instead, it was Niagara who fired 5 shots on goal with the last tying the series at 1-all. Veltri was again front and center for the team in the deciding game, facing 45 shots in regulation. Niagara built a 2-goal lead and held it until just 12 seconds remained in the game, when RMU scored their only goal on the night, allowing Niagara to pull off a huge upset in the conference tournament.
In the semifinals, Niagara had to get past league-leading American International , who had not played a game since the end of January due to their own series of cancellations. Veltri continued to keep the Purple Eagles in contention, stopping everything in the first two periods and giving the team a lead entering the third, but AIC's slumbering offense awoke in the final frame, scored two goals, and ended Niagara's improbable run.
Trevor Poeze and Patrick Pugliese sat out the season.
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Matt Cameron
Forward
United States 20
Berwyn, PA
Mike Corson
Goaltender
United States 21
Darien, IL ; transfer from Denver
Croix Evingson
Defenseman
United States 23
Anchorage, AK ; Selected 211st overall in 2017 ; transfer from Massachusetts–Lowell
Christian Gorscak
Forward
United States 20
Jeannette, PA
Josef Myšák
Defenseman
Czech Republic 21
Litvinov, CZE
Trevor Poeze
Forward
Canada 21
Mississauga, ON
Jesse Pomeroy
Defenseman
Canada 21
Prince George, BC
Patrick Pugliese
Goaltender
United States 21
Pasadena, CA
Carter Randklev
Forward
United States 20
Moorhead, MN
Walker Sommer
Forward
United States 24
Avon, OH ; transfer from Air Force
Roster
As of October 14, 2020.[ 3]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Patrick Pugliese Freshman
G 6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-07-20
Pasadena, California New Jersey (NAHL —
2
Jesse Pomeroy Freshman
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-05-25
Prince George, British Columbia Drayton Valley (AJHL —
3
Reed Robinson Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1998-03-11
Rockwall, Texas Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (NAHL —
4
Chris Harpur C Senior
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1996-09-13
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Cowichan Valley (BCHL —
5
Croix Evingson Junior (RS )
D 6' 5" (1.96 m)
230 lb (104 kg)
1997-08-28
Anchorage, Alaska UMass Lowell (HEA TBL 2017
7
Jordan Wishman Junior
D 6' 1" (1.85 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
1998-11-22
Des Moines, Iowa Dubuque (USHL —
8
Walker Sommer Junior (RS )
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1996-04-29
Avon, Ohio Air Force (AHA —
9
Eric Cooley Senior
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1998-05-05
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Amarillo Bulls (NAHL —
10
Carter Randklev Freshman
F 5' 8" (1.73 m)
163 lb (74 kg)
1999-11-05
Moorhead, Minnesota Fargo (USHL —
11
Scott Persson Sophomore
D 5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2000-08-17
Kristianstad, Sweden Lone Star (NAHL —
12
Jason Pineo Sophomore
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1998-02-23
Toronto, Ontario Oakville (OJHL —
13
Zac Herrmann Junior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-11-06
Lancaster, New York Odessa (NAHL —
14
Ryan Naumovski Sophomore
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
150 lb (68 kg)
1999-07-28
Shelby Township, Michigan New Jersey (NAHL —
15
Matt Cameron Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-06-08
Berwyn, Pennsylvania New Jersey (NAHL —
16
Jared Brandt Senior (RS )
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1995-10-26
St. Louis, Missouri Miami (NCHC —
17
Luke Edgerton Junior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1997-05-01
Wheeling, West Virginia Jersey (NCDC )—
18
Dylan Mills Junior
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1999-08-18
Cottage Grove, Minnesota Sioux City (USHL —
19
Ryan Cox Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1998-07-23
St. Albert, Alberta Sherwood Park (AJHL —
20
Christian Gorsack Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
2000-06-08
Jeannette, Pennsylvania Johnstown (NAHL —
21
Justin Kendall Senior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-05-07
Holmen, Wisconsin Coulee Region (NAHL —
22
Alex Truscott Junior
F 5' 8" (1.73 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1998-03-23
Draper, Utah Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL —
23
Cam Cook Junior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
188 lb (85 kg)
1997-11-13
Halifax, Nova Scotia Shreveport (NAHL —
24
Josef Myšák Freshman
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1999-09-08
Litvínov, Czech Republic Austin (NAHL —
25
Jon Hill Junior
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1998-10-09
Whitby, Ontario Brockville (CCHL —
26
Brandon Stanley Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
1997-05-03
Sioux Lookout, Ontario Philadelphia (NAHL —
27
Jack Billings Senior (RS )
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1995-10-04
Oak Lawn, Illinois Salve Regina (CCC )—
28
Jack Zielinski Senior
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1996-08-08
Richmond, Virginia Lone Star (NAHL —
29
Ludwig Stenlund Junior
F 6' 3" (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1997-04-16
Skellefteå, Sweden Madison (USHL —
31
Chad Veltri Sophomore
G 5' 11" (1.8 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
1998-06-03
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Youngstown (USHL —
33
Brian Wilson Senior
G 6' 4" (1.93 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1996-09-27
Pickering, Ontario Powell River (BCHL —
35
Mike Corson Junior
G 6' 3" (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1999-04-22
Darien, Illinois Denver (NCHC —
37
Trevor Poeze Freshman
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1999-07-17
Mississauga, Ontario Kanata (CCHL —
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OW
OL
SW
PTS
PT%
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
#15 American International †*
12
11
1
0
1
0
0
32
.889 47
18
19
15
4
0
67
40
Army 15
10
4
1
3
1
1
30
.667 42
33
22
15
6
1
71
48
Robert Morris 15
10
5
0
2
1
0
29
.644 58
48
24
15
9
0
85
69
Canisius 13
8
5
0
1
1
0
24
.615 42
34
17
11
6
0
59
46
RIT 13
7
5
1
0
0
1
23
.590 43
40
20
9
9
2
68
70
Sacred Heart 13
6
6
1
1
2
0
20
.513 35
38
18
6
10
2
43
59
Mercyhurst 16
7
8
1
1
1
1
23
.479 54
50
21
8
12
1
64
67
Bentley 15
4
11
0
1
5
0
16
.356 35
48
16
5
11
0
42
51
Niagara 15
3
9
3
0
2
1
15
.333 39
53
22
7
12
3
57
70
Air Force 13
3
9
1
2
1
0
9
.231 32
49
14
3
10
1
35
56
Holy Cross 12
3
9
0
2
0
0
7
.194 22
38
16
4
12
0
30
52
Championship : March 20, 2021† indicates conference regular season champion indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy ) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular Season
December 5
5:05 PM
at RIT
Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta , New York
Veltri
T 3–3 SOL
0
0–0–1 (0–0–1)
December 6
5:05 PM
vs. RIT
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Veltri
L 1–5 0
0–1–1 (0–1–1)
December 9
5:00 PM
vs. #7 Clarkson *
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Corson
W 4–1 0
1–1–1
December 16
5:05 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie , Pennsylvania
Veltri
T 3–3 SOL
0
1–1–2 (0–1–2)
December 18
7:00 PM
vs. Mercyhurst
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Veltri
L 4–7 0
1–2–2 (0–2–2)
December 22
3:00 PM
vs. RIT
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Veltri
L 4–5 0
1–3–2 (0–3–2)
December 29
5:00 PM
at #10 Clarkson *
Cheel Arena • Potsdam , New York
Corson
L 3–6 0
1–4–2
December 31
2:00 PM
vs. Robert Morris
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Corson
L 1–6 0
1–5–2 (0–4–2)
January 2
5:00 PM
vs. Air Force
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Corson
W 7–2 0
2–5–2 (1–4–2)
January 4
5:05 PM
vs. Air Force
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Corson
T 1–1 SOW
0
2–5–3 (1–4–3)
January 7
5:00 PM
vs. #20 Robert Morris
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Corson
L 2–3 OT
0
2–6–3 (1–5–3)
January 9
7:35 PM
at #20 Robert Morris
Clearview Arena • Neville Township , Pennsylvania
Corson
L 4–5 OT
0
2–7–3 (1–6–3)
January 10
4:00 PM
at #20 Robert Morris
Clearview Arena • Neville Township , Pennsylvania
Wilson
L 2–6 0
2–8–3 (1–7–3)
February 19
7:05 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie , Pennsylvania
Veltri
L 0–1 0
2–9–3 (1–8–3)
February 20
7:00 PM
vs. Mercyhurst
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Veltri
W 2–1 0
3–9–3 (2–8–3)
February 26
7:30 PM
vs. Canisius
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston , New York
Veltri
L 1–5 0
3–10–3 (2–9–3)
February 27
7:05 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo , New York
Veltri
W 4–0 0
4–10–3 (3–9–3)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 8
5:00 PM
at Mercyhurst *
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie , Pennsylvania (Atlantic Hockey First Round)
Veltri
W 3–2 163
5–10–3
March 12
5:00 PM
at Robert Morris *
Clearview Arena • Neville Township , Pennsylvania (Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals Game 1)
Veltri
L 2–3 OT
0
5–11–3
March 13
7:05 PM
at Robert Morris *
Clearview Arena • Neville Township , Pennsylvania (Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals Game 2)
Veltri
W 3–2 2OT
0
6–11–3
March 14
7:05 PM
at Robert Morris *
Clearview Arena • Neville Township , Pennsylvania (Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals Game 3)
Veltri
W 2–1 0
7–11–3
Niagara Won Series 2–1
March 19
2:00 PM
at #15 American International *
MassMutual Center • Springfield , Massachusetts (Atlantic Hockey Semifinals)
Veltri
L 1–2 0
7–12–3
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time .
[ 4]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Walker Sommer C 18
8
7
15 19
Ludwig Stenlund C 17
7
7
14 2
Jack Billings F 20
7
6
13 6
Ryan Naumovski F 22
3
10
13 0
Croix Evingson D 21
1
11
12 16
Ryan Cox F 22
7
4
11 18
Jared Brandt D 18
2
7
9 10
Eric Cooley RW 21
4
4
8 18
Chris Harpur D 15
0
8
8 38
Justin Kendall F 19
3
4
7 6
Brandon Stanley F 17
2
5
7 14
Christian Gorscak F 21
2
5
7 8
Luke Edgerton F 16
1
5
6 0
Carter Randklev F 13
3
2
5 6
Josef Mysak D 17
2
3
5 12
Zach Herrmann D 14
1
3
4 6
Jason Pineo C 21
3
0
3 8
Matt Cameron F 4
1
1
2 0
Jesse Pomeroy D 13
0
2
2 4
Dylan Mills C 6
0
1
1 2
Reed Robinson F 2
0
0
0 0
Brian Wilson G 3
0
0
0 0
Cam Cook F 4
0
0
0 0
Scott Persson D 7
0
0
0 2
Mike Corson G 8
0
0
0 0
Jon Hill D 12
0
0
0 6
Chad Veltri G 14
0
0
0 0
Alex Truscott F 15
0
0
0 2
Jack Zielinski D 16
0
0
0 17
Jordan Wishman D 18
0
0
0 12
Bench
-
-
-
-
-
10
Total
57
95
152
242
[ 5]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV % GAA
Chad Veltri 14
828
5
7
2
36
385
1
.914
2.61
Mike Corson 8
439
2
4
1
24
224
0
.903
3.28
Brian Wilson 3
88
0
1
0
9
28
0
.757
6.10
Empty Net
-
15
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
Total
10
1371
7
12
3
70
637
1
.901
3.06
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
-
NR
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20. [ 6]
Awards and honors
References
^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility" . CBS Sports . August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately" . NCAA . December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .^ "2020-21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . Niagara University Athletics. Retrieved July 27, 2017 .^ "Niagara Purple Eagles (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results" . College Hockey Stats . Retrieved December 5, 2019 .^ "Niagara Univ. 2020-2021 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved June 20, 2020 .^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .^ "Atlantic Hockey Announces All-Conference and All-Rookie Winners" . Atlantic Hockey . March 11, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021 .
Playing venues Head coaches Seasons Conference affiliations Rivalries All-time leaders NCAA Tournament appearances Conference Tournament titles
