2022–23 Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey season
College ice hockey team season
The 2022–23 Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey season was the 27th season of play for the program, the 25th at the Division I level, and the 13th in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Purple Eagles represented Niagara University and were coached by Jason Lammers , in his 6th season.
Season
The Purple Eagles kicked off their season with a trip west that resulted in a surprise sweep of Omaha . While riding high on the rare victories, the defense slipped after the team returned home and allowed nearly 5 goals against per game over the next five games. Niagara recovered by the end of October and then went on a 5-game winning streak to pull themselves out of the Atlantic Hockey cellar. Due to expected heavy snowfall in the Buffalo area, the game against St. Lawrence was moved from November 19 to January 5.[1]
Niagara ended the first half of the season with a sluggish performance by their offense but they still possessed a winning record. The Purple Eagles opened the second half by splitting a pair of non-conference series. Unfortunately, the team remained inconsistent for the remainder of the year. While they were able to sweep a ranked RIT squad, they were in turn dropped by both Bentley and Holy Cross in the back half of the year. The result was that Niagara finished 6th in the conference standings despite seeing improvements across the board.
The team began the postseason on the road and dropped the first match to Sacred Heart . Afterwards, Chad Veltri turned in a masterful performance in goal and allowed just 4 goals on 70 shots. Carter Randklev's 5-point effort in the deciding game sent the Purple Eagles into the semifinal where the team faced local rival Canisius .[2] Veltri continued to stand on his head and led the Purple Eagles to a 2–1 victory over the Golden Griffins. Ordinarily, that would have been enough to send the team to the league championship, however, Atlantic Hockey had changed the playoff format prior to the season. WHile the First Round games had been eliminated, the semifinal round was extended to be a best-of-three series like the quarterfinal.[3] This meant that Niagara had to win a second match against Canisius to advance. Unfortunately, the Griffins were able to rally from the loss in game 1 and stormed back with two wins to knock Niagara out of the postseason.
While the end of their campaign was disappointing, the team had taken a big stride forward. Niagara had scored 37 more goals and though they allowed 7 more goals against, they had done so in 4 additional games. The Purple Eagles also posted their first winning season in a decade; a successful season despite the ending.[4]
Departures
Recruiting
Player
Position
Nationality
Age
Notes
Lucas Bahn
Defenseman
United States
23
Hendersonville, TN ; transfer from Alabama–Huntsville
Lane Brockhoff
Defenseman
Canada
22
Edberg, AB
Casey Carreau
Forward
United States
24
Acushnet, MA ; transfer from Boston College
Mike Egan
Forward
United States
25
Billerica, MA ; graduate transfer from Babson
Noah Hackett
Forward
Canada
20
Ponoka, AB
Ethan Lund
Defenseman
Canada
21
Calgary, AB
Ryan Ouellette
Goaltender
Sweden
21
Colorado Springs, CO ; transfer from Wisconsin–Eau Claire
David Posma
Defenseman
United States
19
Pomona, NY
Gļebs Prohorenkovs
Forward
Latvia
20
Riga, LAT
Max Ruoho
Defenseman
United States
23
Madison, WI
Drew Vieten
Forward
United States
21
Calabasas, CA
Johnny Wescoe
Forward
United States
21
Mechanicsburg, PA
Jonathan Ziskie
Defenseman
United States
21
Macomb, MI
Roster
As of June 30, 2022.[5]
No.
S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
2
Jonathan Ziskie
Freshman
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
2001-03-19
Macomb, Michigan
Bismarck (NAHL )
—
3
Lucas Bahn
Senior
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
1999-09-11
Henderson, Tennessee
Alabama–Huntsville (NCAA )
—
4
Gļebs Prohorenkovs
Freshman
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
2001-11-12
Riga, Latvia
Amarillo (NAHL )
—
5
Noah Carlin
Sophomore
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
2000-06-13
Marine City, Michigan
Omaha (USHL )
—
7
Jordan Wishman
Graduate
D
6' 1" (1.85 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
1998-11-22
Des Moines, Iowa
Dubuque (USHL )
—
8
Albin Nilsson
Senior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1998-09-18
Ljungby, Sweden
Providence (HEA )
—
9
Jay Ahearn
Sophomore
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
2001-05-23
Staten Island, New York
Johnstown (NAHL )
—
10
Carter Randklev
Junior
F
5' 8" (1.73 m)
163 lb (74 kg)
1999-11-05
Moorhead, Minnesota
Fargo (USHL )
—
11
Olivier Gauthier
Junior
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-04-09
Ferme-Neuve, Quebec
Alaska Anchorage (WCHA )
—
12
Jason Pineo
Senior
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1998-02-23
Toronto, Ontario
Oakville (OJHL )
—
13
Drew Vieten
Freshman
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2001-01-10
Calabasas, California
Wichita Falls (NAHL )
—
14
Ryan Naumovski
Senior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
150 lb (68 kg)
1999-07-28
Shelby Township, Michigan
New Jersey (NAHL )
—
15
Matt Cameron
Junior
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-06-08
Berwyn, Pennsylvania
New Jersey (NAHL )
—
16
Zane Kindrachuk
Sophomore
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
161 lb (73 kg)
2000-01-04
Calgary, Alberta
Okotoks (AJHL )
—
17
Max Ruoho
Freshman
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
2001-03-05
Madison, Wisconsin
Minnesota Wilderness (NAHL )
—
18
Mike Egan
Graduate
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
1997-08-24
Billerica, Massachusetts
Babson (NEHC )
—
19
Ryan Cox
Graduate
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-07-23
St. Albert, Alberta
Sherwood Park (AJHL )
—
20
Christian Gorsack
Junior
F
5' 11" (1.8 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
2000-06-08
Jeannette, Pennsylvania
Johnstown (NAHL )
—
21
Shane Ott
Sophomore
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
2000-07-21
Centennial, Colorado
Janesville (NAHL )
—
22
Lane Brockhoff
Sophomore
D
6' 1" (1.85 m)
207 lb (94 kg)
2000-04-11
Edberg, Alberta
Camrose (AJHL )
—
23
Lars Rødne
Sophomore
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
181 lb (82 kg)
2000-07-22
Stavanager, Norway
Bismarck (NAHL )
—
24
Josef Myšák
Junior
D
6' 3" (1.91 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1999-09-08
Litvínov, Czech Republic
Austin (NAHL )
—
25
Johnny Wescoe
Freshman
F
5' 8" (1.73 m)
150 lb (68 kg)
2001-01-06
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Rockets (NCDC )
—
26
Brandon Stanley
Graduate
F
6' 2" (1.88 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
1997-05-03
Sioux Lookout, Ontario
Philadelphia (NAHL )
—
27
Jack DeBoer
Graduate
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
202 lb (92 kg)
2000-08-17
Madison, New Jersey
Boston University (HEA )
—
28
Ethan Lund
Freshman
D
5' 10" (1.78 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-03-16
Calgary, Alberta
Brooks (AJHL )
—
29
David Posma
Freshman
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
2003-08-27
Pomona, New York
New Jersey (NAHL )
—
30
Jake Sibell
Sophomore
G
6' 2" (1.88 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
2000-01-03
Isanti, Minnesota
Aberdeen (NAHL )
—
31
Chad Veltri
Senior
G
5' 11" (1.8 m)
187 lb (85 kg)
1998-06-03
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Youngstown (USHL )
—
34
Noah Hackett
Freshman
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
174 lb (79 kg)
2001-12-11
Ponoka, Alberta
Brooks (AJHL )
—
37
Casey Carreau
Senior
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1998-08-03
Acushnet, Massachusetts
Boston College (HEA )
—
40
Ryan Ouellette
Sophomore
G
6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2000-12-06
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Wisconsin–Eau Claire (WIAC )
—
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OW
OL
SW
PTS
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
RIT †
26
18
7
1
1
3
0
57
85
55
39
25
13
1
127
100
American International
26
14
8
4
2
0
3
47
87
62
39
18
14
7
124
98
Sacred Heart
26
14
9
3
2
0
2
45
87
72
37
17
17
3
107
112
Canisius *
26
13
10
3
3
1
1
41
76
71
42
20
19
3
118
119
Army
26
12
12
2
3
3
1
39
72
81
37
14
19
4
98
119
Niagara
26
10
13
3
0
3
2
38
73
86
40
19
18
3
119
129
Holy Cross
26
12
12
2
3
1
1
37
73
71
41
17
21
3
98
119
Mercyhurst
26
9
14
3
1
5
1
35
77
80
36
10
23
3
98
122
Bentley
26
8
16
2
1
1
1
27
61
89
34
11
21
2
81
124
Air Force
26
8
17
1
1
0
0
24
63
87
36
12
22
2
95
128
Championship : March 18, 2023 † indicates conference regular season champion (DeGregorio Trophy) * 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
October 7
8:00 PM
at Omaha *
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Veltri
W 4–3
5,748
1–0–0
October 8
8:00 PM
at Omaha *
Baxter Arena • Omaha, Nebraska
Veltri
W 4–3
5,567
2–0–0
October 14
7:00 PM
American International
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
L 3–6
903
2–1–0 (0–1–0)
October 15
5:30 PM
American International
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Ouellette
L 2–5
511
2–2–0 (0–2–0)
October 21
7:30 PM
Sacred Heart
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Sibell
W 6–4
704
3–2–0 (1–2–0)
October 22
5:30 PM
Sacred Heart
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Sibell
L 1–5
661
3–3–0 (1–3–0)
October 28
7:35 PM
Mercyhurst
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
T 4–4 SOW
708
3–3–1 (1–3–1)
October 29
7:00 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania
FloHockey
Veltri
W 3–2
612
4–3–1 (2–3–1)
November 4
7:05 PM
at Bentley
Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts
FloHockey
Veltri
W 6–0
1,267
5–3–1 (3–3–1)
November 5
5:00 PM
at Bentley
Bentley Arena • Waltham, Massachusetts
FloHockey
Veltri
W 4–2
1,178
6–3–1 (4–3–1)
November 18
7:00 PM
USNTDP *
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York (Exhibition)
Veltri
W 8–5
849
November 25
3:30 PM
Colgate *
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
W 3–2
496
7–3–1
November 26
3:30 PM
Colgate *
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
W 3–2 OT
527
8–3–1
December 2
7:00 PM
at Army
Tate Rink • West Point, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
L 0–3
1,846
8–4–1 (4–4–1)
December 3
4:00 PM
at Army
Tate Rink • West Point, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
W 4–2
1,319
9–4–1 (5–4–1)
December 8
5:05 PM
at American International
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
FloHockey
Veltri
T 0–0 SOW
-
9–4–2 (5–4–2)
December 9
1:05 PM
at American International
MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts
FloHockey
Veltri
L 1–4
296
9–5–2 (5–5–2)
December 30
7:00 PM
at Miami *
Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio
Veltri
L 3–5
2,007
9–6–2
December 31
4:00 PM
at Miami *
Steve Cady Arena • Oxford, Ohio
Veltri
W 5–4
1,254
10–6–2
January 2
3:00 PM
Toronto *
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York (Exhibition)
FloHockey
Ouellette
W 3–1
437
January 5
7:00 PM
St. Lawrence *
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
W 4–3
437
11–6–2
January 7
7:00 PM
at St. Lawrence *
Appleton Arena • Canton, New York
ESPN+
Veltri
L 3–4 OT
1,216
11–7–2
January 13
7:00 PM
Bentley
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
L 3–6
587
11–8–2 (5–6–2)
January 14
5:30 PM
Bentley
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
L 1–6
625
11–9–2 (5–7–2)
January 20
9:05 PM
at Air Force
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
FloHockey
Veltri
L 3–6
1,465
11–10–2 (5–8–2)
January 21
7:05 PM
at Air Force
Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado
Altitude
Veltri
W 2–1
1,735
12–10–2 (6–8–2)
January 27
7:00 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
L 2–5
1,236
12–11–2 (6–9–2)
January 28
7:00 PM
at Canisius
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
W 5–2
1,121
13–11–2 (7–9–2)
February 3
7:00 PM
Army
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
L 2–3 OT
678
13–12–2 (7–10–2)
February 4
5:30 PM
Army
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
T 3–3 SOW
541
13–12–3 (7–10–3)
February 10
7:00 PM
#18 RIT
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
W 4–3
533
14–12–3 (8–10–3)
February 11
7:00 PM
#18 RIT
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
W 4–1
909
15–12–3 (9–10–3)
February 17
7:00 PM
at Holy Cross
Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts
FloHockey
Veltri
L 3–4
475
15–13–3 (9–11–3)
February 18
7:00 PM
at Holy Cross
Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts
FloHockey
Veltri
L 0–3
480
15–14–3 (9–12–3)
February 24
7:05 PM
at Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst Ice Center • Erie, Pennsylvania
FloHockey
Veltri
L 2–3
783
15–15–3 (9–13–3)
February 25
7:00 PM
Mercyhurst
Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York
FloHockey
Veltri
W 5–3
1,115
16–15–3 (10–13–3)
Atlantic Hockey Tournament
March 3
7:00 PM
at Sacred Heart *
Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut (Quarterfinal Game 1)
FloHockey
Veltri
L 1–3
2,046
16–16–3
March 4
7:00 PM
at Sacred Heart *
Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut (Quarterfinal Game 2)
FloHockey
Veltri
W 4–1
2,088
17–16–3
March 5
7:00 PM
at Sacred Heart *
Martire Family Arena • Fairfield, Connecticut (Quarterfinal Game 3)
FloHockey
Veltri
W 7–3
1,196
18–16–3
March 10
6:05 PM
at Canisius *
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York (Semifinal Game 1)
FloHockey
Veltri
W 2–1
546
19–16–3
March 11
7:35 PM
at Canisius *
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York (Semifinal Game 2)
FloHockey
Veltri
L 1–5
500
19–17–3
March 12
7:05 PM
at Canisius *
LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York (Semifinal Game 3)
FloHockey
Veltri
L 2–4
457
19–18–3
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . Source:[6]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Casey Carreau
F
40
10
21
31
16
Ryan Cox
F
40
14
14
28
38
Shane Ott
F
40
10
18
28
6
Ryan Naumovski
F
40
9
17
26
10
Carter Randklev
F
38
13
11
24
16
Albin Nilsson
C
40
10
14
24
49
Jason Pineo
C
40
9
13
22
33
Gļebs Prohorenkovs
F
35
12
6
18
28
Olivier Gauthier
LW
40
11
6
17
10
Jay Ahearn
F
17
7
10
17
16
Josef Myšák
D
39
3
14
17
45
Lars Christian Rødne
LW
37
6
7
13
16
Noah Carlin
D
33
1
11
12
27
Christian Gorscak
F
26
1
6
7
4
Lucas Bahn
D
40
1
6
7
12
Max Ruoho
D
22
0
7
7
6
David Posma
D
37
0
5
5
67
Jonathan Ziskie
D
31
1
3
4
14
Lane Brockhoff
D
30
0
4
4
39
Mike Egan
F
6
1
0
1
0
Johnny Wescoe
F
10
0
1
1
2
Drew Vieten
F
11
0
1
1
9
Jack DeBoer
C
14
0
1
1
0
Brandon Stanley
F
19
0
1
1
0
Jordan Wishman
D
19
0
1
1
20
Chad Veltri
G
37
0
1
1
0
Jake Sibell
G
2
0
0
0
6
Ryan Ouellette
G
2
0
0
0
0
Noah Hackett
F
3
0
0
0
0
Ethan Lund
D
13
0
0
0
12
Total
119
200
319
495
[7]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV %
GAA
Chad Veltri
37
2179:44
18
16
3
101
973
2
.906
2.78
Jake Sibell
3
118:09
1
1
0
7
42
0
.857
3.55
Ryan Ouellette
3
97:51
0
1
0
7
38
0
.844
4.29
Empty Net
-
29:17
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
Total
40
2425:03
19
18
3
116
1053
2
.902
2.87
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
22
23
24
25
26
27 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
-
NR
NR
NR
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
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26. [8]
References
^ "St. Lawrence-Niagara men's hockey game scheduled for Nov. 19 postponed due to weather, rescheduled for Jan. 5, 2023" . USCHO . November 17, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022 .
^ "SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 2023" . College Hockey Inc . March 5, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023 .
^ "2023 Atlantic Hockey Postseason" . Atlantic Hockey . Retrieved February 26, 2023 .
^ "Niagara Men's Hockey Team History" . USCHO.com. Retrieved May 20, 2019 .
^ "2022-23 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . Niagara University Athletics. Retrieved July 27, 2017 .
^ "2022-23 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule" . Niagara Purple Eagles . Retrieved August 14, 2022 .
^ "Niagara Univ. 2022-2023 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved June 20, 2020 .
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .
Playing venues Head coaches Seasons Conference affiliations Rivalries All-time leaders NCAA Tournament appearances Conference Tournament titles