# 2021–22 Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey season

The 2021–22 Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey season was the 26th season of play for the program, the 24th at the Division I level, and the 12th season in the Atlantic Hockey conference. The Purple Eagles represented Niagara University and were coached by Jason Lammers, in his 5th season.

## Season

Niagara didn't have much to celebrate during the season. For most of the year they were near the bottom of the conference standings and were among the worst in terms of both goals scored and goals allowed. However, the Eagles did show flashes of strong play and posted one of the program's best wins when they defeated #10 Notre Dame after Christmas.
In the final week of the regular season, the team managed to take down conference champion American International in a shootout. When they entered the postseason they were set against Bentley, who had gone winless in their previous eleven games. Unfortunately, Niagara dropped both games at home and saw their season come to an abrupt end.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Jack Billings | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Iowa Heartlanders) |
| Jared Brandt | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Reading Royals) |
| Cameron Cook | Forward | Canada | Signed professional contract (Evansville Thunderbolts) |
| Eric Cooley | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Ohio State |
| Croix Evingson | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Jacksonville Icemen) |
| Justin Kendall | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Dylan Mills | Forward | United States | Signed professional contract (Evansville Thunderbolts) |
| Scott Persson | Defenseman | Sweden | Joined club team |
| Trevor Poeze | Forward | Canada | Left program (retired) |
| Patrick Pugliese | Goaltender | United States | Transferred to Trinity |
| Reed Robinson | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Ludwig Stenlund | Forward | Sweden | Signed professional contract (HC Vita Hästen) |
| Alex Truscott | Forward | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Brian Wilson | Goaltender | Canada | Graduation (signed with Evansville Thunderbolts) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Jason Ahearn | Forward | United States | 20 | Staten Island, NY |
| Noah Carlin | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Marine City, MI |
| Jack DeBoer | Forward | United States | 21 | Madison, NJ; transfer from Boston University |
| Mike Faulkner | Defenseman | United States | 25 | The Bronx, NY; graduate transfer from Hobart |
| Olivier Gauthier | Forward | Canada | 22 | Ferme-Neuve, QC; transfer from Alaska Anchorage |
| Zane Kindrachuk | Forward | Canada | 21 | Calgary, AB |
| Albin Nilsson | Forward | Sweden | 23 | Ljungby, SWE; transfer from Providence |
| Shane Ott | Forward | United States | 21 | Centennial, CO |
| Lars Christian Rødne | Forward | Norway | 21 | Stavanger, NOR |
| Alexandre Roy | Defenseman | United States | 23 | Saint-Vallier, QC; transfer from Omaha |
| Jake Sibell | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Isanti, MN |

## Roster

As of September 6, 2021.

## Standings

2021–22 Atlantic Hockey Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | OW | OL | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #18 American International †* | 26 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 54 | 97 | 61 | 38 | 22 | 13 | 3 | 134 | 95 |
| Canisius | 26 | 13 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 43 | 76 | 67 | 35 | 16 | 16 | 3 | 99 | 97 |
| Army | 26 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 42 | 75 | 68 | 35 | 14 | 17 | 4 | 98 | 100 |
| RIT | 26 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 41 | 69 | 82 | 38 | 18 | 16 | 4 | 92 | 115 |
| Sacred Heart | 26 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 40 | 72 | 70 | 37 | 15 | 18 | 4 | 95 | 100 |
| Air Force | 26 | 11 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 37 | 76 | 80 | 36 | 16 | 17 | 3 | 99 | 127 |
| Mercyhurst | 26 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 75 | 79 | 39 | 16 | 19 | 4 | 114 | 129 |
| Niagara | 26 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 70 | 79 | 36 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 82 | 122 |
| Bentley | 26 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 34 | 70 | 78 | 36 | 14 | 20 | 2 | 94 | 117 |
| Holy Cross | 26 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 56 | 72 | 37 | 12 | 23 | 2 | 77 | 108 |
| Championship: March 19, 2022 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Riley Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll |||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 8 | 8:07 PM | at #8 North Dakota* | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | | Veltri | L 2–6 | 11,386 | 0–1–0 |
| October 9 | 7:07 PM | at #8 North Dakota* | Ralph Engelstad Arena • Grand Forks, North Dakota | | Sibell | L 0–4 | 11,689 | 0–2–0 |
| October 21 | 7:00 PM | at Penn State* | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Veltri | L 0–4 | 5,547 | 0–3–0 |
| October 22 | 7:00 PM | at Penn State* | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Sibell | L 2–6 | 5,597 | 0–4–0 |
| October 29 | 5:35 PM | at Sacred Heart | Webster Bank Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut | | Veltri | W 6–1 | 413 | 1–4–0 (1–0–0) |
| October 30 | 1:05 PM | at Sacred Heart | Webster Bank Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut | | Sibell | L 1–3 | 353 | 1–5–0 (1–1–0) |
| November 5 | 7:05 PM | Air Force | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | W 4–3 | 880 | 2–5–0 (2–1–0) |
| November 6 | 5:05 PM | Air Force | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Sibell | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 765 | 2–5–1 (2–1–1) |
| November 19 | 7:00 PM | Army | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 437 | 2–5–2 (2–1–2) |
| November 20 | 5:00 PM | Army | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | L 1–4 | 757 | 2–6–2 (2–2–2) |
| November 26 | 7:30 PM | at #4 Michigan* | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | | Sibell | L 1–6 | 5,800 | 2–7–2 |
| November 27 | 7:00 PM | at #4 Michigan* | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | | Veltri | L 1–4 | 5,800 | 2–8–2 |
| December 3 | 7:05 PM | at Holy Cross | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | | Veltri | W 3–1 | 322 | 3–8–2 (3–2–2) |
| December 4 | 7:05 PM | at Holy Cross | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | | Veltri | L 2–3 | 245 | 3–9–2 (3–3–2) |
| December 10 | 7:00 PM | Canisius | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | L 0–4 | 1,072 | 3–10–2 (3–4–2) |
| December 11 | 7:00 PM | at Canisius | LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York | | Veltri | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 852 | 4–10–2 (4–4–2) |
| December 31 | 6:00 PM | at #10 Notre Dame* | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | Veltri | W 3–1 | 3,374 | 5–10–2 |
| January 1 | 5:00 PM | at #10 Notre Dame* | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Peacock | Veltri | L 0–5 | 2,791 | 5–11–2 |
| January 7 | 7:00 PM | Sacred Heart | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | W 5–4 $^{OT}$ | 537 | 6–11–2 (5–4–2) |
| January 8 | 5:00 PM | Sacred Heart | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Sibell | L 1–2 | 538 | 6–12–2 (5–5–2) |
| January 14 | 9:05 PM | at Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Corson | L 4–5 | 1,157 | 6–13–2 (5–6–2) |
| January 15 | 7:05 PM | at Air Force | Cadet Ice Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado | | Corson | L 2–3 | 1,456 | 6–14–2 (5–7–2) |
| January 21 | 7:05 PM | at RIT | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | | Sibell | W 5–3 | 2,389 | 7–14–2 (6–7–2) |
| January 22 | 7:05 PM | RIT | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | L 5–6 $^{OT}$ | 713 | 7–15–2 (6–8–2) |
| January 28 | 7:00 PM | Mercyhurst | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Sibell | L 1–4 | 638 | 7–16–2 (6–9–2) |
| January 29 | 5:00 PM | Mercyhurst | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | W 1–0 | 767 | 8–16–2 (7–9–2) |
| February 4 | 7:00 PM | Bentley | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | W 6–5 | 611 | 9–16–2 (8–9–2) |
| February 5 | 5:00 PM | Bentley | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | W 3–2 | 585 | 10–16–2 (9–9–2) |
| February 11 | 7:00 PM | at Canisius | LECOM Harborcenter • Buffalo, New York | | Veltri | W 4–1 | 895 | 11–16–2 (10–9–2) |
| February 12 | 7:00 PM | Canisius | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | L 1–5 | 854 | 11–17–2 (10–10–2) |
| February 18 | 7:05 PM | RIT | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York | | Veltri | L 2–4 | 836 | 11–18–2 (10–11–2) |
| February 19 | 7:05 PM | at RIT | Gene Polisseni Center • Henrietta, New York | | Veltri | L 2–3 | 3,012 | 11–19–2 (10–12–2) |
| February 25 | 1:05 PM | at American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | | Veltri | T 1–1 $^{SOW}$ | 93 | 11–19–3 (10–12–3) |
| February 26 | 1:05 PM | at American International | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | | Veltri | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 262 | 11–20–3 (10–13–3) |
| Atlantic Hockey Tournament ||||||||||
| March 4 | 7:00 PM | Bentley* | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York (First Round game 1) | | Veltri | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 470 | 11–21–3 |
| March 5 | 7:00 PM | Bentley* | Dwyer Arena • Lewiston, New York (First Round game 2) | | Veltri | L 1–4 | 447 | 11–22–3 |
| Niagara Lost Series 0–2 ||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Ryan Naumovski | F | 36 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 2 |
| Albin Nilsson | C | 32 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 16 |
| Ryan Cox | F | 36 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 18 |
| Shane Ott | F | 36 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 8 |
| Chris Harpur | D | 35 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 39 |
| Walker Sommer | C | 29 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 6 |
| Zac Herrmann | D | 36 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 28 |
| Lars Christian Rødne | LW | 30 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 4 |
| Josef Mysak | D | 32 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 18 |
| Carter Randklev | F | 22 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
| Brandon Stanley | F | 33 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 32 |
| Jason Pineo | C | 35 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 14 |
| Jonathan Hill | D | 36 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 33 |
| Luke Edgerton | F | 28 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Christian Gorscak | F | 35 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
| Jordan Wishman | D | 32 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 16 |
| Jack Zielinski | D | 36 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 31 |
| Mike Faulkner | D | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| Olivier Gauthier | LW | 33 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| Jesse Pomeroy | D | 28 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| Jack DeBoer | C | 21 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| Chad Veltri | G | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Zane Kindrachuk | F | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mike Corson | G | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alexandre Roy | D | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Jake Sibell | G | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Noah Carlin | D | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | | | 82 | 145 | 227 | 334 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Chad Veltri | 29 | 1569 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 77 | 675 | 1 | .898 | 2.94 |
| Jake Sibell | 15 | 498 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 32 | 246 | 0 | .885 | 3.85 |
| Mike Corson | 8 | 91 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 53 | 0 | .898 | 3.94 |
| Empty Net | - | 33 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2193 | 11 | 22 | 3 | 119 | 974 | 1 | .891 | 3.26 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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 (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 |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award | Ref |
| Shane Ott | Atlantic Hockey Rookie Team | |