Jason Lammers enters his eighth season as the head coach of the Niagara University men’s hockey team in 2024-25.
Niagara turned in its second straight season with a .500 or better winning percentage in 2023-24. Niagara went 18-18-3 while advancing to the Atlantic Hockey Semifinals for the second straight season and the fourth time in the last five tournaments. The Purple Eagles picked up non-conference wins against Miami (OH) and Colgate while also defeating the USNTDP in an exhibition for the second straight season. Niagara picked up five points against No. 19 RIT in the season series as Niagara won the season series against the eventual AHA champions. Niagara went into the postseason as the seven seed and hosted Army in the first round of the Atlantic Hockey postseason. After defeating the Black Knight at Dwyer Arena, the Purple Eagles hit the road and swept No. 3 Sacred Heart to advance to the AHA Semifinals.
The Purple Eagles had its first winning season since the 2012-13 season as they finished 19-18-3 and advanced to the Atlantic Hockey semifinals. The Purple Eagles opened the season with a sweep over NCHC opponent Omaha. Niagara finished with a 6-2-0 record in non-conference play which included sweeps of Omaha and Colgate, it was the best non-conference record for Niagara since 2008-09. Later in the season, Niagara swept #18 RIT at home, it was the first time since 2006-07 that Niagara swept a ranked team. Following the season, five student-athletes signed professional hockey contracts.
Niagara went 11-22-3 overall and 10-13-3 in AHA play in 2021-22. The Purple Eagles downed No. 10 Notre Dame, 3-1, on Jan. 1. Niagara faced three Big Ten teams for the first time in program history, taking on Penn State and Michigan in addition to Notre Dame. The team also opened the season against nationally-ranked North Dakota.
Following the season, Shane Ott was named to the AHA All-Rookie Team.
The Purple Eagles went 7-12-3 in 2020-21. NU picked up a 4-1 win against No. 7 Clarkson on Dec. 9 at Dwyer Arena. Niagara advanced to the semifinals of the AHA Tournament after defeating Mercyhurst, 3-2, in the first round and won a three-game series against Robert Morris in the quarterfinals. The Purple Eagles fell to AIC, 2-1, in their semifinal game. Josef Mysak was named to the AHA All-Rookie Team and 24 student-athletes were named to the AHA All-Academic Team.
Lammers and the Purple Eagles went 12-18-4 season (12-12-4-2 Atlantic Hockey record) in 2019-20 and the team earned the fifth seed in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs, giving them a first-round bye into the quarterfinals. Niagara won six of its final eight regular season games, including a 6-1 win over #20 Sacred Heart on Feb. 16 for the program's first win over a ranked team since 2015.
The 2019-20 season was cut short prior to the quarterfinal round at Army West Point, as the AHA canceled the remainder of the season on March 12 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, there were plenty of high points throughout the year. Noah Delmas became the program's highest-scoring defenseman (20 G, 80 A), setting records for assists and points by a defenseman and tying the career mark for goals by a defenseman. In the process, Delmas also became the first blueliner to ever reach 100 career points. Jack Billings (AHA Third Team) and Chad Veltri (AHA All-Rookie Team) were honored by the league with spots on the conference's postseason teams.
After being picked to finish last in the Atlantic Hockey Preseason Poll, the Purple Eagles had a very successful 2018-19 campaign. The team caught fire at the end of the regular season, and carried the momentum through victories over Canisius, Air Force, and RIT to earn the program’s first berth in the Atlantic Hockey championship game.
Under the guidance of Lammers, Niagara improved its overall win count and conference win count for the second consecutive year, with the team's 17 wins marking the most since the 2012-13 season. The team also went undefeated (2-0-2) against its Battle of the Bridge rival during the regular season to win the series for the first time in five years. The team landed two players on the All-Conference Third Team (defenseman Noah Delmas and forward Ludwig Stenlund), with Stenlund also earning Rookie of the Year honors and finishing second overall for the Tim Taylor Award, given to the top rookie in the nation.
Off the ice, the team was equally impressive, carrying a combined GPA of 3.52 for the 2018-19 academic year. In total, 23 athletes earned a spot on the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic Team, second-most in program history.
Much of the team’s success can be attributed to the philosophies Lammers works to instill in his players, coaches, and support staff. The team employs a collective mindset of “we over me” in which every player knows his role and how it factors into shared success. Science-based diets, beneficial sleep habits, and exercises intended to help prevent injury have been implemented and have contributed to the resurgence of the program.
In his first year at the helm, Lammers guided the Purple Eagles to their first national ranking since Oct. 2013, when Niagara landed at No. 20 in the Dec. 4, 2017 USCHO.com poll. The team had one of its biggest single-season turnarounds ever, improving by seven wins against Atlantic Hockey opponents from the 2016-17 season. Off the ice, Niagara led the AHA with 25 players earning All-Academic honors, shattering the previous program record of 18.
Lammers brought 15 years of prior Division I coaching experience to Niagara University, including time as an associate head coach at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell and as an assistant coach at Colorado College and Ohio State University.
Lammers’ most recent position prior to arriving on Monteagle Ridge was as the head coach and general manager of the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL). He led the team to a regular-season record of 75-36-9 (.663 winning percentage) during his two years with the club, which featured runs to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016-17 and the USHL Finals in 2015-16.
A defenseman in his time as a player from 1994-98, Lammers was a three-year team captain for the Geneseo Knights. In his senior season, Lammers guided the Knights to a top-15 ranking in the NCAA poll and collected SUNYAC All-Conference Second Team accolades.
He went on to play 99 games in the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) from 1998-2000 with the Idaho Steelheads and Phoenix Mustangs. After being traded from Idaho to Phoenix in the middle of the 1999-00 campaign, Lammers helped the Mustangs move up in the standings from last place to third place before eventually capturing the Taylor Cup as league champions.
During the 2005-06 season, Lammers returned to his alma mater to become the head coach for the Division III Knights. Geneseo compiled a record of 19-9-2, won the SUNYAC tournament, and made an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Two Knights were named All-SUNYAC league players, and four were named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament team.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Lammers graduated from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 1998 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Lammers went on to continue his education while coaching at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where he received a Master of Education degree in higher education in 2015. He and his wife, Michelle, have one son, Rhett, and one daughter, Bryn.
