Men's Ice Hockey 10/7/2021 7:18:00 PM

Purple Eagles Open Season At No. 8 North Dakota

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The Niagara men's ice hockey team opens its 2021-22 season at No. 8 North Dakota Friday, Oct. 8-Saturday, Oct. 9. The teams play at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Friday and 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday.

Niagara Notes

The Purple Eagles went 7-12-3 overall in 2020-21 and 3-9-3-1 in Atlantic Hockey play.
The team advanced to the semifinals of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament after a 3-2 victory over Mercyhurst in the first round and 3-2 (2OT) and 2-1 wins over Robert Morris in a three-game quarterfinals series. The Purple Eagles fell to AIC in the semifinals, 2-1.
Josef Mysak was named to the AHA West Pod All-Rookie Team and 24 Purple Eagles were named to the AHA All-Academic Team.
Niagara returns 18 players from last year's squad, including forwards Walker Sommer and Ryan Naumovski and goaltender Chad Veltri. Sommer led the team in scoring with eight goals and had a team-high 15 points and Naumovski had a team-best 10 assists. Veltri compiled a record of 5-7-2 and made 385 saves on the season and had a save percentage of .919.
The Purple Eagles welcome 12 newcomers to the team, including transfers Alexandre Roy (University of Nebraska - Omaha), Albin Nilsson (Providence College), Olivier Gauthier (Alaska-Anchorage), Mike Faulkner (Hobart) and Jack DeBoer (Boston University).
Freshman goaltender Jake Sibell was named the AHA Preseason Rookie of the Year, becoming the first Preseason Rookie of the Year selection from NU since 2013. Sibell joins NU from the Aberdeen Wings of the NAHL. During the 2020-21 season, Sibell made 1,105 saves and had a save percentage of 95.2%. He recoded 11 shutouts and compiled a record of 43-2-1, with a 1.19 goals against average. Sibell played in 11 playoff games and went 8-2-1 with a 1.93 goals against average and a 92.9% save percentage.
Sibell was named the NAHL Goaltender of the Year and the NAHL Most Valuable Player. He had the best save percentage and goals against average in the NAHL and set NAHL single season records in both categories. Sibell also earned the USA Hockey Junior Goalie of the Year (Doug Peterson Award) and was an NAHL All-Central Division Team and NAHL First All-Star Team selection.
The team announced the captains for the 2021-22 season on Wednesday. Chris Harpur will wear the "C" for the second straight season and Jon Hill, Walker Sommer and Jack Zielinski will serve as alternates.

Up Next

Niagara heads to Happy Valley for a two-game series at Penn State Oct. 21-22.

Stay connected with Niagara Hockey on Twitter and Instagram. Follow Niagara Athletics all year long on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and purpleeagles.com.

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Players Mentioned

#4 Chris Harpur: D; 6' 3"; Graduate Student; L

#25 Jon Hill: F; 6' 2"; Senior; L

#24 Josef Mysak: D; 6' 3"; Sophomore; L

#14 Ryan Naumovski: F; 6' 0"; Junior; R

#8 Walker Sommer: F; 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior; L

#31 Chad Veltri: G; 5' 11"; Junior; L

#28 Jack Zielinski: D; 6' 2"; Graduate Student; R

#27 Jack DeBoer: F; 6' 3"; Senior; R

#11 Olivier Gauthier: F; 5' 10"; Sophomore; L

#9 Albin Nilsson: F; 6' 0"; Junior; L

Players Mentioned

#4 Chris Harpur
: 6' 3"; Graduate Student; L
: D

#25 Jon Hill
: 6' 2"; Senior; L
: F

#24 Josef Mysak
: 6' 3"; Sophomore; L
: D

#14 Ryan Naumovski
: 6' 0"; Junior; R
: F

#8 Walker Sommer
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Senior; L
: F

#31 Chad Veltri
: 5' 11"; Junior; L
: G

#28 Jack Zielinski
: 6' 2"; Graduate Student; R
: D

#27 Jack DeBoer
: 6' 3"; Senior; R
: F

#11 Olivier Gauthier
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; L
: F

#9 Albin Nilsson
: 6' 0"; Junior; L
: F