Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey
| Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
| Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey athletic logo | |
| University | Niagara University |
| Conference | AHA |
| Head coach | Dave Burkholder 13th year, 229–195–55 |
| Arena | Dwyer Arena Capacity: 2,100 |
| Location | Lewiston, New York |
| Colors | Purple and White |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |
| 2000, 2004, 2008, 2013 | |
| Conference Tournament Champions | |
| CHA: 2000, 2004, 2008 | |
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |
| CHA: 2000, 2006, 2007 AHA: 2013 |
|
| Current uniform | |
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|
- For information on all Niagara University sports, see Niagara Purple Eagles
The Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents Niagara University. The Purple Eagles are a member of Atlantic Hockey. They play at the Dwyer Arena in Lewiston, New York.[1]
Contents
History
After several years of playing at the club level, the team turned varsity in the 1996–97 season, which they played as independent.
In 1999 they became charter members of the College Hockey America, joining two other independent teams (Air Force and Army) and three former Division II teams (Alabama–Huntsville, Bemidji State and Findlay).
Niagara went undefeated in conference play that season, 1999–00, winning the conference tournament and gaining an at-large invitation to the NCAA Tournament, as the conference did not gain an automatic bid until the 2003 tournament. The purple eagles upset the University of New Hampshire to advance to the Elite Eight, where they lost to North Dakota. North Dakota went on to win that national championship.
Niagara also won the College Hockey America Championship in 2004 and 2008, appearing in the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship again those years. In 2004 they lost against Boston College and in 2008 against Michigan.
On January 29, 2009, Niagara University announced that the team was moving to Atlantic Hockey beginning in the 2010-11 season.
On October 14, 2010, it was announced that Jay McKee would serve as a volunteer assistant coach for Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey, while not ruling out a return to the NHL.
On December 14, 2013 the Purple Eagles faced off against the RIT Tigers in an outdoor hockey game known as Frozen Frontier tying 2-2.
All-time coaching records
| Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–present | Dave Burkholder | 13 | 229–195–55 | |
| 1996–2001 | Blaise MacDonald | 5 | 91–58–17 | |
| Totals | 2 coaches | 18 seasons | 315–253–72 |
Seasons
| Season | W-L-T | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 16-9-2 | First season as varsity program |
| 1997-98 | 14-10-3 | ECAC West Regular Season Champions ECAC West Tournament Champions |
| 1998-99 | 17-12-3 | First season in Division I |
| 1999-00 | 30-8-4 | CHA Regular Season Champions CHA Champions NCAA Tournament |
| 2000-01 | 14-19-5 | |
| 2001-02 | 17-17-1 | |
| 2002-03 | 15-17-5 | |
| 2003-04 | 21-15-3 | CHA Champions NCAA Tournament |
| 2004-05 | 15-19-2 | |
| 2005-06 | 20-15-1 | CHA Regular Season Champions |
| 2006-07 | 18-13-6 | CHA Regular Season Champions |
| 2007-08 | 22-11-4 | CHA Champions NCAA Tournament |
| 2008-09 | 16-14-6 | |
| 2009-10 | 12-20-4 | |
| 2010-11 | 18-13-4 | |
| 2011-12 | 17-11-9 | |
| 2012-13 | 23-9-5 | AHA Regular Season Champions NCAA Tournament |
| 2013-14 | 15-20-5 | |
| 2014-15 | 7-28-4 |
NCAA Tournament appearances
| Year | Location | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Target Center | New Hampshire | W 4-1 |
| Target Center | North Dakota | L 1-4 | |
| 2004 | Verizon Wireless Arena | Boston College | L 2-5 |
| 2008 | Times Union Center | Michigan | L 1-5 |
| 2013 | Van Andel Arena | North Dakota | L 1-2 |
Roster
As of September 6, 2013.[2]
| # | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Adrian Ignagni | Freshman | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 1993-07-14 | Mississauga, Ontario | St. Michael's (OJHL) | — |
| 2 |  |
Kevin Ryan | Senior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1990-04-18 | Eden, New York | Topeka (NAHL) | — |
| 3 | |
Vincent Muto | Freshman | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1993-03-13 | Niagara Falls, New York | Sioux Falls (USHL) | — |
| 4 |  |
Kevin Albers | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 192 lb (87 kg) | 1991-05-23 | Lake Orion, Michigan | Muskegon (USHL) | — |
| 5 | |
Matt Williams | Senior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1989-08-01 | Kitchener, Ontario | Grande Prairie (AJHL) | — |
| 7 |  |
Nick Cecere | Junior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1990-10-12 | Des Moines, Iowa | Michigan Tech (WCHA) | — |
| 8 | |
Stephen Pietrobon | Freshman | C | 6' 3" (1.91 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 1994-09-16 | Toronto, Ontario | St. Michael's (OJHL) | — |
| 9 |  |
Nick Gawron | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1990-08-01 | Lemont, Illinois | New England (EJHL) | — |
| 9 |  |
Kevin Patterson | Freshman | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 1992-08-18 | Colorado Springs, Colorado | Topeka (NAHL) | — |
| 10 |  |
Dan Kolenda | Sophomore | F | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 230 lb (104 kg) | 1991-07-05 | Superior, Wisconsin | Carleton Place (CCHL) | — |
| 11 | |
Ryan Murphy | Senior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1989-09-27 | Stratford, Ontario | Oakville (OJHL) | — |
| 12 | |
Sam Alfieri | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | 1991-03-10 | Buffalo, New York | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 14 | |
Patrick Conte | Freshman | C | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1991-03-01 | Niagara Falls, New York | Youngstown (USHL) | — |
| 15 |  |
Patrick Divjak | Senior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1989-03-02 | Vienna, Austria | Waterloo (USHL) | — |
| 16 |  |
Chris Lochner | Junior | F | 5' 7" (1.7 m) | 155 lb (70 kg) | 1990-01-22 | Alpharetta, Georgia | Muskegon (USHL) | — |
| 17 | |
Mike Conderman | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1991-02-21 | Rochester, New York | UMass Lowell (HEA) | — |
| 18 |  |
Phil Nasca | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1992-02-04 | Cleveland, Ohio | Nepean (CCHL) | — |
| 19 |  |
Hugo Turcotte | Sophomore | C | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 1991-02-01 | Laval, Quebec | Grande Prairie (AJHL) | — |
| 20 | |
Rocky Gruttadauria | Sophomore | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 1992-07-28 | Rochester, New York | Buffalo (OJHL) | — |
| 21 | |
TJ Sarcona | Freshman | C | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1992-06-01 | West Islip, New York | Amarillo (NAHL) | — |
| 22 | |
Mike Benedict | Junior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1991-02-22 | Eden, New York | Corpus Christi (NAHL) | — |
| 23 | |
Matt Chartrain | Sophomore | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 1991-09-28 | Pointe-Claire, Quebec | Brockville (CCHL) | — |
| 24 | |
Matt Chiarantano | Sophomore | D | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1991-12-12 | Bolton, Ontario | Georgetown (OJHL) | — |
| 25 | |
Matt Dineen | Sophomore | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1992-01-02 | Newmarket, Ontario | Newmarket (OJHL) | — |
| 26 | |
Tyler Akeson | Freshman | D | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1993-04-02 | Ottawa, Ontario | Smiths Falls (CCHL) | — |
| 27 |  |
Isaac Kohls | Junior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 1991-03-23 | Forest Lake, Minnesota | Muskegon (USHL) | — |
| 28 | |
Brock Edwards | Freshman | C | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 1992-12-08 | Kingston, Ontario | Carleton Place (CCHL) | — |
| 29 | |
Ryan Rashid | Senior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1990-04-24 | Farmington Hills, Michigan | Sioux City (USHL) | — |
| 30 | |
Jackson Teichroeb | Freshman | G | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 193 lb (88 kg) | 1992-10-05 | London, Ontario | Lincoln (USHL) | — |
| 31 | |
Chris Paulin | Sophomore | G | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1992-12-17 | Lockport, New York | Portland (EJHL) | — |
Notable former players
Notable alumni include:
- Sean Bentivoglio: Played for the New York Islanders (2008–09)
- Carsen Chubak: Plays for the Adirondack Phantoms
- Bryan Haczyk Played for the Albany Devils
- Scott Langdon Played for the Lake Erie Monsters
- Kyle Rogers: Signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Matt Ryan: Played for the Los Angeles Kings (2005–06)
- Paul Zanette Played for the Hamilton Bulldogs (2010–11)
See also
References
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