: ''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 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) Division I

college ice hockey College ice hockey is played principally in the United States and Canada, though leagues exist outside North America. In the United States, competitive "college hockey" refers to ice hockey played between colleges and universities within the g ...

program that represents Niagara University. The Purple Eagles are a member of

Atlantic Hockey The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other ...

. They play at the

Dwyer Arena The Robert and Concetta Dwyer Arena houses two ice surfaces, both 200 x 85 ft., and pro shop on Niagara University's campus in Lewiston, New York, United States. The main rink can seat up to 1,400 people and is the home to the Niagara Purple Eagle ...

Lewiston, New York Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York. The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...

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 College Hockey America (CHA) is a college ice hockey conference in the United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. The conference is made up of five women’s teams, with two in Pennsylvania; two in New ...

, joining two other independent teams (

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

and

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

) 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. Starting goaltender

Greg Gardner Gregory Gardner (born November 21, 1975) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former goaltender who is the NCAA Division I record-holder for shutouts in a season (as of 2021). He was the first ever player signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Care ...

set a single-season NCAA record for shutouts with 12 as Niagara posted its first (and only as of 2019) 30-win campaign. The Purple Eagles upset the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant college in Hanover in connection with Dartmouth College, mo ...

to advance to the Elite Eight, where they lost to

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...

. 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 Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

and in 2008 against

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. On January 29, 2009, Niagara University announced that the team was moving to

beginning in the 2010-11 season. On October 14, 2010, it was announced that

Jay McKee Jay McKee (born September 8, 1977) is a Canadian coach and former professional ice hockey defenceman. He last played for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League, and was previously with the Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues. Th ...

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.

Season-by-season results

Source:

Head coaches

As of the completion of 2021–22 season

NCAA Tournament appearances

Statistical leaders

Source:

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

''GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% =

Save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...

; GAA =

Goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on s ...

'' minimum 30 games played Statistics current through the start of the 2021–22 season.

Roster

As of June 30, 2022.

Awards and honors

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans *2010–11: Paul Zanette, F

CHA

Individual Awards

Player of the Year Several sports leagues honour their best player with an award called Player of the Year (POY) . In the United States, this type of award is usually called a Most Valuable Player award. Association football In association football, this award is he ...

: 1999 *

Joe Tallari Joe Tallari (born October 5, 1980) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Playing career Tallari was born in Thunder Bay, Ontario. In 2001, Tallari began his career playing for Niagara University where he was team's senior captain. Tall ...

: 2003 *

Barret Ehgoetz Barret Ehgoetz (born April 16, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who is best known for playing for the Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hoc ...

: 2004 * Jeff Van Nynatten: 2006 * Sean Bentivoglio: 2007 * Juliano Pagliero: 2009 Rookie of the Year * Ted Cook: 2006 *

Les Reaney Les Reaney (born July 8, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Career Reaney began his career in the ECHL for the Stockton Thunder and the Dayton Bombers before joining the Rapid City Rush of the Central Hockey League. In th ...

: 2006 *

Chris Moran Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Hugh Moran, (28 April 1956 – 26 May 2010) was a fast jet pilot and later a senior commander in the Royal Air Force. He was Commander-in-Chief of Air Command at the time of his unexpected death. Early and fa ...

: 2007 Most Valuable Player in Tournament * Kyle Martin: 2000 * Jeff Van Nynatten: 2004 * Ted Cook: 2008

Coach of the Year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

* Blaise MacDonald: 2000 *

Dave Burkholder Dave Burkholder (born 1962) is a Canadian college ice hockey coach and former college player. He coached the Niagara University program from 2001 to 2017, taking over from Blaise MacDonald, a former teammate of his with the RIT Tigers. Burkhold ...

: 2006, 2007 Three-Star Player of the Year * Ted Cook: 2007 Student-Athlete of the Year * Vince Rocco: 2009

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-CHA *1999–00:

, G;

Chris MacKenzie Christopher Neil Mackenzie (born 14 May 1972) is an English former footballer. He was a goalkeeper and most recently played for Corby Town in the Conference North. Career Mackenzie has also played for Hereford United and even scored a goal fo ...

, D; Kyle Martin, F;

Mike Isherwood Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

, F *2002–03:

, F *2003–04: Jeff Van Nynatten, G;

, F *2004–05:

, F *2005–06: Sean Bentivoglio, F *2006–07: Pat Oliveto, D; Sean Bentivoglio, F; Ted Cook, F *2007–08: Juliano Pagliero, G; Ryan Annesley, D; Vince Rocco, F *2008–09: Juliano Pagliero, G *2009–10:

, F Second Team All-CHA *1999–00: Mikko Sivonen, F *2000–01: Bernie Sigrist, F *2001–02: Scott Crawford, D *2002–03:

, F *2003–04: Andrew Lackner, D;

, F *2004–05:

Ryan Gale Ryan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ryan (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) *Ryan (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Australia * Division of Ryan, an electo ...

, F *2005–06: Jeff Van Nynatten, G; Ted Cook, F;

, F *2006–07: Juliano Pagliero, G;

, F *2007–08: Tyler Gotto, D; Matt Caruana, F *2008–09: Tyler Gotto, D; Vince Rocco, F;

Egor Mironov Egor is a Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Uselu. Egor is one of the Local Government Areas that are part of the larger metropolitan area of Benin City. It has an area of 93 km and a popu ...

, F *2009–10: Tyler Gotto, D; Ryan Olidis, F All-CHA Rookie Team *2002–03: Brian Hartman, D;

Jason Williamson Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

, F *2003–04: Pat Oliveto, F *2005–06: Ted Cook, F;

, F *2006–07: Tyler Gotto, D;

, F *2007–08: Adam Avramenko, G *2008–09: Dan Baco, D *2009–10: Jason Beattie, F

Atlantic Hockey The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other ...

Individual Awards

* Paul Zanette: 2011 * Carsen Chubak: 2013 Rookie of the Year * Ludwig Stenlund: 2019 Regular Season Goaltending Award *

Chris Noonan Chris Noonan (born 14 November 1952) is an Australian filmmaker and actor. He is best known for the family film ''Babe'' (1995), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. ...

: 2012 Regular Season Scoring Trophy * Paul Zanette: 2011

: 2013 Most Valuable Player in Tournament *Scott Champagne: 2005

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2010–11: Bryan Haczyk, F; Paul Zanette, F *2012–13: Carsen Chubak, G; Giancarlo Iuorio, F Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2011–12:

, G *2012–13: Dan Weiss, D Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey *2010–11: Ryan Annesley, D *2012–13: Kevin Ryan, D *2013–14: Kevin Ryan, D *2017–18: Derian Plouffe, F *2018–19: Noah Delmas, D; Ludwig Stenlund, F *2019–20:

Jack Billings Jack Billings (born 18 August 1995) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Billings played TAC Cup with Oakleigh Chargers and played for Vic Metro in Under 18 Champions ...

, F Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team *2010–11: Ryan Rashid, F *2013–14: Vinny Muto, D *2014–15: Keegan Harper, D *2018–19: Ludwig Stenlund, D *2019–20:

Chad Veltri Chad (; ar, تشاد , ; french: Tchad, ), officially the Republic of Chad, '; ) is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic ...

, G *2020–21: Josef Mysak, D *2021–22: Shane Ott, F

Niagara Purple Eagles Hall of Fame

The following is a list of people associated with the men's ice hockey program who were elected into the Niagara Purple Eagles Hall of Fame (induction date in parenthesis). *

(2006) * Peter DeSantis (2007) *

Mile Isherwood The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...

(2007) *

(2012) *

(2013) * 1999-2000 Men's Team (2016)

Purple Eagles in the NHL

As of July 1, 2022. Source:

References

External links

Niagara Purple Eagles men's ice hockey
{{Atlantic Hockey Ice hockey teams in New York (state)

History

Season-by-season results

Head coaches

NCAA Tournament appearances

Statistical leaders

Career points leaders

Career goaltending leaders

Roster

Awards and honors

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

All-Americans

CHA

Individual Awards

All-Conference Teams

Atlantic Hockey The Atlantic Hockey Association (AHA) is an NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey-only conference. Unlike several other ...

Individual Awards

All-Conference Teams

Niagara Purple Eagles Hall of Fame

Purple Eagles in the NHL

See also

References

External links