RIT earned eight first-place votes in the annual preseason Atlantic Hockey preseason coaches poll and is looked at as the team to beat this season in the conference. Air Force (two) and Holy Cross (one) also earned first-place votes.
Following Atlantic Hockey’s annual directors meeting, the league has announced that the scholarship limit will once again increase in the conference. A major move regarding the future of Atlantic Hockey, the directors voted to move to 18 scholarships, the maximum allowed per the NCAA. “This is another step forward for our league” said Atlantic Hockey … Read more
Niagara announced Tuesday the hiring of Michael Findorff as the team’s new assistant coach. Findorff replaces Tim Madsen, who took a head coaching job with the NAHL’s Minnesota Wilderness earlier this summer. “Michael is a perfect fit for Niagara hockey and my new staff,” Purple Eagles coach Dave Burkholder said in a statement. “I have … Read more
Bemidji State has announced the hiring of Eddie Olczyk as the team’s new assistant coach. The former NCAA Division I player joins the BSU coaching staff after coaching stops at Division I and Division III programs, including last year at Niagara. “Eddie has great presence and a great demeanor about him, qualities that have earned … Read more
Mercyhurst assistant coach Greg Gardner has been named a Maccabi USA head coach for the Maccabiah Games that will take place July 2017 in Israel. Gardner played in the event for Team Canada in 1997. With 10 NCAA seasons of coaching behind him, Gardner aims to become the first head coach of Maccabi USA’s Open … Read more
Robert DeGregorio has signed a three-year contract extension to remain as commissioner of Atlantic Hockey through the 2018-19 season. “We are pleased to secure Commissioner DeGregorio’s leadership of the Atlantic Hockey Conference for the next three years” said Atlantic Hockey executive committee chair Lou Spiotti, Jr., in a statement. “His contributions to our growth and … Read more
Niagara associate head coach Tim Madsen has been named the head coach of the Minnesota Wilderness of the North American Hockey League. Madsen, originally from Elk River, Minn., has spent the past seven years on the Niagara coaching staff, beginning as an assistant coach in 2010 and rising to associate head coach in 2013. “I … Read more
Atlantic Hockey announced its major team and individual award winners for the 2015-16 season at the league’s annual awards ceremony Thursday in Rochester, N.Y. Winning the Player of the Year Award was Robert Morris senior forward and Hobey Baker top-10 finalist Zac Lynch, who also received the Scoring Trophy in recognition of his 39-point conference … Read more
Former Niagara forward Scott Arnold is returning to the Purple Eagles following a three-year professional career as the team’s director of hockey operations. “We are proud to welcome a Niagara hockey alumnus like Scott Arnold back to our program,” Niagara coach Dave Burkholder said in a statement. “Scott was a tremendously talented player and gifted … Read more
Atlantic Hockey has issued a one-game suspension to Canisius freshman forward Cody Boyd, making him ineligible to play against Niagara on Jan. 16. Boyd’s suspension was a result of the major penalty and game misconduct he received in the first period of the game Jan. 14 against Niagara. Boyd made contact with Niagara goaltender Jackson … Read more
Niagara has added forward Johnny Curran to its roster for the second half of the season. A former member of the Aurora Tigers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Smiths Falls Bears of the Central Canada Hockey League, Curran joins the Purple Eagles as the tenth freshman on the 28-man roster. “Johnny is … Read more
According to the Niagara Gazette, the Purple Eagles have released junior forwards Pat Conte and Phillip Nasca. A source informed the Gazette on Sunday that Conte and Nasca had been kicked off the team. Neither player dressed against Bentley last weekend when the Purple Eagles split the weekend series with a 6-4 win and 3-1 … Read more
With nine first-place votes, Robert Morris finished atop the preseason Atlantic Hockey media poll going into the 2015-16 season. Rochester Institute of Technology, Bentley and Canisius also garnered one first-place nod apiece. In addition, the media also chose an Atlantic Hockey preseason all-star team.
The Purple Eagles were 7-28-4 last season, and they were picked for ninth place in Atlantic Hockey this season.
Former Niagara forward Thomas Clayton pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a second-degree murder charge in the death of his wife, Kelley, according to a report in the Star-Gazette. Clayton, now 37, played for the Purple Eagles from 1999 to 2002. The Star-Gazette reports that the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call at … Read more
With seven first-place votes, Robert Morris was tabbed Wednesday to finish atop the Atlantic Hockey standings in 2015-16. “We have nine seniors who have won a lot of hockey games in the past three years, so I am sure that is a big reason the coaches feel the Colonials are deemed the preseason favorite,” said … Read more
Niagara coach Dave Burkholder has received a contract extension through the 2018-19 season. Burkholder, who is entering his 15th season as head coach, has been a part of the Purple Eagles program since its inception 19 seasons ago and has led Niagara to three NCAA tournament appearances (2004, 2008, 2013). He has also been named … Read more
Former Utica assistant coach Eddie Olczyk Jr. has been named an assistant coach at Niagara. Olczyk replaces Pat Oliveto, who left for a job with the HarborCenter in August. “I am extremely pleased to announce that Eddie Olczyk has agreed to join our staff and program at Niagara,” Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder said in … Read more
Patrick Oliveto has left his position as assistant coach at Niagara to join the staff of the Academy of Hockey at Buffalo’s HarborCenter.
The Montreal Canadiens announced Monday that they have hired Nick Carriere as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate, the St. John’s IceCaps. The former Niagara player just completed his tenth year as head coach at Buffalo State in 2014-15, leading the Bengals to their fourth consecutive trip to the SUNYAC semifinals. He led his … Read more