The Niagara University AHCA Purple Eagles officially ended their season this past season hosting player exit interviews and also holding the annual staff/player banquet.

The Purple Eagles finished their season 24-8 with two other losses occurring in the shootout. Niagara ended the season ranked 19th in the ACHA, while reaching the NECHL Championship for the 4th straight season. The bid for a third consecutive championship fell short this year as the Purple Eagles would lose to Syracuse in the championship game. Niagara finished the season quite strong going 20-5 in the final 25 games of the season with one of those losses being in a shootout and another in the championship game.  The team also had three players break the 50 point plateau with Dalton Bew leading the way with 56 points (24+32) followed by Josh Pietrantonio (22+33) and Andrew Mitch with 50 (12+38). In net, Mike Parda stood tall posting a 2.84 GAA and a .914 Save Percentage.

Due to their success on the ice this year, Josh Pietrantonio, Dalton Bew, and Mike Parda were all name to the NECHL League All-Star Team. Senior Josh Pietrantonio was ultimately named NECHL league MVP.

Various awards were also distributed at the season ending decision to the following recipients:

Offensive MVP: Dalton Bew
Defensive MVP: Mike Skopinski
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ryan Peters
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jake Nichols
Spirit Award: Joey Sheena
Most Improved Player: Zack Seither
Most Dedicated Player: Seth Gustin
Tom Cogan Spirit Award: Matt Bavaro
Unsung Hero Award: Brad Beran
Coaches Award: Josh Pietrantonio

The coaching staff also wants to honor the following seniors, and thank them for the blood and sweat that they left on the ice every practice and every game. The legacy of the following seniors will be very tough to match with many of them contributing to four straight NECHL championship appearances.

#4 – Mike Skopinski
#5 – Brad Beran
#13 (Captain) – Patrick Gregory
#15 – Josh Pietrantonio
#18 – Jeff Monfils
#20 – Joey Sheena
#26 – Austin Wharry

The coaching staff of Larry Brzeczkowski, Tom Mooridian, Jason Jones, and Anthony Russell would also like to extend our thanks to the following staff members for their countless hours of support for the team off the ice:

Fast Hockey Producer and Assistant Recruiter – Nathan Miller
Game Day Operation Coordinator – Nick Orlowski
Statistics – Ashleigh Robertson
Equipment – Peter Hardman
Fast Hockey Broadcast and Game Operations – Nick Radwan
Event Coordinator - Jeannine Russell
Team Trainer – Diana Hults
Adopted Brother of Player and Guest Broadcaster – Suneel Ram

The entire staff would also like to thank Director of Club Sports John Spanbauer for his continued support over the past 10 years. Without his support the program would not be at our present state of being ranked in the top 20 teams in the nation.

Although the season had its highs and lows, with numerous injuries early one the team had setbacks that piled up to a few loses but the players continued to battle through. The team would not have been able to perform without the continued support of the parents and fans for dedication at all the home and away games, especially the senior parents who were instrumental in bringing in new parents to the games and making the senior night banquet a memorable night for all.

With the 2015 season in the rear view mirror the team will shift their focus to the 2016 season as players have begun their offseason workout. Next season will be a very exciting one for the Purple Eagles as the team returns eight of their top ten scorers and all four goalies. The team has also signed four top line recruits that have all worn a “C” or “A” at the Junior Hockey Level and we will continue to pursue more recruits over the next few months.

Next season Head Coach Larry Brzcekowski will also be chasing down 300 team wins as a head coach as he is currently 2 short at 298 wins. Larry also holds 277 ACHA wins and will be targeting 300 within the future.

The team will definitely be aiming to return to the NECHL Championship Game and look to re-establish themselves in the top 10 in the nation with hopes of making a good run in the ACHA National Playoffs. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and check back for information pertaining to any recruits that will be signing with us in the coming season. It is a very exciting time to be a Purple Eagle.