Last week's graduation day ceremony signified the official conclusion of the 2017-2018 season. With stalls being cleaned out, fitness goals being put into place and individual player meetings all wrapped up, this is certainly unfamiliar territory for the Purple Eagles heading into the summer months. 

Since 2013, they've played in 5 straight championship games, taking home 3 of them. This past season saw them eliminated in just the first round of post-season hockey - something the coaching staff is not taking lightly.

We recently sat down with assistant coach, Tom Mooradian, to discuss what's in store for the program moving forward and the expectations the coaching staff have placed on themselves for next season.

"I think anytime you fall-short of your goals, you start looking for answers as to why. Was it preparation? Lack of skill? Work-ethic? It's our job as a coaching staff to steer the ship and we do take a tremendous amount of responsibility for the way this season ended. It's not a situation where we point to individuals in our locker room and demand more out of them. It's a trickle-down effect from Larry, Rusty, Jif, Dal and myself ... all the way down the line. We're a family here at NU. We win together, we lose together and we'll be resilient together."

He touched on protocol, in every aspect. While placing a major emphasis on the importance of off-season conditioning, he also talked about identity and the optimism surrounding the remaining core group of players in their locker room.

"You know, what's really cool about being involved with the organization for so long, is that I've been truly blessed to live through its evolution. Between my junior year and last season (2011-2017), we've been a very dangerous team. Obviously, the on-ice performance is what drove that success, but there was a platform we established off-the ice that demanded respect in the standings."

"Sure, we've gone back in time to the fitness program that played a major role in our progression, but I truly feel like our biggest advantage for so long was our identity. We need to establish a new identify that fits the make-up of our team in 2018. Even though we're coming off of a season we'd like to have back, we as a coaching staff are extremely optimistic as to what we're going to look like heading into the future. I fully expect to see an increase in practice competition and there will be plenty of opportunity for our younger players to seize the moment and never let it go."

He also wanted to reiterate that winning and losing isn't something that starts or ends with the players. It takes commitment from every level, it takes a full "family" effort.

"I can tell you right now that in May of 2018, we're already well ahead of where we were in November of 2017. From a structural standpoint, we're in one of the best positions we've been in for as long as I can remember. Broadcasting, equipment deals, fitness goals, purchasing, scheduling and all of the operational aspects that come with running an ACHA Division 1 Team, we're on top of it. That's where we as a coaching staff need to be better. If we can talk the talk, we best be able to walk the walk for our players. There is so much more to winning than performing on the ice. We're a family, we need to invest as much into our guys off the ice if we expect big things from them on it."

We're all curious as to what the 2018-2019 purple eagles will look like. When asked about potential line combinations and defensive pairings for next season, Tom directed that question to the players basically implying, that's up to them.

"We've committed to 2 things for next season. Dave Hazelet will carry the workload on defense and Chris Gasiewicz will carry the workload on offense. Other than that, it's really up to our players to determine who plays where. I'm not being coy in saying that either freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, our guys are going to earn every bit of playing time this season. We could look like a different team in every game we play. The only thing we can promise is that the work ethic will be there."

With Optimism, family and work-ethic highlighted as the primary points of discussion, it's pretty safe to say that the coaching staff is looking forward to moving in a new direction. We may not know who is slotted to play with who, but we do know this; They're very young, very fast and hopeful to write their own legacy in the rafters at Dwyer Arena.