As the snow starts to fall on Monte Eagle Ridge, winter break is upon us. The Niagara University Purple Eagles head into the second semester boasting a 16-4 record through their first 20 games. Despite their squad’s need for some quality time away from the rink, the coaching staff is well aware of the challenges they’ll face in the latter half of the season. Coach Tom Mooradian had this to say about the current state of the program and what they’re doing to prepare for the workload ahead …

“The older I get, the more I self-reflect … and the more I self-reflect, the more I try not to fixate on the negatives. Sure, we’d REALLY like to have 1 or 2 of those 4 losses back, but It’s hard not to be proud of an 80% winning metric. It’s not about us … it’s about them. These guys come to work, day-in and day-out, and we’re starting to get the results we want because of it. It’ll be nice to head into break with some confidence, a much different situation in comparison to last season.”

A different situation indeed. The Purps always tangle with the University of Rhode Island Rams, the first weekend in January. Exactly 1 year prior to their upcoming series with URI – Niagara was just 9-12 heading into the second semester. With a new-look roster, strategy and mindset, they’re hoping to avenge their last 6 periods of play against the icers in Keaney blue.

“URI has always had a fantastic program. In addition to a national championship ring, Joe Augustine is the most winningest coach in ACHA history. Between his resume and the quality of players he rosters each and every year, we can’t ever take them lightly. If we don’t come prepared, both mentally and strategically, it could be a long 2-days for our squad. We’ve made some systematic adjustments over the past 2 or 3 weeks … zone entries, cover schemes and what not … but this will be a very good test for the 12 new players we brought in, this summer. We’ll see if they’re up to the task.”

The back-half of this year’s schedule sees Niagara squaring off with 3 opponents that have all been ranked in the top 25 at some point, this season. When asked if there was any reasoning behind the scheduling allocation, he chimed in with this …

“No. I think with such a big recruiting class, you want to be a little strategic with how you go about scheduling, but we don’t set it up that way. Rank or no rank, we’ve gone toe-to-toe with some pretty good teams over the past 13 weeks. Our goal is always the same and that’s to win an NECHL championship and advance to the national tournament. We’ve had a pretty good run, so far this year. But, with a record like ours – we’re vulnerable. Teams are going to be gunning for us and we have to be ready to fight through that type of pressure.”

Lastly, a familiar face will be re-inserted into the lineup at some point over the next few weeks. 2x Defensive MVP – David Hazelet’s reps have noticeably increased both on the special teams circuit and the top defensive pair in practice as of late. He is slotted to make his return on January 3rd, 2020 – the first of their 2-game series with URI. With a little humor tied into his response, Tom had this to say about their newest lineup shift …

“I don’t think there’s anyone more excited about David Hazelet coming back into the lineup than David Hazelet. Like Gaz, Petey, Mac, DC … you’re never more confident as a coach when those guys are on the ice. It’s nice to get a player of his caliber back, especially when you can intertwine him into the mix of such a talented core. His skating ability and overall defensive discipline has helped us win some pretty tight games over the past 3-4 years. [Jokes] Maybe this will be the first season we actually witness him get tired.”

Coach did add that he’s also very proud about how his leadership core [Gasiewicz / Peters / Fish / McNamara] have done with such a large rookie class. He claims that they’re all leading by example on the ice with their play and holding the rookies to an even higher standard compared to that of seasons past. Perhaps, this year could be something special for the Purple Eagles. Although they’ve already clinched a playoff spot, it sounds like things at Dwyer Arena are starting to tighten up for the playoff push.