59 Teams in 59 Days Niagara

The 59 Teams in 59 Days tour continues with a trip to Niagara Falls, where the Niagara Purple Eagles are featured.

Head Coach Dave Burkholder could have the most talented team returning in the CHA. Four out of the five leading scorers on the team return, and five players who had double figures in goals return. In fact Niagara only lost five Seniors from last years team, who made it to the CHA tournament finals.

The out of conference schedule however is brutal. With opponents such as Denver (2), Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Nebraska-Omaha among the opponents on the out of conference schedule, the Purple Eagles will have a tough task ahead of them.

The Purple Eagles should be a good solid offensive team, with improvements on the defense. With goaltender Jeff Van Nynatten graduating, the position will be up in the air between Junior Scott Mollison, Sophomores Juliano Pagliero and Allen Barton. Whoever the goaltender is will have tough shoes to fill.

Overall expect Niagara to be very competitive this year, maybe pull an upset over one of the tougher opponents, and also be right up their in the CHA standings.

The predicted ceiling for Niagara is first in the CHA, while their gutter is third.

Tommorrow we stop in Grand Forks, North Dakota where the North Dakota Fighting Sioux will be featured. Also we hit day number 40 on the 59 Teams in 59 Days tour, which means there are only 19 more days on the tour. How will the Sioux fare with losing five underclassmen? Find out tommorrow as the tour continues.