Niagara ice hockey freshmen forward Nick Farmer was named the Travel Team USA Rookie of the Week for the week ending on Nov. 22 by Atlantic Hockey. This is the second time in three weeks a Niagara player has been named a Rookie of the Week, after Joe O’Brien earned the weekly honor back on Nov. 10.
In Niagara’s two-game series with the AIC Yellow Jackets this weekend, Farmer contributed four assists, all coming in the Purple Eagles’ 5-4 overtime win on Friday, Nov. 20. The biggest assist of the evening for Farmer was his final one. In the closing seconds of overtime, Farmer won a crucial faceoff back to Ryan Kuhn on the left wing. Kuhn worked his way into a passing lane and found Matt Chiarantano all alone on the far side of the slot for the game-winning goal.
Farmer helped a widespread Niagara scoring effort, as the team received goals from five different scorers in a game for the first time since Nov. 16, 2013, an 8-3 home win over Army. With four points in the game, Farmer also recorded the first four-point night for a Niagara skater since Hugo Turcotte scored three goals and an assist in that same win over Army in 2013.
Through 10 games played in the 2015-16 season, Farmer leads the team in scoring with two goals and six assists for eight points. He is followed by fellow freshman and linemate Kuhn, whose six points are good for second on the team. The two rookies will look to continue their successful campaigns this weekend. The Purple Eagles travel to Holy Cross for a two-game series with the Crusaders, with 7:05 p.m. faceoffs on Nov. 27 and 28.
