Richard Nerland Commits to Bowdoin

The Lindsay Muskies are pleased to announce that 20 year old goaltender Richard Nerland has committed to the Bowdoin College Polar Bears, of the NESCAC conference of the NCAA, for the 2008-09 season.

Bowdoin College is a liberal arts college, founded in 1794, located near the coast in Brunswick, Maine, and known for its academic excellence and rich hockey traditions. The Polar Bears play in the NESCAC, the premiere conference in Division III hockey. Although they only reached the NESCAC quarterfinals last season, they played in the Championship game the previous three and will be looking to return to that level of achievement in the upcoming season, which will also see them move into a new, state-of-the-art arena. Bowdoin head coach Terry Meagher recognizes the value of quality netminding: “You are only going to go as far as your goaltender can carry you.”

The twenty-year old from Calgary, Alberta, was recently named 2007-08 Most Valuable Player at the Club's Annual Awards Banquet and will be following in the footsteps of his sister and two brothers who also played NCAA hockey. As the goaltender's name was announced as the MVP, it was noted how his steady play had kept the Muskies in many games in the middle of the season when perhaps the team wasn't playing as well as the coaches would have liked.

This latest step in his career will come as no surprise to those who have followed Mr Nerland's progress to date. He has managed to combine hockey talent (earning him, for example, a spot on the SIJHL's All-Star team when he played with the Thunder Bay Bearcats) and academic excellence (highlighted by his perfect SAT score of 1600).

The Lindsay Muskies wish Richard Nerland every success and will follow his progress at Bowdoin with interest, confident that he will continue to excel in both his academic and athletic life, and we thank him for his outstanding efforts in a Muskies sweater.