Junior Hockey: Maine Nordiques’ Cole Ouellette Commits to the State of Fitchburg

Cole Ouellette, on the left, of the Northeast Generals' Maine Nordiques and Liam McCanney competed for the puck last season at a game in Lewiston. Daryn Slover / Sun Journal Buy this photo Cole Ouellette goes from junior hockey at the Maine Nordiques to college hockey at Fitchburg State University, a Division III program at the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Falcons showed the greatest interest in him. "I had a few options for school and they were the most communicative with me and showed the most interest in me from the start," said Ouellette. "They wanted me there just as much as I want to be there. It just seemed like a good fit and I think they had 15 freshmen last year, so it's good that I join a young team that we can build on. ” Ouellette said that interest in him began to increase as the season ended due to the corona virus, and Fitchburg state technical staff contacted the Nordiques staff to see what Cole's plans were for the 2020-21 season. Ouellette wasn't sure what he was going to do next season, but knew that Fitchburg would be the right match when he started talking to him. The Lewiston native, who made the inaugural selection of the Maine Nordiques, will be the sixth 20-year-old of the team committed to playing college hockey for the upcoming season. He joins Noah Kane (Mercyhurst University, Division I), Trent Grimshaw (Oswego State, Division III), Ethan Prout (Williams College, Division III), Timmy Kent (Curry College, Division III) and Kevin Pitts (Utica College, Division III) like the others. Ouellette led all Nordiques defenders with 30 points (five goals and 25 assists) in 48 games. Maine Nordiques coach Nolan Howe said Ouellette has a big heart. "He really gives himself and that's how he plays the game," Howe said. He always distributes the puck and is very attentive throughout his process. I have a lot of respect for Cole as a young man and I am really proud of him. As he continues to mature and develop, I still think he has a lot of hockey ahead of him. I think he will continue to entertain fans with his playing style and as the game progresses I think he is at the forefront of the puck moving defenders the future will be built on. ” Born in Lewiston, Maine Nordiques Cole Ouellette carries the puck on ice while being harassed by Fairbanks Oliver Kjaer during an Androscoggin Bank Colisee game in Lewiston during the 2019-20 season. Russ Dillingham / Sun Journal Buy this photo Ouellette believes that the leap from the Tier III North American 3 Hockey League, where he spent 2017-19 at the L / A Nordiques, to the NAHL really caught his attention at colleges after his limited time at the L / A limited looks from schools Nordiques. "In (NAHL), I played night in and night out, with each selection having at least four, five DI commits (players committed to) high-end DIII schools," said Ouellette. "It was really competitive, very fast and it put me in the next category to be scouted by universities of applied sciences." In his two seasons with the L / A Nordiques, Ouellette collected 34 goals and 112 assists in 89 games. During the 2017-18 season, Ouellette was named NA3HL All-First Team, All-Rookie Team and the Rookie of the Year. In the 2018-19 season, in which the L / A Nordiques advanced to the Fraser Cup final, where they lost to the Texas Brahmas, he was named to the NA3HL First Team for the second consecutive season. He was also named in the NA3HL Coastal Division First Team and NA3HL Coastal Division Defenseman of the Year in both seasons. Before his junior hockey career, Ouellette spent four years at Lewiston High School, leading the Blue Devils to the 2017 and 2017 Class A and 2016 championships. The Fitchburg State Falcons, based in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, lost 14-8-4 last season in the semifinals of the MASCAC conference tournament at UMass-Dartmouth. The Falcons finished second in the regular MASCAC standings behind Plymouth State, which former Lewiston teammate Jeromey Rancourt committed to in February. "Jeromey is a great boy. I talked to him all summer and he trained, "said Ouellette. "I'm looking forward to it. Jeromey and I are good buddies, we've actually played all our lives together from the (Maine) Moose (program) to Lewiston High School, and I'm looking forward to it." «Previous Ladies amateur: Competitive juices are flowing again for college and high school golfers related stories picture credit