Harper Joins Orange Staff to Coach Goaltenders
8/29/2023 12:23:00 PM | Ice Hockey
Nick Harper is the newest member of the Orange ice hockey coaching staff. An experienced goaltending coach and player, Harper will mentor the Orange goaltenders. He brings four years of collegiate coaching and four years of goaltending at the collegiate level to Syracuse, where he will join second-year head coach Britni Smith's staff.
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"I am thankful for the opportunity to join a great staff and program at Syracuse University," Harper said. "Coach Britni Smith has developed a great culture here and I'm excited to be a part of it. I'm looking forward to start building relationships with the goaltenders, coaching staff and the Syracuse community."
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Harper joins the Orange after four years as an assistant coach and director of hockey operations for the Cortland men's ice hockey team. In 2022, the Cortland staff earned SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
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"We are excited to welcome Nick to the Orange," Smith said. "His NCAA collegiate level experience as a player, goalie coach and assistant coach will be a great asset to our coaching staff. We are thrilled to have him working with our goaltending trio."
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In Central New York, Harper has coached goaltenders at the beginners, high school and junior levels. He was the Syracuse Cougars High School hockey associate head coach in 2021 and has coached at a variety of camps and clinics. He currently serves as the Lafayette High School varsity golf coach.    Â
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Harper was a four-year goaltender for the Fredonia Blue Devils, where he earned the program's Unsung Hero Award after his senior year. He graduated from Fredonia in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies and received his master's degree in physical education from Cortland in 2021. He earned his Initial Teaching Certificate in Physical Education and is currently working on his Initial Teaching Certificate in Health. Harper began working in secondary education in 2020 and is currently a physical education and health teacher at Onondaga Nation School.
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A native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., Harper played for four seasons for the Baldwinsville High School Bees.
For complete coverage of Syracuse ice hockey, follow us on Facebook (/CuseIce), Twitter (@CuseIce) and Instagram (@CuseIce).
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"I am thankful for the opportunity to join a great staff and program at Syracuse University," Harper said. "Coach Britni Smith has developed a great culture here and I'm excited to be a part of it. I'm looking forward to start building relationships with the goaltenders, coaching staff and the Syracuse community."
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Harper joins the Orange after four years as an assistant coach and director of hockey operations for the Cortland men's ice hockey team. In 2022, the Cortland staff earned SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
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"We are excited to welcome Nick to the Orange," Smith said. "His NCAA collegiate level experience as a player, goalie coach and assistant coach will be a great asset to our coaching staff. We are thrilled to have him working with our goaltending trio."
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In Central New York, Harper has coached goaltenders at the beginners, high school and junior levels. He was the Syracuse Cougars High School hockey associate head coach in 2021 and has coached at a variety of camps and clinics. He currently serves as the Lafayette High School varsity golf coach.    Â
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Harper was a four-year goaltender for the Fredonia Blue Devils, where he earned the program's Unsung Hero Award after his senior year. He graduated from Fredonia in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies and received his master's degree in physical education from Cortland in 2021. He earned his Initial Teaching Certificate in Physical Education and is currently working on his Initial Teaching Certificate in Health. Harper began working in secondary education in 2020 and is currently a physical education and health teacher at Onondaga Nation School.
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A native of Baldwinsville, N.Y., Harper played for four seasons for the Baldwinsville High School Bees.
For complete coverage of Syracuse ice hockey, follow us on Facebook (/CuseIce), Twitter (@CuseIce) and Instagram (@CuseIce).
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