Nolan Sargent stayed home for the 2020-21 junior hockey season, skating for the USPHL’s Northern Colorado Eagles.

Last season, the Littleton native ventured to the northeast to play in Maine for the NCDC’s Twin City Thunder.

After a strong season with the Thunder, Sargent will stay out east to begin his NCAA Division III hockey career this year in Massachusetts at Fitchburg State University.

“This opportunity came about by playing on the East Coast for junior hockey,” said Sargent. “Coach (Dean) Fuller of Fitchburg State came to me after a showcase weekend in Boston and asked me to come visit the campus, where the most appealing aspect of the school was the team’s community. Every player was valued from freshman to senior and that’s what I wanted out of my college career.”

With the 2022-23 season approaching, Sargent is excited at what he can accomplish, on and off the ice. Academically, he said he intends to major in Engineering Technology with a concentration in Construction Management.

“I hope to go in and solidify a solid ‘D’ core of Fitchburg and to develop my game at the college level,” Sargent said. “I’d also like to help the team capture another MASCAC title and a bid to the national tournament.”

Sargent said playing in the USPHL and for its NCDC division helped him get the tools needed to compete in college.

“Last season prepared me by helping me understand how to give 100 percent every time I was on the ice,” said Sargent. “Knowing what it took to give everything on the ice was what my game needed to jump to the college level, and I know it’ll translate nicely when games begin.”

Back home, Sargent played for the Denver Jr. Pioneers, Littleton Hawks, Colorado Thunderbirds, Rocky Mountain RoughRiders, Krivo Hockey, and Regis Jesuit High School.

Photo/Twin City Thunder

— Matt Mackinder

(October 8, 2022)