By Alexis Demopoulos
A two-year veteran of the Northern Cyclones, forward Michael Markowski is thrilled to announce his NCAA Division III commitment to St. John Fisher University for the 2025-26 season.
Markowski, a native of Spring Lake, NJ, joined the Cyclones organization during the 2023-24 season and put up 38 points (20G, 18A) in 51 games played. It was a no-brainer for him to return this season and he has shown no signs of slowing down. In 44 games played this season, Markowski has 43 points (23G, 20A) and is a key offensive weapon. He was also selected as a New England All-Star back in January and contributed two goals and two assists in two games.
“The Northern Cyclones organization has truly developed me as a player and person these past two seasons,” said Markowski. “I knew we were going to have a very promising group of returning players this year and compete for a Dineen Cup championship.”
Markowski had been in touch with head coach Reid Lesswig and assistant coach Alex Pommerville back at the Hitmen Showcase in October. Markowski explained that the coaches really liked his “playmaking and scoring ability alongside my compete and team leadership.”
Markowski felt comfortable as soon as he stepped foot on campus and being a part of the hockey organization, which is a new NCAA Division 3 program for the upcoming year, is important to him. Academically, they offer programs that he is interested in pursuing.
“St. John Fisher has a very good sports management program which was very intriguing for me,” said Markowski. “To be able to be introduced to the business side of the game and obtain an internship with a professional sports organization throughout my four years is huge. I wanted to be a part of the hockey program’s first season and help build the program from the beginning.”
Markowski knew St. John Fisher was a place he could thrive and he really liked the campus and everything it had to offer.
“St. John Fisher really has a great campus just outside of Rochester,” said Markowski. “All the facilities were awesome and the new rink is very exciting. It felt like a very welcoming environment and a place I could flourish. After the tour I immediately knew I wanted to play for Coach [Reid] Lesswing the next four years.”
Markowski is working on becoming stronger and faster during the offseason to become an overall more consistent player before he heads off to college. But, first he wants to close out his juniors chapter strong and take home a Dineen Cup with his teammates.
“The goal for the rest of the season is to continue to come together as a group over these next 10 games and ultimately win the Dineen cup,” said Markowski.
The NCDC congratulates Michael Markowski, his family, the Northern Cyclones and St. John Fisher University for his commitment.
