NCDC Alumni: Four Former NCDC Goalies Named To Mike Richter Award Watch List

Photos Courtesy of College Of The Holy Cross, U.S. Military Academy, Long Island University, and Ohio State University. 

 

By Joshua Boyd / NCDCHockey.com

The United States Premier Hockey League and its top-tier National Collegiate Development Conference are excited to congratulate the four former NCDC goalies who are on the NCAA Division I Mike Richter Award Watch List.

The Mike Richter Award, presented by the Hockey Commissioners Association, recognizes the top Division I college hockey goaltender each season since the award’s inception in 2014.

The four NCDC alumni goalies on the Richter Award watch list include Jersey Hitmen alum goaltender J.J. Cataldo of Army; P.A.L. Jr. Islanders and Junior Bruins alum Thomas Gale of Holy Cross; South Shore Kings alum Tyriq Outen, of Long Island University; and former Northern Cyclone Kristoffer Eberly, of Ohio State University. 

Eberly is also a USPHL Premier alum, having played for the Metro Jets Development Program.

According to the Hockey Commissioners Association:

Goalies qualified by meeting minimum GAA (2.30 or lower) and save percentage (.920 or higher) standards. Other names may be added for consideration before the first formal vote.

A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, scouts and media — will pare this list down to approximately a dozen semifinalists within the next three weeks and then ultimately choose a winner from three finalists who will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four. A similar award to recognize the top female goalie in the NCAA is also presented by the HCA.

 

A little more about our NCDC alumni on the Richter Award Watchlist: 

J.J. Cataldo – Army (2024-25); Jersey Hitmen NCDC (2021-23) 

Cataldo is ranked second among all rookie goaltenders nationally with 425+ minutes played this season. He is second in Atlantic Hockey America in both save percentage (.927) and GAA (2.18)

Cataldo helped the 2021-22 Jersey Hitmen repeat as Dineen Cup Champions, and during his time with the Hitmen, he played in 44 regular season games with a 2.16 GAA and .940 save percentage. He finished with a record of 32-8-2-1. Cataldo’s 2.16 GAA and .940 save percentage are first all-time among NCDC goalies who played at least two seasons.

He went 2-1-0 during two playoff years, posting a .918 save percentage. He had the league’s best goals against average (1.70) and best save percentage (.953) in the 2022-23 season, the latter is still an NCDC single season record for best save percentage.

 

Thomas Gale – Holy Cross (2021-25); Boston Junior Bruins NCDC (2019-20); P.A.L. Jr. Islanders NCDC (2020-21)  

Gale carries a 2.33 goals-against average and .921 save percentage on the season with a 9-10-2 record in 21 games. Gale’s .921 save percentage ranks fifth nationally among goaltenders who have played 20+ games this season, while his 2.33 goals-against average ranks fourth.

Gale holds the third place spot in all-time NCDC wins with 45, and in 2019-20, he won the NCDC Goaltender of the Year Award. He went 32-7-0-2, setting the single season NCDC record for wins. He returned to the league in 2020-21 with the P.A.L. Jr. Islanders, and put up a career best .938 save percentage.

 

Kristoffer Eberly – Ohio State (2023-25); Northern Cyclones NCDC (2021-22); Metro Jets Development Program Premier (2019-20) 

Eberly has been a huge presence in the Buckeyes net this year, putting up an 11-2-0-0 record with a 1.80 GAA and a .929 save percentage. His 1.80 GAA is ranked seventh nationwide. In the NCAA, he holds a cumulative 14-10-1-0 record with a 2.39 career GAA and a .919 career save percentage.

Eberly first joined the USPHL in 2019-20 with the MJDP, where he put up an impressive .925 save percentage in 14 games. He ultimately caught the attention of the NCDC’s Northern Cyclones and played the 2021-22 season there, registering a .924 save percentage and winning 15 games. He advanced to the USHL after his NCDC season ended and helped the Sioux City Musketeers win a Clark Cup Championship.

 

Tyriq Outen – Long Island University (2024-25); South Shore Kings NCDC (2017-18) 

Outen, a junior at LIU, has compiled a 5-3-0-1 record during his first season at LIU. The Tampa, Fla., native has posted a 2.03 goals-against average, 170 saves, a .914 save percentage, and has logged 473 minutes across eight starts this season. The Sharks’ netminder is the only Independent Hockey goaltender named to the watch list.

Outen was a fantastic addition to the Kings’ inaugural NCDC team in 2017-18. He came up through the Northern Cyclones 15U program and the Kings’ former USPHL 16U (now THF 16U) programs to jump right into his junior career as a 17-year-old. He played 18 games with the Kings and came out with a 3.11 GAA. His career next took him to the QMJHL after the Kings. He ultimately started his college career in USports (Canadian college hockey), later advancing to NCAA Division III and this first season in the NCAA Division I realm.

Congratulations and best of luck to all of these fantastic goaltenders.