Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Nick Pomerleau participated in the past two Liberty Hockey Select Camps before joining the Flames this fall. (Submitted photo)
Pomerleau provides added depth to Liberty’s DI men’s hockey defensive ranks
9/13/2023 1:54:00 PM | General, Men's D1 Hockey
Nick Pomerleau, who originally made the Division II roster after tryouts, is the fifth freshman defenseman on the DI squad.
Freshman defenseman Nick Pomerleau, who originally made the Division II roster after tryouts, was a late addition to Liberty University's ACHA Division I men's hockey team last week, the fourth newcomer to the Flames' defensive corps.
"We feel he's a competitor, a solid puck-moving defenseman, someone who fits the culture of Liberty and someone who's going to make our team better," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said.
Pomerleau has plenty of familiarity with his new teammates, whom he had the opportunity to play with and against in Friday's Blue & White intrasquad scrimmage at the LaHaye Ice Center before joining them on last weekend's team retreat.
He formerly competed on the same team as fellow freshman defenseman Marty Marnauzs for part of the 2021-22 season when both were members of the Twin City (Maine) Thunder in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), before Marnauzs joined the Jersey Hitmen. Pomerleau scored 4 goals and distributed 21 assists in 49 games with the Thunder this past season.
Previously, he played with Flames senior forward Joe Clark and graduate forward Jackson Vercellono on the Maine Nordiques of the NA3HL, another team Marnauzs competed for this past season. The Pomerleaus also served as the billet family for Vercellono when he played for the Nordiques in 2020-21.
"I heard about Liberty through FCA summer camps I had been in and when Jackson committed to play here (in March 2021), that was when I took a bigger look at it," Pomerleau said. "When I came on a visit for CFAW, I knew it was a school where I really wanted to be."
He returned to Liberty for the past two Liberty Hockey Select Camps prospect camps before committing over the summer.
"I am very excited and looking forward to the season," Pomerleau said. "It's going to be awesome. I like it here a lot. It seems like a second home, and the team is a second family."
Pomerleau started skating and playing hockey at ages 3 and 4, respectively.
"My dad grew up playing hockey and through high school so as soon as I could skate, he put me out on the pond to skate," he said. "As long as I can remember, I've been playing hockey. It really clicked going into my freshman year of high school, when I decided to stop playing baseball and to focus on hockey year-round."
He realized in high school and in the past few seasons of Juniors hockey that he needed to improve his game before launching his collegiate career, and he put in the work needed to play at the ACHA Division I level.
"There was stuff I had to fine-tune before coming in and playing," Pomerleau said. "I had to increase my foot speed, become quicker at decision-making, and improve the physical, getting stronger and faster."
Now, his strengths are evident in his playmaking ability and team-minded approach to the game.
"Making that first good pass and jumping up in the play and creating some offense and pushing the pace of the game," Pomerleau said of some of his best traits on the ice.
He hopes to make a positive impact this fall and throughout his first season with the Flames.
"I just want to bring my all every day and hopefully make everyone better," he said. "It's just about coming to practice every day, competing, and earning a spot. Nothing's a given, and the coaching staff has been really honest with me about that. I hope that I bring a presence of compete and pushing other guys and hope that my compete level will rub off on everyone."
Beyond Liberty, where he is studying sport management, Pomerleau would like to stay involved in the sport, either as a player or in the front office of a professional hockey organization.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
"We feel he's a competitor, a solid puck-moving defenseman, someone who fits the culture of Liberty and someone who's going to make our team better," Flames Head Coach Kirk Handy said.
Pomerleau has plenty of familiarity with his new teammates, whom he had the opportunity to play with and against in Friday's Blue & White intrasquad scrimmage at the LaHaye Ice Center before joining them on last weekend's team retreat.
He formerly competed on the same team as fellow freshman defenseman Marty Marnauzs for part of the 2021-22 season when both were members of the Twin City (Maine) Thunder in the National Collegiate Development Conference (NCDC), before Marnauzs joined the Jersey Hitmen. Pomerleau scored 4 goals and distributed 21 assists in 49 games with the Thunder this past season.
Previously, he played with Flames senior forward Joe Clark and graduate forward Jackson Vercellono on the Maine Nordiques of the NA3HL, another team Marnauzs competed for this past season. The Pomerleaus also served as the billet family for Vercellono when he played for the Nordiques in 2020-21.
"I heard about Liberty through FCA summer camps I had been in and when Jackson committed to play here (in March 2021), that was when I took a bigger look at it," Pomerleau said. "When I came on a visit for CFAW, I knew it was a school where I really wanted to be."
He returned to Liberty for the past two Liberty Hockey Select Camps prospect camps before committing over the summer.
"I am very excited and looking forward to the season," Pomerleau said. "It's going to be awesome. I like it here a lot. It seems like a second home, and the team is a second family."
Pomerleau started skating and playing hockey at ages 3 and 4, respectively.
"My dad grew up playing hockey and through high school so as soon as I could skate, he put me out on the pond to skate," he said. "As long as I can remember, I've been playing hockey. It really clicked going into my freshman year of high school, when I decided to stop playing baseball and to focus on hockey year-round."
He realized in high school and in the past few seasons of Juniors hockey that he needed to improve his game before launching his collegiate career, and he put in the work needed to play at the ACHA Division I level.
"There was stuff I had to fine-tune before coming in and playing," Pomerleau said. "I had to increase my foot speed, become quicker at decision-making, and improve the physical, getting stronger and faster."
Now, his strengths are evident in his playmaking ability and team-minded approach to the game.
"Making that first good pass and jumping up in the play and creating some offense and pushing the pace of the game," Pomerleau said of some of his best traits on the ice.
He hopes to make a positive impact this fall and throughout his first season with the Flames.
"I just want to bring my all every day and hopefully make everyone better," he said. "It's just about coming to practice every day, competing, and earning a spot. Nothing's a given, and the coaching staff has been really honest with me about that. I hope that I bring a presence of compete and pushing other guys and hope that my compete level will rub off on everyone."
Beyond Liberty, where he is studying sport management, Pomerleau would like to stay involved in the sport, either as a player or in the front office of a professional hockey organization.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
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