Make sure you are fully caught up on the new skaters for Northeastern by reading our forwards column HERE and the defensemen HERE.
With last year’s starter Connor Murphy having transferred to Union, the lead position between the pipes appears to be secured by sophomore Devon Levi. Levi, a former Florida draft pick who was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on Day 2 of the 2021 NHL Draft, made waves across the hockey world last year as the starter for Team Canada in the World Junior Championships. Since then, he has had over half a year to heal, train, and recover from an injury suffered during the WJC tournament that cost him his whole freshman season at Northeastern. Now adorning his preferred number 1, we look forward to seeing Devon make his NU debut in October. Levi and the rest of the goalie room will be under the guidance of new NU goaltending coach Mike Condon, who will have a set of new faces to guide in his first season with the program.
Evan Fear (#35)- With Levi likely assuming control of the starting position, the number 2 position is wide open for two new goaltenders to compete for and earn. Evan Fear is the third transfer coming to Northeastern this year, coming in from Quinnipiac. Fear was with the Bobcats for two seasons, where he was one of the backups to Keith Petruzzelli. Petruzzelli dominated the minutes for Quinnipiac for his four seasons in Hamden, leaving little time for Fear to play, however prior to enrolling he had a very successful career in the USHL with Waterloo and Green Bay. With his experience coming from the ECAC, Fear will be an invaluable part of the goalie room as Levi and Semptimphelter get acclimated to playing collegiate hockey.
Keefe on Fear: “Played 3 years of junior hockey (plus two years at Quinnipiac). Comes in with a lot of experience. Was really good his last year in Waterloo. He’s a big kid, great positionally. He’s a kid that has good awareness in situations on the ice as a goaltender. Competitive in the net.”
TJ Semptimphelter (#33)- Taking over #33 from Levi after the incumbent changed his number, Semptimphelter comes to the Huskies from the NCDC. A Jersey kid, Semptimphelter played for Boston, where he was named a league all-star and won 25 games between the regular season and playoffs. In his junior hockey career, per his EP profile, Semptimphelter has not posted a save percentage lower than .906 since one of his first years playing prep hockey in 2016-17. Five straight seasons of great goaltending have led him to Matthews Arena, and we expect his 6-foot-1, 190 pound frame to be able to compete for playing time from the start.
Keefe on Semptimphelter: “Had a great year last year. Really athletic. Smart goaltender. Second effort type goaltender as a kid who can really steal a game for you. I love the fact that he’s really competitive in the net.”
With the incoming class recapped, we are all looking forward to more news coming from the Huskies squad ahead of the season. Make sure to lock up your season tickets now that the schedule has been released and make sure to check back in for coverage on anything else related to the team as the start of the season is less than two months away.
As always, Go Huskies!