Sommers hopes to pad own numbers by leading Falcons through playoffs

BY: Michael Tellier, Reporter | February 14, 2014

Niagara Wheatfield’s Nathan Sommers enjoyed the type of season that made him one of the best and most recognized goaltenders in the Western New York Federation last season.

So, he set the bar pretty high for himself this season.

The senior goaltender wanted to finish the season with more than 10 wins, and help his team win a state title, after he came close to both of those marks during 2012-13.

However, with a record of 3-5-2 going into the final few weeks of the regular season, Sommers wasn’t at all satisfied with his performance this season.

Still, he doesn’t see why he can’t turn things around, as his team enters this week’s Division I large school playoffs, as the second seed. The team has won the Section VI title the past two seasons, reaching the state semifinals last year.

“I had 10 wins last season, so I definitely wanted to pass that this season,” Sommers said. “My record right now isn’t that great, but I think that I have definitely played better than my record shows, and I don’t see why I can’t still finish the season strong.”

So far, this season, Sommers has made 268 saves in 10 games, and has a goals against average of 3.26.

“I know I can play better,” Sommers said. “There are always improvements that you can make; I have let in some easy goals this season, and I need to focus on eliminating the little mistakes.”

Even though Sommers has been critical of his own performance so far this season, Falcons coach Ryan Coyne explained that his goaltender has made a huge impact on the team. The Falcons wouldn’t be where they are without him, Coyne noted.

“We have had a few of our big time scorers out for a big chunk of this season and it’s been a blessing to have a guy like Sommers in net,” Coyne said. “He has made some excellent saves for us, and has saved us some games this season.”

Sommers has not forgotten about the Falcons disappointing finish in the state semifinals a season ago and plans to make amends this season. However, he knows that there is a long road ahead of that ultimate goal.

“It’s not going to be easy for us,” he said. “But, once we get some our core offense back I think we can make a lot of noise and win a state title. We have all worked hard this season and we all want the same thing.”

Coyne agreed with his goaltender and explained that when at their best, Niagara Wheatfield can be a huge threat in the postseason.

“When everything is clicking, and are whole team is healthy, we are a very dangerous team,” he said. “We just have to click at the right time.”

The Falcons finished the regular season at 8-5-3 in the division, good for a fourth-place tie overall and second among public schools in the division.