PHOTO courtesy icelevel.com
The Central Canada Hockey League and Gloucester Rangers (now Rockland Nationals) are pleased to announce that ’96 born G Michael Cullen will join NCAA III Amherst College this fall.
The 20-year old rookie goaltender's fairy-tale story continues as Cullen will be attending the prestigious Amherst College and will get the chance to continue his playing career while studying at a top end school.
In the beginning, Michael's future in hockey wasn't so promising. While graduating from his high school with a 97 average three years ago, he hung up the pads and played as a defenseman in house league hockey. He went on to study Engineering at Queen's University in 2014-2015 where he managed straight A's while taking a full course load and returning to the crease to play Tier 2. Then, he decided he wanted to take one last crack at a playing career so he reduced his studies to focus on hockey. He was outstanding for the Westport Rideaus that season and was named the CCHL2 Goalie of the Year.
Fast forward to today, Michael is coming off an outstanding year in the CCHL where he led the league in minutes played. He finished the season with a 19-25-3-3 record, posting a 2.72 GAA and a .918 Save %. He was the top goalie in the CCHL in 3-star voting collecting 25 stars throughout the year and was named a CCHL 2nd Team All-Star this week.
"Michael helped turn this franchise around," said Rangers Head Coach and GM Dan Sauvé. "His work ethic, commitment to getting better and attention to detail are out of this world. Michael is the most unselfish person I know and we're all ecstatic for him to be moving on and playing at a higher level. He is mature beyond his years and we are certain he will have a positive impact on Amherst's program both on and off the ice." added Sauvé.
"It truly is exciting and an honour for me to have the opportunity to find a home for the next four years at such a prestigious institution as Amherst College," said Cullen. "Being able to combine my passion for academics and my love for the game of hockey is something I've always tried to do and I cannot think of a better fit for me as a student-athlete than Amherst. The next chapter is just getting started."
"My family, friends, teammates, opponents, coaches, teachers… the list goes on when I think of everyone who has helped me along the way. I would like to thank Ashbury College, Queen's University, the Westport Rideaus, and Gloucester Rangers communities specifically for doing everything they possibly could to help me achieve my goals on and off the ice. The support I've received from all over the league this season has been tremendous and I have nothing but great memories to look back on with the final edition of the Gloucester Rangers.
"Finally, I would like to wish the owners, my coaches, my teammates, and the community of Rockland all the best as they prepare for their first season as the Rockland Nationals. It is an exciting time for everyone involved and I look forward to hearing of great success for years to come," Cullen would add.
