NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, TEXAS — Brahmas goaltender Rico DiMatteo has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at Northern Michigan University, the player announced Saturday.
“I’m super excited about my recent commitment,” said DiMatteo, regarding his commitment. “I owe a ton to my parents and family for driving to the rink over the years so I could pursue my dreams. As exciting of a time this is, my focus remains on a strong second half to the season with my team.”
In eight Brahma appearances, the goalie records 2.11 goals against average and 0.916% save percentage. His record currently stands at 4-2-1. The Brasher Falls, NY native is within the top-four goalies across the entire North American Hockey League in goals against average; in addition to being the only rookie in the bunch.
“On behalf of the Brahmas organization, we are extremely proud of Rico and his commitment to Northern Michigan,” said Brahmas assistant coach, Andrew Whiteside. “Rico will be joining the long list of Lone Star goalies to play at the NCAA Division I level.”
DiMatteo is the second Brahma to commit to Northern Michigan, with alum A.J. Vanderbeck (2014-15) also suiting up for the university. Before the cancellation of the 2019-20 men’s hockey season, NMU tallied a record of 18-16-4 (W-L-OTL).
DeCarlo is the fourth NCAA commitment from the 2020-21 roster, along with Nicholas Niemo (Bentley University) and Zach Purcell (American International College) and Andrew DeCarlo (Air Force Academy). In the 2019-20 season, the Lone Star Brahmas led the NAHL in player commitments with 16.