Junior Eddie Nowicki recorded the best goaltending stats of any goalie in PIHL class AA, posting five shutouts and a .960 save percentage in the regular season. Nowicki recorded another shutout and a .968 save percentage in the playoffs to push the Baldwin ice hockey team to a state championship.

For all of these accomplishments, Nowicki has been named the 2020-2021 Purbalite Male Athlete of the Year. 

When Nowicki first started playing hockey, he never imagined that it would become such a big part of his life.

“I started playing hockey in fifth grade, and I picked that over any other sport mainly because my dad played it,” Nowicki said.

From there, Nowicki continued to develop as a player and began to recognize some role models.

“My dad has been a role model in my personal life, and as far as professional role models, John Gibson has been a big one for me,” Nowicki said. 

Nowicki’s teammates had nothing but good things to say about his game, as well as his overall demeanor as a player. Senior Dylan Belak commended Nowicki’s playing style and what he brings to the team.

“Knowing he’s on our team means we know that we have a chance no matter what,” Belak said. “He’s always locked in and ready to play.”

Belak said that even though the team constantly recognizes how well Nowicki plays, the star goalie always remains humble.

“Even though everyone knows how good he is, he never brags,” Belak said. “He’s humble, keeps to himself, and has a ton of respect for his teammates, which are all great player traits.”

Belak cited the final moments of both the TJ and Penn Trafford games, when the crowd began to chant Nowicki’s name after games full of crucial saves.

“He is so calm and collected, but he also energizes the team and the fans so much with the plays that he makes,” Belak said.

Junior Logan Picchi said that Nowicki’s play in the net gives the team an energy boost in crucial moments.

“We were down on a penalty in the TJ game, and Eddie made a save that made us come out of the penalty with explosive energy,” Picchi said. “All of our lines play well because our offense gets fired up by his incredible saves.”

Picchi also commended Nowicki’s intensity and how crucial he is to the team’s success.

“He always brings the same level of intensity to any game, and is always in his zone, and the team revolves around him,” Picchi said. “We do our best to help him out, but he has been a lifesaver for us in many of our games.”

Nowicki still has one year left at Baldwin, and said that he plans on having just as much success with next year’s team.

“We are going to lose a lot of core guys next year, but we also have a lot of young players who are ready to perform and take this team to the next level,” Nowicki said.