NCDC 2024-25 Awards: Cyclones’ Markowski Named New England Division Defensive Forward Of The Year

By Joshua Boyd / USPHL.com 

 

The National Collegiate Development Conference congratulates the Northern Cyclones’ Michael Markowski for being named the 2024-25 Defensive Forward Of The Year. 

“It is an honor to be given this award with so many great players in this league,” said Markowski, a 2004-born native of Spring Lake, N.J. “I’ve played against most of these coaches now for two seasons and have so much respect for each one of them. I would like to thank my coaches and teammates for pushing me daily.”

As well as he can play defensively, Markowski was also a top 20 scorer in the NCDC. He scored 27 goals and 25 assists in 52 points in 54 games this year. In 105 career regular season games, he scored 90 points, which ranks third in Cyclones NCDC history. 

He also registered a 4-4-8 line in 11 playoff games, including this year’s Cyclones run to the Dineen Cup Championship series. 

“My two years with the Cyclones were amazing, I’m proud of how committed my teammates and I were throughout the two seasons, ultimately winning the New England Division championship this past season,” added Markowski. “The NCDC is truly filled with great players and coaches. Throughout my two years, I developed so much as a player and really got set up in a great position to advance to college hockey.”

The Cyclones finished fifth in team goals against average at 2.57, so Markowski was one of a strong core of two-way players that helped push the Cyclones to their first New England title. 

“It is obviously one of the most important parts of the game and something I really wanted to value more this season,” said Markowski, of his defensive play. “My goal was to be a complete 200-foot player who can score goals but also be relied on in defensive situations. Coach Bill Flanagan has really helped me develop defensively, preaching things like blocking shots and good defense creates good offense.” 

That development led Markowski to commit to playing in the inaugural NCAA season for St. John Fisher University in Rochester, N.Y. 

“I’m super excited to be a part of the first season in St. John Fisher history. The level of play will be higher and playing with older players is motivation for me this off-season to get better and stronger,” added Markowski. “I look forward to being competitive and helping build the program over my next four years.”