The Bombers now have a third player heading to an NCAA school. Jacob Vockler will be heading to Merrimack College.
Vockler’s scholarship was announced Oct. 22 by the Bombers. The forward from Sioux Falls, S.D. has been dominant since his return to the SJHL earlier this month, putting in three goals and eight points in his first five games.
“We are very happy for Jacob. Merrimack is getting a very good player that is a game-breaker,” said Bomber head coach and general manager Mike Reagan.
“Vocks is a great skater with a high skill set and has the ability to elevate his game in big moments.”
Vockler played for the Bombers last season and put up 38 points in his first season of junior hockey. In the playoffs, Vockler was an impact player for Flin Flon, especially in the Bombers' first round series against Battlefords. Vockler scored four goals and had five points against the Stars, including an overtime winner at home in Game 4 that tied the series and the eventual series winner in Game 6. The forward also added four goals for the Bombers in five games at the Centennial Cup, leading the team in goal scoring at the tournament.
Merrimack plays in the Hockey East conference and is located in North Andover, Mass., located directly north of Boston. The team features one former SJHLer - goalie Steven Bacovsky, formerly a member of the Melfort Mustangs. This season, the Warriors sport a 3-2 record.
Along with Jaeden Mercier, who committed to NCAA Division I Lindenwood last week, him and Vockler became the second and third members of this year's Bomber roster to have an NCAA Division I deal lined up in the future. Forward Jeremi Tremblay has committed to play for the Sacred Heart Univ. Pioneers once his time as a Bomber ends.
Throughout the SJHL, only four players have signed NCAA Division I commitments this year. Humboldt defenceman Carsten Kayter, the league’s youngest player, committed to the Univ. of Nebraska/Omaha earlier this year, while Notre Dame’s WIll Dawson committed to join Air Force Academy at a future date.
The Bombers now have as many players committed to NCAA Division I schools - Mercier, Tremblay and Vockler - as the rest of the league combined. Dawson, Kayter and Notre Dame defender Jaryd Sych, who will go to Mercyhurst, are the others.
