By Alexis Demopoulos
For goaltender Ayden Pierce, the Boston Dogs provided him a place that felt like home and with the help of his coaches and teammates earned an NCAA Division III commitment to Misericordia University for the 2025-26 season.
The Oshawa, Ont., native played in 18 games for the Boston Jr. Rangers in the EHL last season before making the switch to the Boston Dogs. In 20 appearances with the Dogs this season in the NCDC, Pierce has earned eight wins with a 3.48 GAA in 1,205 minutes played and has been a great asset to the team.
“The Boston Dogs are a top-notch program,” said Pierce. “From our coaching staff to our facilities, we truly are taken care of and it was a great place to play. Both Coach Cody Gonyeau and Coach Russ DeMariano are extremely supportive and push me to become a better person and goaltender. It is also an amazing group of guys that would do anything for each other. We all truly love each other and that’s what pushed us the most was fighting for the other guys in the locker room.”
Pierce first started communicating with the Misericordia coaching staff in the middle of January. He talked to them about how his season has been going and his goals.
“Coach Kevin Cole explained that he isn’t only looking for good players on the ice, but in the locker room and in the community as well,” said Pierce. “Therefore we both believed that I was a good fit for the program.”
Misericordia, which is in its second year as an NCAA hockey program, intrigued Pierce immensely. He was also drawn to the Dallas, Pa., campus and, academically, he plans to major in business economics, for which they have a strong program.
“I was first interested in Misericordia being a new program and having an opportunity to create a culture for future players to come and feel welcomed into,” said Pierce. “I then did more research about the school itself and really liked the campus and their support for the students.
“When I visited the campus it was extremely personal. Not only did the coaches want to get to know me but also other students and guys on the team. It felt like they truly cared and it was an amazing culture that I wanted to be a part of.”
Pierce has always believed in his competitiveness and his skating as two of the strongest components of his game. He plans on continuing to get stronger before he makes the jump over to college.
“I believe in never giving up on a puck and that I give my team an opportunity to win every game,” said Pierce. “I am continuing to work on my tracking and control as at the next level everything happens faster therefore I want to be prepared for the change of pace.”
Pierce wants his team to finish out the season strong and to continue growing into the best player he can be.
“The rest of this season I want to continue to compete with my team and continue creating the culture we have in the locker room,” said Pierce. “I also want to continue working on my personal skills and finishing out this season strong.”
The NCDC congratulates Ayden Pierce, his family, the Boston Dogs and Misericordia University
for his commitment.
