Nayan Pai Commits to United States Air Force Academy
The Blackfalds Bulldogs are proud to announce the commitment of Nayan Pai to play NCAA Division I hockey at the United States Air Force Academy.
Pai committed to play for the Blackfalds Bulldogs in April of this year. He joined after a strong season with the Colorado Rampage 18U AAA team. In 67 games last season, he scored 45 goals and 90 points. The Red Wood City, California product had a goal and two assists in three exhibition games to start with the Bulldogs.
Pai is ready for opening night and his first season in a Bulldogs uniform, “I’m super excited to get started here in Blackfalds. I’ve been looking forward to it all summer. I think we have a really good team this year and can’t wait to see what we can do.”
When asked about how he felt with his commitment, Pai was thrilled, “It feels great. I’m super excited for it. I think Blackfalds is a great place to get me prepared for the next step in my hockey journey.”
Bulldogs Head Coach Doug Quinn said, “Nayan is a player who skated with us last spring and someone we jumped at to sign immediately. He is a great skater who is highly skilled; the speed and the intensity he works at makes him a difficult player to play against.”
Quinn added, “Nayan is a great teammate and we are excited to have him. His commitment to Air Force is well deserved.”
Bulldogs Director of Hockey Operations, Al Parada, said “We’re very excited about Nayan’s commitment to Air Force. He has worked hard this summer for his D-1 commitment.”
Parada continued, “We are excited for him to be a part of the Bulldogs and continue his hockey journey as we get him prepared for the next level of hockey.”
With his recent commitment, Pai will be returning to a place he is familiar with to play college hockey, “Obviously, Air Force is in Colorado Springs, where I played with the Colorado Rampage. One of my coaches at the Colorado Rampage put me in touch with Air Force and they came out to watch me play in some games and we talked all summer. I went to their showcase and then one thing kind of led to another and we had a visit, and it went really well.”
“I’d like to thank the Colorado Rampage organization, Boston Hockey Academy Organization and all my advisors and mentors who have helped me along the way, and a big thanks to my family because you can’t go anywhere in hockey without a dedicated family,” stated Pai.
The entire Bulldogs organization would like to congratulate Nayan and his family on his commitment to the United States Air Force Academy!
