Injuries and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic derailed his NCAA career, but Union College goalie Garrett Nieto remains intent on following in his brother Gavin’s footsteps and reaching the highest level of college hockey.

Nieto hasn’t played in a competitive hockey game since early in the 2018-19 North American Hockey League (NAHL) season when he was with the Janesville Jets. His long recovery from hip surgeries has helped his patience.

“I was in the midset of if we play, I would love to play, get out there and be a difference-maker,” Nieto said. but at the same time, I’ve waited two years to play and I felt like I could wait a third and take this opportunity to work with our coaching staff and get myself back to 100 percent and better than I was before my injuries,” Nieto said.

But just as he was getting ready to play again, the COVID-19 pandemic stole his sophomore campaign, canceling Union’s season. “It was disappointing,” Nieto said. “I understand why they made the decision, out of safety precautions. I’m a very patient guy.”

Meanwhile, Garrett’s brother Gavin just finished a four-year career at Brown University. Garrett looked up to his brother throughout his childhood into his junior career. “He’s been my biggest inspiration,” Nieto said. “Ever since we started playing hockey, I’ve always followed him wherever he went. Where I am today wouldn’t be without him.”

They also trained together throughout their childhoods, and that helped land Garrett in Janesville. “[Gavin] worked for the goalie coach in Janesville and if I didn’t go out there and train with him the summer before my first year there, I probably never would have played there and I don’t know if I would be here at Union,” Nieto said. “I owe pretty much my entire hockey career to my brother.”

Even Nieto’s road to Janesville was a long one. The California native started his career with the Los Angeles Kings‘ 16U team. Then, he played two seasons in Washington State for the Wenatchee Wild of the BCHL. He added a few more games with the NAHL’s Springfield Jr. Blues and the Eastern Hockey League’s Vermont Lumberjacks. Nieto said that he was grateful for his junior-hockey experience.

“It’s a little surreal,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of new places that I probably never would have seen if it wasn’t for hockey. I’ve seen a lot of different cities and a lot of different cultures.”

Though he played all over the country (even in Alaska), his most recent venture in Janesville, Wisconsin, will always have a special place in his heart.

“My first year there was the best year of my four years of junior hockey,” Nieto said. “There were a lot of really good guys in that locker room and then the atmosphere at our rink was closely matched to [the Fairbanks Ice Dogs’s]. It’s a small rink of about 1,200 capacity and most nights we would get close to that. It would be a lot of fun playing in that place because we had a significant home-ice advantage.”

A lot of travel and a lot of patience led Garrett Nieto to Union College. Whenever Union College’s season starts, he said Union fans should be excited when they finally get to see him play. “I’m a very calm goalie,” Nieto said. “I like to think of myself as composed trying to be a steady backstop for the team who’s there whenever they need me to make a big save and I hope I can help this team win a lot of games next year and have a lot of success.”

John Smark