Ever since sophomore year, my high school hockey career has been nothing short of amazing and life-changing. While I have formed lifelong relationships with my brothers at U of D, the majority of those relationships have come from the hockey team. 

When I joined the varsity team my sophomore year, in the beginning, I felt like I didn’t belong. Along with fellow senior Patrick McVeigh, I was the youngest and definitely smallest player on the team. I had never played hockey with or against kids who were twice my height and weight. However, the guys on the team made me feel like I was a part of a family. In reality, we were a family: we would do anything for one another on and off the ice no matter what. I never once felt out of place when I was with the team.

Fast forward to my senior year and nothing has changed. As a senior captain with teammates ranging from freshmen to seniors, I felt like I had a job to carry on the culture that’s made the team so great in the previous years. Looking at the faces of my sophomore teammates, I could see my own face staring back at me. I always hope that I did as good of a job being a leader and mentor for the younger guys as the seniors did for me my sophomore year because I know how important it is.

The seniors always told me that it would be my senior year before I knew it, and they couldn’t have been more right. My biggest piece of advice to any non-senior is to cherish every moment with your brothers here at U of D because your senior year will be gone in a flash. Every day, I look back at the highlights of my time on the hockey team. What I find is that I think of the team, I won’t always think of my goals or any great plays. I’ll think of the players, coaches, and managers I’ve been blessed to play for/with. I’ll think of the love and support that they have given me. And most importantly, I’ll think of the memories I’ve made with the team. Because in the end, when I think back on not only the hockey team but U of D as a whole, I will always remember the community and family that I’ve grown alongside and how they’ve shaped the man I’ve become. Thank you, U of D, for everything.