Endicott College Hockey: From Club to NCAA Division III

Endicott College's journey into the world of competitive hockey is a story of vision, dedication, and strategic growth. From its humble beginnings as a club program to its current status as an NCAA Division III contender, Endicott Hockey has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with.

The Genesis of a Program

The seeds of Endicott College's hockey program were sown when a group of five or six incoming students with high school hockey experience inquired about starting a team. In 2002, Athletic Director Brian Wylie, then in his early stages as the Intramural and Club sports director, took on the challenge. He began researching the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) to explore the possibilities for this enthusiastic group.

In its inaugural year, the program petitioned to compete in Division 2 of the ACHA. The team comprised a small group of former high school players and one female player who also had high school hockey experience. "It was a rag tag first year, we had to play four games against ACHA opponents and then the next year we went full-fledged Division two," Wylie recalled.

A Vision for Varsity Status

From the outset, the ambition was to elevate the club hockey program to varsity status for both men and women. "Our goal when we started the club hockey program was to make a varsity team both men and women out of this," Wylie stated. "We knew that we wanted to build a rink to host Endicott Hockey." This vision gained momentum in the program's second year when Wylie posed a pivotal question to the team: did they want to treat the program as a joke or commit to building something serious, like a varsity team? Their resounding answer set the course for Endicott Hockey's future trajectory.

Building a Foundation

The club program diligently worked to establish recognition for both the men's and women's teams. Years of hard work and organization, including off-campus practices, eventually led to the pivotal decision to construct an on-campus rink. Wylie, having laid the foundation for the program's growth, initiated the hiring process to bring in two coaches who could spearhead the launch of Endicott Hockey.

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Coaching Expertise

In 2014, after several years of playing club hockey at Salem State University, Wylie appointed RJ Tolan and Andrew McPhee to guide the club programs through their final season and to begin recruiting for the inaugural year of varsity Division III hockey.

Both coaches brought a wealth of experience to Endicott. Tolan had previously worked at Wentworth Institute of Technology, while McPhee came from Trinity College.

McPhee explained his decision to join Endicott, stating, "The main reason behind my decision to come to Endicott was that I really bought into the mission of the college. This school is up and coming in so many facets, and I knew that it would be easy to sell to prospective recruits."

Recognizing the challenge of attracting recruits to a brand-new program, the coaches emphasized the appeal of Endicott's beautiful campus and the promise of a state-of-the-art arena. “I was looking for guys who would fit into what Endicott was trying to do both academically and athletically.

The Dawn of Varsity Hockey

The Endicott Hockey varsity program officially commenced in the fall of 2015, marked by the grand opening of the arena. The dedication ceremony featured Ray Bourque, a legendary figure in Boston Bruins history.

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Wylie recounted Bourque's connection to the college: "Bourque is a North Shore legend who one day came on campus through the President and just walked around and met some of our students, staff and faculty. Immediately, he felt the connection to the campus and wanted to give back to this community with an arena." The arena was named in Bourque's honor, and the dedication event drew a capacity crowd, including numerous former and current Bruins players.

The season commenced in November, with the men's team securing a victory against Suffolk University in their opening game.

Early Successes

Both varsity teams experienced success in their inaugural seasons, advancing to their respective conference championships and finishing as runners-up. The men's program, comprised primarily of new players with the exception of three returning club team members, defied expectations by reaching the finals before losing to Salve Regina University. The 2015 team recorded notable wins against nationally ranked Babson College and Nichols College, and demonstrated a strong performance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).

The women's team also had a strong showing, losing in double overtime to Stevenson in the conference final in Maryland. Similar to the men's team, the women's roster consisted mainly of new players, supplemented by a few veterans from the original club team.

The Raymond J. Bourque Arena

The $13 million Raymond J. Bourque Arena quickly became a focal point for the North Shore community, drawing friends and families to watch high-caliber Division III hockey. After more than 10 years of efforts to partner with city and local groups to bring an ice arena to Beverly, Massachusetts, Endicott College constructed a state-of-the-art ice arena on its oceanside campus. On October 3rd, the College dedicated the $10 million facility to NHL legend and 21-year veteran for the Boston Bruins, Raymond J. Bourque.

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In making the decision to recognize Bourque, College President Dr. Richard E. Wylie, a resident of the North Shore for over 30 years, expressed a strong desire to inspire our youth, students, and the greater community. “This arena will affect the lives of many individuals, starting with the youth of the North Shore of Boston. This is the primary motivation for engaging with Endicott College, which has proven it values community,” said Bourque. “I am honored and have been grateful for the chance to actively assist in the construction fundraising, the funding of youth scholarships, and the educating of our youth. With the construction of the Raymond J. Bourque Arena, Endicott moves from 12 years as a club team to an NCAA Division III intercollegiate program for both men and women. According to Endicott Director of Athletics, Dr. Brian Wylie, “We are thrilled to be elevating our men’s and women’s teams to NCAA DIII status and joining the rich tradition of ice hockey not just in this region but nationally. Words can’t describe the excitement we have in building these programs in such a phenomenal facility as the Raymond J.

The Raymond J. Bourque Arena’s completion comes during a period of heightened construction over the past several years for Endicott as the College has built and renovated several facilities dedicated to academia, residence life, food service, athletics, and other areas of the campus. “Windover Construction has built or renovated all the campus projects for the past ten years. Selecting them to design and build the arena was an easy decision,” said President Wylie. “The completed arena is a testimony to that trust. The Raymond J. The first few weeks of the arena’s schedule has been occupied mainly with area youth leagues, daily public skate hours for Endicott College and the greater community, adult drop-in hockey, freestyle figure skating, and youth stick time.

Current Roster

As of now, the Endicott College Men's Ice Hockey team boasts a talented roster of players:

GOALTENDERS

#30 Krystian Jaks (G), 23 years old
#31 Matt Schoephoerster (G), 21 years old, from Shakopee, MN, USA
#1 Peter Sterling (G), 21 years old, from Manassas, VA, USA

DEFENSEMEN

#6 Antti Autere (D), 22 years old, from Ivyland, PA, USA
#55 Conner Chalmers (D), 22 years old, from Windham, NH, USA
#22 Brad Cox (D), 20 years old, from Livingston, MT, USA
#15 Kyle Furey (D), 24 years old, from Marblehead, MA, USA
#2 James Hooley (D), 21 years old, from Quincy, MA, USA
#5 Charlie Killian (D), 24 years old, from Mendota Heights, MN, USA
#26 Collin Kleiser (D), 24 years old, from Churchville, PA, USA
#7 Dominic Metro (D), 23 years old, from Woburn, MA, USA
#3 Carson Nickulas (D), 21 years old, from Barnstable, MA, USA
#21 Therien Thiesing (D), 23 years old, from Franklin, TN, USA
#14 Ryan Vaites (D), 21 years old, from Mullica Hill, NJ, USA
#27 William Welburn (D), 21 years old, from Rye, NY, USA
#4 Brad Zona (D), 25 years old, from Auburn, MA, USA

FORWARDS

#34 Taybor Aldrich (F), 20 years old, from Williston, VT, USA
#18 Cade Baker (RW), 22 years old, from York, PA, USA
#33 Hudson Blue (F), 21 years old, from Costa Mesa, CA, USA
#44 Matthew Boczar (F), 24 years old, from Sewell, NJ, USA
#20 Sean Bradley (F), 22 years old, from Darien, CT, USA
#16 Anthony Cafarelli (W/C), 22 years old, from Middleton, MA, USA
#12 Michael Casey (F), 23 years old, from Media, PA, USA
#8 Jack Costanzo (F), 22 years old, from Gloucester, MA, USA
#19 Mark D'Agostino (F), 24 years old, from North Branford, CT, USA
#90 Tyler Gaulin (F), 24 years old, from Kingston, NH, USA
#10 Noah Gibbs (LW), 21 years old, from St.

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