Three Suffolk University men’s hockey players were recognized by the Conference of New England just over a week before the start of the playoffs. One of them was freshman starting goalie Austin McNicholas.
McNicholas has started 24 out of 25 regular season games in Suffolk’s 2025-2026 season, playing an essential role in their 16-8-1 record.
Before coming to Suffolk, McNicholas had a history of playing in the Boston area dating back to his youth hockey days when he played for the Buffalo Junior Sabres and had games at the Canton Ice House, which is also home ice to Curry College’s hockey teams. In his junior year of high school, he started attending Salisbury School in Connecticut, where he played for two years and took home a championship title.
Following that, he started playing in Chilliwack, Canada for the British Columbia Hockey League where he stayed for two years before moving to the New Jersey Titans in the North American Hockey League.
After three years in the junior leagues, McNicholas started touring schools in the Boston area, which landed him on Suffolk’s roster. While at Suffolk, he has had the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of collegiate hockey and be one of a handful of new faces on the team.
“I think going to a new team in general and always getting a new coach’s perspective on your game obviously helps you change a little bit,” said McNicholas. “It’s a new level of hockey for me, more competition, more skill, so I definitely had to up my game.”
Alongside four other freshmen and a few transfer students, McNicholas has been able to fill a goalie gap in the roster.
“Last year we graduated CJ Hapward, he was second team All-conference and had a tremendous season for us last year and to be able to add Austin off of losing CJ was huge,” said head coach Shawn McEachern.
Despite only being in the locker room for just a regular season, McEachern has described McNicholas’ transition to the college game as fairly seamless.
“I don’t think [McNicholas] missed a beat coming in and I think he’s a confident guy,” said McEachern. “He’s not a real loud guy, but he’s a confident guy and I think he shows that in his game.”
Fitting right in with the gameplay, McNicholas and McEachern agree that a lot of the team’s success has come down to their chemistry.
“I think the locker room is probably one of the bigger surprises I’ve had this year, I don’t know if I have ever been in this tight-knit of a locker room before with how everyone cares for each other and I think that plays a big role in our success this year,” said McNicholas.
Coming off a 10-game win streak, the connection of the team will be important to keep together approaching the playoffs, which start Feb. 25.
“Obviously the win streak is great and it was fun. I think the big thing heading into the playoffs here is just remembering we are capable of doing that and we’ve beat everyone this year so there is no one we can’t beat,” said McNicholas. “So it’s kind of up to us to see how we play, and if we play confident and we play our game I think we have a pretty good chance of winning it this year.”
With individual recognition from the CNE for multiple players, including McNicholas, there has been nothing short of success across the team. McNicholas described his CNE goalie of the week award as not just an achievement for his own performance, but for that of the team.
“I think as exciting as it is for that player to get that award, it’s also exciting for everyone else to see that someone on the team is being recognized, so like the team is being recognized,” said McNicholas. “And everyone is happy for everyone when it does happen.”
McEachern agreed that every player’s recognition also speaks greater to the play of the team.
“I think all the individual recognition comes from having a good team behind you and I think even the guys that have been recognized would say the same thing,” said McEachern. “You can’t do it without the guys behind you and that’s the one thing we’ve had.”
The Rams are set to face Johnson & Wales University in the first round of the CNE playoffs.
“I think the team chemistry is really what’s gotten us this far and the coaches obviously holding us accountable,” said McNicholas. “I think it’s been a really good year and hopefully it keeps going on these next couple weeks.”
