Graduate Athletes Influence on Collegiate Hockey Post-COVID-19.
Written by Delaney Manna and Christina Cabestrero.
The integration of graduate students in college sports programs is a topic of discussion within the realm of collegiate athletics especially after COVID-19, which abruptly cut college athletes’ seasons short. Experiences varied amongst graduate students. A common theme heard throughout many graduate students was an appreciation for an extra year and many agreed that they took upon unspoken leadership roles within their respective teams.
Matt Demelis, a graduate student who has played for the Northeastern Men’s hockey team for the last five seasons now, felt incredibly grateful to be able to play another year. Also seeing it as a “closure season”, due to the shortened 2020-2021 season.
“It was my sophomore year that we got shut down for COVID. It was pretty exciting to be granted that extra year” said Demelis.
“I definitely encourage an extra year. Especially in my case, I felt like I kind of got shorted that one year, it was nice to get closure,” Demelis revealed.
Before pandemic the rules according to the NCAA were that student-athletes could not engage in more than four seasons of intercollegiate competition in a single sport. In response to not getting a complete season due to COVID-19 a new rule was implemented by the NCAA. This change raises questions concerning the roles of graduate students on college teams and how impactful their presence is.
“It was one awesome benefit of COVID, I remember it was my second year and when the opportunity came up saying, okay, you guys are gonna get a fifth year, we were already up in Flint’s office the next day,” Carter shared.
Megan Carter has been a standout hockey player here at Northeastern since her freshman year. Carter is captain of the Women’s hockey team and won various awards during her seasons, some include: NCAA Elite 90 – Academic Recognition (2021, 2022, 2023), Hockey East’s Best Defender in 2022-23.
This year she played and won the 2024 Women’s Beanpot Final. Carter felt ecstatic when receiving the news that she got to play another season of college hockey at Northeastern.
“I love it here so much. But that just kind of speaks to the culture at Northeastern and the program that’s been developed here and just how lucky we are to get that bonus year,” Carter said.
Carter’s excitement was felt across all collegiate athletes getting the opportunity to play again when you have built love and a relationship with a team. Getting the opportunity to play for an additional year gave Carter and her teammates a chance to be a leader and mentor for younger teammates.
“We had a huge freshman class this year. It definitely helped to have more upperclassmen to kind of guide them along the way,” Carter explained.
Demelis started at Northeastern as a freshman, so he feels very connected to his team, and since playing as a graduate, feels he has moved to a leadership role. Demelis mentioned how this was one of his many highlights throughout the season.
“I’d say the Beanpot [was a highlight of the season], which was my third time, and was pretty exciting. But I think overall it was just kind of being a leader on the team.”
Demelis expanded by saying overall the team dynamic has become more diverse as more leadership and expertise was brought to the team this year.
“I’d say it’s a little bit different, but it’s also nice having all those guys together. It makes it a lot easier like usually we only have like maybe two or three grad students. So having that big group is a lot easier for everyone,” Demelis said.
With the addition of many graduate’s who were previously captains, they have been able to bring younger players more knowledge of the game.
“Hockey wise we brought a lot of experience especially with guys that were leaders on other teams because we brought in a lot of captains. So leadership wise, it brought a lot,” Demelis explained.
Pito Walton is another graduate student playing for the Men’s hockey team who feels similar to Demelis with the leadership he has brought to the team. Walton started his college hockey career at Princeton, playing for them starting in the 2019-2020 season and ending in 2022-2023, however had no 2020-2021 season due to COVID-19. Walton was approached by the Northeastern coaches and was given the opportunity to play for the team as a graduate student.
“I think it was obviously a really good opportunity, the coaches reached out to me and I had a really good talk and just built a good relationship with the coaches. And then I came on a visit and I loved Boston, loved the teammates that I met, and just got a really good vibe. I think that the combination of academics and athletics is great here. And just felt like it was a great opportunity to play my last year in Boston,” Walton said.
Walton felt that playing this past season with Northeastern allowed him to play on a new level.
“I think just coming into a school like this, and a program like this, you play on a lot of big stages, the Beanpot being one of them. The tournament in Wisconsin where we played in a huge arena [is another]”
Walton expressed how the transition to Northeastern was seamless, especially with the help of his teammates and staff. Fellow teammates made sure Walton felt comfortable and always offered to answer any questions he had.
“It was a pretty good transition. I came in in the summer and was able to take a summer course and meet a bunch of the guys and work out with them. So I think that was something that helped it be pretty smooth going into the fall. I got accustomed to the campus and knew where things were,” Walton said. “And then in terms of just my teammates, I think they just made it the easiest. They were really helpful in making sure that I’m kept up to date on things and I’m feeling comfortable. And basically everyone is a resource here and told me if you have any questions, just ask.”
When asked about pre-game rituals, Walton mentioned how they all huddle and have a team chant they do before starting the game.
“We basically have the same pregame routine. We all warm up together and then we circle around in a huddle and do a chant. And that’s sort of like our superstition, I would say. I don’t know what I would call that chant, we all huddle up in a circle and clap into a chant. And then we have two guys play rock, paper, scissors and whoever wins we all rally around. It’s a superstition that I guess has been carried on”.
Overall, the impact graduate students have had on their respective teams has allowed mentorship to flourish. Both on and off the ice, teams have been strengthened by these excellent players.
“The biggest highlight was definitely leading the younger guys and teaching them how to be as people and not only hockey players,” Demelis explained.
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