Seniors on the U18 Hockey team had the opportunity to hear from several young alumni, who played hockey at South Kent School and have gone onto college, during a Young Alumni Panel on the evening of Friday, Jan. 29.
Director of Academic Counseling Lynn Mellis Worthington and College Counselor William Whittaker helped organize the event as a way to connect students with alumni. This is the third year that SKS has offered these types of events and this year it was held virtually with Zoom.
“These events are a great way for the current seniors to learn more about college from people they can easily relate to,” said Ms. Worthington. “This year the boys were able to hear from three alums who all played Junior Hockey prior to their college careers. It was great for our boys to hear about the challenges faced in earning the trust of coaches to gain more playing time, as well as the importance of balancing their time and keeping a focus on academics.”
The panel speakers were:
Matt Creamer ’15 is currently playing at Connecticut College and pursuing a degree in American Studies and a minor in English. He has been a captain for two years with the team. He played Junior Hockey beginning in Nanaimo, British Columbia and the BCHL for two years after graduation. In the summer of 2017, he began his college hockey career at Quinnipiac. After his freshman year, he transferred to Connecticut College and he is now in his last semester at Connecticut.
Austin McIlmurray ’15 is a proud 4-year SKS boy and he was on the first ever South Kent Selects Academy team. He committed to Sacred Heart University to play Division I hockey his senior year. He played one year of juniors in the BCHL for the Coquitlam Express. He recently graduated with a double major in Business Finance and Economics. He is now playing professional hockey for the Fort Wayne Komets in the Vegas Golden Knights organization.
William Steele ‘16 is a junior at Skidmore College, majoring in Business and working toward a minor in Economics. He played two years of juniors in Massachusetts for the South Shore Kings and was a captain there his last year.
The College Counseling Office is planning to offer a second alumni panel in February for the other seniors and PGs in the Class of 2021.