Gorham, ME – It was the decision many hockey players are lucky to even have the opportunity to make. Playing out his final year of junior hockey with the South Shore Kings, Shawn Sullivan was plotting the next move for his hockey career, a career that seemed destined to end in NCAA competition. Multiple teams had been in contact with Sullivan before he settled on Becker College out of Worcester, Massachusetts, an NCAA Division III school that would have had Sullivan competing against some of the top Division III schools in the country in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Then the bad news came, forcing a young hockey player to make a life-defining decision between fulfilling a dream on the ice or beginning to work towards his dreams off it.
"Throughout my last year of juniors I had been talking with a few different schools, however Becker had been the most persistent," said Sullivan of the moment. "I began to become more and more comfortable with the idea of going there. When I finally received the call that the admissions process was done and I had a spot on the team, it was a huge weight off my shoulders. It was something I had worked so hard to get to. Unfortunately, as things often do, it came down to money."
As with many students across the country, the finances of college painted a bleak picture of the future. While undoubtedly worthwhile, a four year degree is expensive, leading thousands of students to eschew college yearly to avoid taking on potentially tumultuous debts at a young age. Sullivan was no different, forcing him to weigh the pros and cons of attending a private four year university with his hockey career hanging in the balance.
"It's one of the first things I talk about with kids," said third year Mustangs head coach Matt Buotte. "I went through the college process without any kind of insight and my personal student loans have been very crippling to me since I've graduated. It takes an incredible amount of awareness and maturity to make the call Shawn made, especially being able to walk away from a hockey dream after all the work you put into it."
It was a hard decision, but one Sullivan ultimately felt was best.
"I knew I didn't want to be in a crazy amount of debt when I was done with school," reflected Sullivan. "I passed on the opportunity. It was an extremely tough decision for me. I thought it was the end of my hockey career right there."
It was a long and fruitful career that seemed to be coming to an end. Sullivan, who skated locally for Gorham High School, returned from playing junior hockey with the Boston Bandits for his senior season to help lead the Rams to the 2014 state championship game as one of the state's premier forwards. The Rams would fall to Messalonskee but it was still a momentous occasion for the town of Gorham, who were playing in their first-ever hockey state championship game.
"I came back to play my senior year and play out my final year with the friends I grew up playing hockey with," he said of his final year of high school. "It was a senior year to remember."
From there Sullivan took his career to a handful of stops around New England, first with the New England Wolves. After posting 23 points in 43 games in his first year with the Laconia, New Hampshire club, Sullivan returned for 2015-2016 and put up even better numbers, notching 27 points in 39 games for the Wolves EHLP club, good for fourth on the team in scoring. After two productive years with the Wolves he would make the jump to the USPHL, where he continued his strong play for the South Shore Kings, putting up 17 points in 41 games in his final season of junior hockey.
His good play got him noticed as teams began to contact Sullivan. The attention was well-deserved. A 6'1" left-handed forward who scored at all levels he had played at, was well-respected in the locker room, and was known for his leadership capabilities is something that most college coaches are looking for somewhere in their line-up. Eventually Becker began to emerge as the candidates that wanted him the most, the place where he felt he could make the most impact.
It only made the decision to walk away that much harder. But for Sullivan it was the right decision, to advance his career and begin to set himself up for a life after hockey. With his playing days seemingly behind him be spent nearly a year working full time, dabbling in a class or two on the side, and serving at an assistant coach for his alma mater in Gorham. Though it felt like playing competitive hockey was out of the picture, Sullivan began looking for his next step.
"I had just decided what I wanted to do for my career and began to look at my options," he said. "I found about Central Maine's hockey program through my friend's mom. She had mentioned how Coach Buotte had just taken the job as head coach. When I saw CM had an electromechanical technology program it was a no-brainer for me. I reached out to Coach Buotte that summer and after meeting both he and Coach [Lane] Feldman at the prospect skate that summer, I knew it was what I wanted to do."
The Central Maine coaching staff was ecstatic to have Sullivan. The current coaching staff had only been with the program for a few months and were still beginning to build a roster for the 2018-19 season. Sullivan's arrival was welcomed.
"I was over the moon when Sully reached out to me," said Buotte, who is currently in his third year with the program. "I had known Sully from his senior year at Gorham coaching against him. I knew he was a great player, but after meeting him at the prospect skate I knew we had a special guy. He's charismatic, just commands the room when he walks in. He's well-respected and well-liked and has been everywhere he's gone. I knew he was going to be a huge part of anything we tried to build here."
Sullivan joined a team was thin on both talent and numbers in his rookie season. The team struggled out of the gate, but Sullivan was just happy to be back in school and on the ice competing again after his career looked like it was in the rear view mirror.
"I had no idea what to expect," he said of his freshman experience. "The program was still relatively new and trying to build a positive identity. But right away I was so impressed with the facilities, the locker room, and the overall support from the school."
Sullivan's first year was filled with ups and downs. The team hovered around mediocrity as it began its build towards ACHA relevancy. Sullivan offered a steady, experienced presence in the locker room.
"When you're building a program, you need guys like Shawn," said Buotte of Sullivan, who served as Mustangs captain in both of his years with the program. "He has played at high levels, knows how to compete. He was a legitimate NCAA recruit but he never acted like he was above playing in the ACHA. He competed in every game like it might be his last and I think he had a special appreciation for being here, for being on the ice. We were so lucky to have him."
Sullivan, a popular player on the ice, became just as popular for his spirit away from the rink. He was both a fixture in the front row at a basketball game and an outgoing personality in the classroom. His impact on campus was frequently noticed by Dave Gonyea, who represents Central Maine as not only athletic director but director of housing and security as well.
"Sully was a popular figure around campus," said Gonyea. "He held the hockey team together. He was always in touch with me representing the hockey program. We were constantly brainstorming how to improve the program, fill the building with fans, and market the players. If we needed a recruit to speak to a player, we wanted Sully to be that guy. On top of all that, he was a great young man who I greatly admire and respect. We will miss him on campus."
Sullivan's second year with the Mustangs was a drastic improvement both on and off the ice. The team, though failing to qualify for the ACHA regionals, competed at a much higher level and on a more consistent basis. He improved his scoring totals, including several big nights—a hat trick in a scintillating win over ACHA DII Suffolk in December 2019 being perhaps the pick of the bunch.
"Year two was an incredible improvement," mused Sullivan. "Right away, the team clicked. Everyone had a positive attitude and the team chemistry on and off the ice was as good as it gets. We put so much work in together before we even hit eth ice. For me, it was all I needed to see. I knew we had a special group."
For Sullivan, it was a more fitting end to a hockey career than having to step away due to the steep and spiraling costs of education. He was able to end his long career, dotted with triumphant moments and dozens of friends made along the way and is proud to call Central Maine the last stop on long, winding road.
He has now hung up the skates competitively but is still actively involved with the sport, entering his fourth year as an assistant coach with Gorham High. And while his graduation from Central Maine marked the end of a hockey career, it did serve its ultimate purpose—the beginning of a new career, as Sullivan has parlayed his degree into a career as an electrician with a local company in Gorham. Perhaps it wasn't the path he had intended to take when he was playing junior hockey and talking to college coaches but it was path that served him well.
"Honestly, I'm glad it worked out the way it did," he reflects. "I had a blast with it. I can't say enough good things about CM. The people there are amazing, from the staff to students. I made so many new friends that will last a lifetime. It really is special to look back and see how far we came in just two years. The sky is the limit for this program and just being able to be a small part of it is something I'll always be thankful for."
