Matthew McGroarty calls the state of Connecticut home. It’s where he chose to stay to prep for his college career at Brunswick School. And now, it’s where he has decided to remain for the duration of his college career.
Following his second season as a Bruin, McGroarty officially revealed the ultimate destination of his college hockey path, committing to play in the Nutmeg State at Quinnipiac. The Westport, Conn., native forward saw his offensive production jump as a sophomore, scoring six goals and 14 points to rank sixth on the team in scoring.
The 5-foot-11, 155-pound McGroarty will look to improve his game again as an upperclassman before joining the Bobcats in a few years, but he discussed his road to the college level with New England Hockey Journal in our latest Commitment Q&A:
How would you describe yourself as a player? Are there NHL players you try to emulate?
I would describe myself as a 200-foot player, someone who is strong anywhere on the ice. Whether it's power play, penalty kill, or even strength, I strive to be the player that my coach trusts at all times.
I try to play like Patrice Bergeron, who is one of my favorite players because he is always playing with an amazing hockey sense and making the right plays. He gets a ton of points every year and is also heavily relied on in the defensive zone, so he's exactly who I want to play like.
What made Quinnipiac the right fit for your college career?
When I first visited Quinnipiac, I loved the school. The campus is truly amazing and I could picture myself being there for my college career. Hockey-wise, I thought it was the perfect fit. They're a very talented, deep team that is a contender for a national championship every year, and I loved that. The coaches were also a big part in my decision to go there, I've known coaches Rand Pecknold and Joe Dumais from national camps and from my youth team, Mid-Fairfield, so I already had a great understanding of how talented they are as coaches. Seeing them as my coaches in the future was an easy decision.
My parents are a huge reason why I'm here today. Without them, I wouldn't have had these great opportunities in my life, so I want them to be able to see my games easily. Being from Westport, it's only around 30-45 minute drive there.
What did you take away and learn most from your conversations with Coach Pecknold and the rest of his staff?
In my conversations with Rand Pecknold and the rest of his coaching staff, I learned that they truly care about all players, not just their top lines or best players. They want to develop every hockey player and push them to the next level, which I truly appreciated. I also learned that they're a team that emphasizes character not only on the ice but off the ice and around campus. I also really liked those qualities in their coaching staff.
College hockey is embedded in the lives of so many New Englanders. When was the college path first introduced to you as something you wanted to consider?
At a young age, I realized how important hockey was to me and it was definitely something I wanted to focus on for the many years ahead. So around eighth or ninth grade, with a quite a few years of Tier 1 hockey under my belt, I started getting interest from colleges and my parents and advisor thought it was a great idea. As I kept playing hockey with Mid-Fairfield and then Brunswick, the interest from colleges evolved into greater things.
What other schools did you consider?
I considered a few schools such as Union, Colgate, and a little interest from BC. All of those are amazing schools but I just didn't like them nearly as much as I liked Quinnipiac and it was a very easy decision for me to commit to Quinnipiac.
Given that you're staying home in Connecticut, was being close to home important to you in the college decision-making process?
Being close to home was extremely important to me in the college decision-making process. Like I said before, my parents are a major reason why I'm here today and I want them to be able to see me play easily. Also, I loved the idea of being close to home, so being a part of such an amazing program as well as being as close as 30-45 minutes away, it was honestly a deal I couldn't turn down.
How do you feel that your second season at Brunswick went? You definitely a took a big offensive jump.
I felt like my second season at Brunswick went a lot better than my freshman year. Getting a lot more playing time as an older player and being on the first power play definitely contributed to my point production. I definitely felt like I was trusted by my coaches, but I'm still working on being trusted more heavily on the penalty kill and defensive situations. Although I did have more points than my freshman year, I am definitely pushing to make those numbers much higher for my junior year.
Individually, what areas of your game did you see the most improvement in this year?
I thought one major part of my game that improved this year was my defensive and play-making ability. As a freshman, I ‘double thought’ everything and barely played with any confidence. But a year later, my confidence was much higher, so I felt much more comfortable with the puck and was able to make more plays.
What is it like playing for Brunswick coach Mike Kennedy? What have you learned most from him to help better your play?
Coach Mike Kennedy is an amazing coach. He knows exactly how to run a high-pace, productive practice every day. I've learned how to strengthen my defensive play, especially in where I should be in certain situations. But he's also taught me how to find the right areas to score more goals, especially in the tough areas.
How are you looking to most improve your game before attending Quinnipiac?
I'm looking to improve every aspect of my game, but I'm especially focusing on finishing my opportunities. Throughout my sophomore year, I had many chances from rebounds, breakaways, or just shots from the slot that I need to finish. Another thing that I'm working on specifically is to get bigger, faster, and stronger every day so that I'm ready to play at the collegiate level as soon as I can.
What are your main individual goals before entering college? Off that, where do you see yourself and hope to be as a player at this time next year?
One of my individual goals is to raise my point production and become a better 200-foot player so that I can play in any role at Quinnipiac. Throughout the defensive zone, neutral zone, and offensive zone, I hope that I'm trusted by my coaches in all aspects of the game. Off of that, I hope to see myself as a leader of my team next year not only in general as a person but in points.
