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Senior defenseman Matt Duffy began his hockey career when he was six years old, playing beginner hockey in Portland. His father, Michael, was the one who influenced him to pick up the game. In high school, Michael played hockey and football. Football caused him many injuries, and he didn’t want his son getting hurt all the time, so he steered Duffy toward hockey. When he was eight, he played for a Casco Bay team in Yarmouth.
During his first year of high school, Duffy played for a Midget AAA team. He first saw playing at the University of Maine as a possibility at the age of 15, when he began receiving letters from the school. His sophomore year, he switched schools and played through his junior year of high school for Cheverus High, then transitioned to junior hockey his senior year, playing for the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs. Duffy committed to play at UMaine at the age of 17 after his second year playing juniors.
“It is important to have Maine kids on the team. The fans love seeing players representing the state. Fortunately, Duffy is a good Maine player,” Associate Head Coach Dan Kerluke said.
Duffy was on the team during Kerluke’s first year at Maine and said it has been nice to watch him grow.
Duffy had watched Maine players like Greg Moore and Derek Damon play over the years. He drew inspiration from them, saying he had always wanted to play for his home state team. He said having been offered the opportunity to play at Maine was a great feeling, especially since UMaine was his first choice, and he didn’t want to go to Boston College or Boston University.
“It feels good to represent your home state. It had always been my dream to play here. It’s hard for a Maine player to play for Maine. A lot of the players don’t have what it takes,” he said.
Throughout his life, his parents, Michael and Cheryl, have been his biggest influence. He said that the kind of support they give him is key.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be here. They always back me up through tough times,” he said.
For Duffy, playing at UMaine has taught him a lot more than just hockey.
“It’s not always about playing hockey. It’s about being a role model for young kids. It’s also about being a good person off the ice,” Duffy said.
“Duffy has a really calming presence back on the blue line. He is always in control and is totally unflappable. That, combined with his ability to throw momentum-changing body checks, makes him one of the best defensemen in the league,” captain Jeff Marshall said.
Duffy played as a forward half of last year, but proved to be a solid defenseman. Kerluke said they were not sure how Duffy would be coming into this season, but he worked on conditioning all summer and came back in the best shape he’s been in.
“He has really improved. The conditioning has translated into his play on the ice. He has helped the team do something special this season, and he does really well keeping his teammates in line,” Kerluke said.
Freshman forward Brian Flynn said Duffy is smart with the puck. He has good vision on the ice and maintains the ability to slow down the game.
Sophomore forward Tanner House is in his second year playing with Duffy. He said Duffy has a leadership that is easy to follow, and he never panics on the ice.
“As an underclassman, I want to learn as much as I can from guys like him and be able to follow what they do,” House said.
UMaine has left Duffy with some great memories. Playing at Frozen Fours in his first two years is at the top of his list. Playing on home ice always gives great memories, and he said the support from the fans and tradition is great. A top career memory for him was being drafted in the fourth round, 104th overall, in 2005 by the Florida Panthers. He said his whole family came to watch. The first two rounds were chosen on TV, so they watched the rest on the computer. He was outside when they found out, and his mom came running out to tell him.
“It was the best feeling in the world,” he said.
Duffy would love to continue with hockey for as long as he can, with interest in playing for Florida or for American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans. But he says he always will have his degree to fall back onto if hockey doesn’t work out. He said he would love to teach or coach hockey.
Bangor Daily News