Massachusetts Remains the Spot in this Chapter for Liam Walsh’s Hockey Career

Entering college as a 20-year-old is not ideal. Moving away from your family as a teenager and playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) for four years is also not the easiest of situations. However, this is what Liam Walsh, a native of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, has gone through. It’s his story, one that is entering a new chapter, even if this chapter means remaining in Massachusetts.

(Photos courtesy of Jim Stankiewicz)

After three years at Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts, Walsh, a recent graduate of Merrimack, will transfer to Northeastern University in nearby Boston. His time with the Warriors ended after three seasons as a Merrimack College student-athlete as Walsh used community college courses, summer courses, and even a winter term to graduate quickly. In those three years, Walsh graduated with a degree in business administration with a concentration in corporate finance and will pursue a master’s degree at Northeastern in Finance.

Over 81 career games so far in his college career, Walsh has scored 22 goals and dished out 27 assists. His third college season saw him take a jump statistically as he scored 10 goals and dished out 17 helpers over 34 games for the season. The Warriors also took a leap as a team, with this marking the first winning season in Walsh’s college career.

Now, he’s joining another Division I program, one that qualified for the NCAA Tournament this past season. The Northeastern Huskies continue to strive for their first Frozen Four appearance since 1982, something Walsh and company hope they can achieve in the 2022-23 season. 

“I really like the culture that Northeastern has built over the last number of years. When I heard from them after entering the transfer portal, it just felt like the perfect fit. I also like the fact that the campus is right in downtown Boston, a city I grew to love during my time at Merrimack. Playing in the Beanpot is also something I’m really looking forward to. I couldn’t be more excited to get started this fall!”

To get to the Division I level took a lot of sacrifice, more than what someone on television or the radio would realize. Taking a quick gander at Walsh’s biography online, a realization hits that to achieve his dream, he needed to go beyond the boundaries of western Pennsylvania. “It really means a lot to me to be a D1 hockey player, especially coming out of Pittsburgh. Since the Pens Elite programs have really started taking off there have been a much larger number of college players coming out of Pittsburgh, but from my age group and the age groups ahead of me there really aren’t too many players who were able to make it to the Division 1 ranks, so to ‌accomplish that is something I am really proud of.”

As a high school freshman, he attended Bishop Canevin while playing for Pittsburgh Penguins Elite. His team won the Pens Cup and made it all the way to the state title game held at Pegula Ice Arena at Penn State. His next move was to Michigan to play for Victory Honda in AAA hockey before finishing up his time prior to college in Iowa with the Cedar Rapids RoughRidgers of the United States Hockey League. Over four seasons in the USHL, he scored 40 goals and dished out 34 assists. His best season came in 2018-19 in which he played in 62 games and scored 25 goals and dished out 19 assists, while helping the club qualify for the playoffs. After his time in Iowa, it was time to come back east, as he accepted a chance to play college hockey at Merrimack. He said this about what made him want to be a Warrior. “I really liked the sense of community I felt at Merrimack, as well as the vision that Coach Borek and staff had for the future of the program. I really wanted to play a role in building something special there, and this past year we made a lot of noise in Hockey East, and it was so much fun to be a part of. Being a student-athlete at Merrimack was a very unique experience because it is a smaller school, and it is something I will always be grateful I was able to experience.” Truly, it’s been a complicated story at times for Liam Walsh. Leaving friends, family, and previous club teams to achieve a dream of playing Division I hockey. While college hockey is one of his dreams, he’s hopeful to play the game professionally one day before settling into a sports business role. A story that deserved to be told, Liam Walsh is thankful and not bitter about the hard work and sacrifice he made to get where he is today. “Attending three different high schools and entering college as a 20-year-old freshman weren’t things I had ever planned on doing, but it had to be done to be able to reach my dream of playing college hockey. These experiences have brought me lifelong friends and relationships, and all ended up being great experiences.” With a new start at Northeastern beginning soon, Walsh is excited for what lies ahead in the rest of his college hockey career. Best of luck as you continue your studies and time as a collegiate student-athlete, Liam! Thank you for the opportunity to share much of your story 🏒