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Skidmore ice hockey defenseman favorite read is John Strelecky鈥檚 鈥淭he Big Five for Life,鈥� a bestselling personal development and leadership book. His favorite movie is 鈥淪tep Brothers,鈥� an iconic comedy about a childish sibling rivalry starring Will Ferrell. 
 
These personal anecdotes offer a flavor of who the junior business major is both on and off the ice 鈥� highly focused and hardworking, yet engaging and light-hearted. 
 
Stephen, who calls Bloomfield, New Jersey, home, had to rely on all of these attributes 鈥� and more 鈥� to push past the hardships and challenges of being injured his first two hockey seasons at Skidmore, playing in just four games his first year and five as a sophomore.  
 
During the 2023-24 season, he was finally able to remain healthy and play a full season, one of the best in program history. The finished 19-7-2 overall and 12-5-1 in the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC), making it to the championship game and just missing out on at at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The team is currently ranked #10 in the nation (Pairwise) and #11 in the US Collegiate Hockey (USCHO) voter poll.  
 
Says Stephen, 鈥淎fter all I went through fighting back from injuries, this season made it all that much sweeter. I鈥檓 super happy. I made sure to be purposeful on the ice whenever I had the chance, to work twice as hard, and to never get complacent.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
That mindset didn鈥檛 only help Stephen persevere; it was also a huge boost for the team. 鈥淪tephen makes it easy for me and the rest of the team due to his predictability and communication skills,鈥� says defensive line mate 鈥�26. 鈥淗e鈥檚 extremely positive. If someone has a tough shift, he鈥檚 supportive and cheerful and encourages the player to forget about it and continue to play their best.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 

And Stephen was at his best during the past season, third on the team with a plus-minus rating of +12, third in assists with 15, and third in blocks with 19.  
 
The first game against Babson in early December, a , is particularly memorable. 鈥淣o doubt it was the best game in my career,鈥� says Stephen, who notched two assists. 鈥淲e were down a goal going into third period and we told ourselves, 鈥榃e can beat these guys.鈥� 鈥淎nd we did, scoring four unanswered goals. It was a great period of hockey.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
鈥淪tephen has been a stalwart on our backend. He鈥檚 a talented and versatile player 鈥� big, mobile, and athletic 鈥斺�痺ith a tremendous set of tools and a great work ethic,鈥� says Head Coach . "His game continues to develop as he gains confidence within our systems and his abilities.鈥濃�� 
 
Coach Hutchison and Stephen both played high school hockey at Trinity Pawling School, which is also where the 2007 Skidmore graduate, a two-time MVP and Hall of Famer for the Thoroughbreds, got his first head coaching position. Hutch took over for his college alma mater in 2015.  
 
Skidmore was the perfect place for Stephen since he was looking for 鈥渟uper-competitive hockey, great academics, and a strong alumni network.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
Recruited by Hutchison, who stayed in contact with him from 2018 on, Stephen, like most other players in the NEHC, played several years of junior hockey, improving his game and maturing. He played for the P.A.L. Junior Islanders (Hauppauge, New York), Maine Nordiques (Lewiston, Maine), and Odessa Jackalopes (Odessa, Texas). 
 
Since his arrival at Skidmore, Stephen has been busy gaining experience and preparing for a career in finance. His first summer, he interned at real estate services firm, Cushman & Wakefield, working on tenant representation and real estate portfolio strategy, among other things. This summer he will live in the Big Apple and intern at the financial services firm Raymond James as an investment banking analyst.  
 

Stephen credits Skidmore鈥檚 management and business program with helping him land the Raymond James position, in particular his work with the College鈥檚 Skidmore-Saratoga Consulting Partnership (SSCP). SSCP is an advanced seminar and practicum on strategic consulting that affords highly accomplished Skidmore students an invaluable, for-credit opportunity to gain hands-on consulting experience. 
 
Last fall, he was a member of a student group that consulted for iRun, a high-end Saratoga running store. This spring, he is taking the course a second time in his role as a senior consultant. Says Stephen, 鈥淚 feel much more confident in client meetings and using my communication skills, which will be valuable once I begin my internship at Raymond James.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
As for life in the rink, there is a 鈥渢on to be excited about this coming year. We have 13 seniors and 23 guys returning overall. Our goal is to make it back to the league championship and beyond. I am excited to leave no stone unturned.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 

More about Stephen 
 
Family: 鈥淢y dad is originally from the Azores Islands (Portugal) and is a mortgage banker. My mom is originally from Cuba and works alongside my dad. My brother played college hockey at the University of Maine and then played professional hockey鈥痜or a year. He is now a hockey skills development coach in Denver, Colorado. We're a very tight family and it can be controlled chaos when we're all together!鈥� 
 
Favorite book: 鈥溾�� by John Strelecky, a gift from his parents. 鈥淢y biggest takeaway from the book is that you have the power to determine your own interpretation of a successful life. I have realized it is so important to approach every day being open-minded with joy and purpose.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
Favorite movie: Step Brothers. 鈥淢y favorite scene is .鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
Favorite food: 厂迟别补办鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
Favorite Athlete: Sidney Crosby. 鈥淚鈥檝e always admired his skating, playmaking ability, and competitiveness.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
Advice on finding the right place to play college hockey: 鈥淕o where you see yourself the happiest and have the most resources accessible.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;
 
Something that might surprise people about you: 鈥淚 learned how to farm in high school, and I enjoy playing pickleball.鈥�&苍产蝉辫;