From the first time he laced up his skates at three years old, California native Matthew Toombs has found solace on the ice.
Toombs’ journey as a hockey player thus far has been quite the coming-of-age tale, transporting him across the country and transforming him from lonely overweight high school student lost in the cracks to standout college freshman, looking to make an impact in his community.
“Being on the ice is my place of zen,” said the 21-year-old freshman. “Playing hockey offers me peace. I was always taught to do what you love and love what you do.”
Toombs grew up in Pleasanton, California – a suburb in the San Francisco Bay Area located about 25 miles east of Oakland – where he would attend three years of high school before he realized he needed a change. While hockey was still very important to him, the importance of getting a quality education was slowly fading into the distance.
“With a public school of 3,500 students, there were class sizes of 35-40 kids, so I could sit back and not pay attention,” said Toombs, who left California with a 2.4 GPA. “I hadn’t done the PSATs or SATs; I was falling through the cracks.”
After sitting down and talking with his parents, Toombs and his family made a huge decision; Toombs would fly out to Winchendon, Massachusetts to attend the Winchendon School, a private college preparatory school that would offer him a chance to hone both his academics and his hockey skills.
Toombs’ grades would quickly rise – he graduated the school in 2014 with a 3.4 GPA – a spark that would begin to give him much needed confidence in the classroom and on the ice. Before committing to college, however, Toombs wanted more ice time to hone his craft, in the hopes that he would be recruited for a college team.
After a lengthy discussion with his parents, Toombs decided to stay in New England to take a year off school and play for the New England Wolves, a junior hockey team. After one year with the Wolves, Toombs would have to take part in another long conversation with his parents, eventually convincing them that another year in junior hockey was the thing he needed most.
“Winchendon School to juniors was a big jump,” said Toombs, who finished his second season with the Wolves with nine points in 29 games. “I wasn’t the fastest or the strongest in juniors, so I had to adapt. The biggest thing I gained from juniors was more confidence.”
After suspending the start of his college career for a second year of juniors, Toombs would get the bite he was looking for, and committed to Franklin Pierce University in February 2016. In addition to playing hockey, Toombs is working on a bachelors degree in business management with a minor in communications and a emphasis in international business.
“I really liked the feel of FPU,” said Toombs. “I already knew the area and I like that there are a lot of trees. There’s not a lot around here; it’s separate from the hustle and the bustle.”
As a player, Toombs has already made quite the impact for Franklin Pierce University, finishing sixth on his team in scoring with 10 points (seven goals and three assists) this season which included three power-play goals and two-game winning goals. Toombs was recently named to the Northeast-10 All-Rookie team and was part of a Ravens squad that tied a program record for wins with a 9-15-1 record.
“Everyone knows its hard being on a team as a freshman,” said Toombs, who credits his uncle, Kevin Comerford, as his biggest mentor. “You always have to prove yourself. At one point in the season I was trying a little too hard and I came across as arrogant. I eventually realized that if I didn’t pick things up, people weren’t going to listen to me.”
Toombs has taken his positive attitude from the hockey arena and applied it to the classroom and elsewhere on campus. In addition to boasting a 3.67 GPA in his first semester as a college student, Toombs has been working with university staff to become a peer leader on campus.
“We are trying to change the culture around the hockey team because it hasn’t always been the most renowned program,” said Toombs, referring to the team’s 2016 hazing scandal. “We are doing our best to get to every event possible and show people that we care.”
When it comes to his hockey career, Toombs admits that he is going to see where things take him. While he would love to play in the NHL one day – he also has a goal of becoming one of the best players in the Northeast-10 conference – he understands that nothing lasts forever. While time time on ice will certainly not last an eternity, the lessons he learned in his journey as a hockey play will guide him for the rest of his life.
“I don’t want to force anything because I have come to realize that hockey won’t last forever,” said Toombs. “Eventually I will have to find something else. Going back to my uncle – he’s a huge part of my success – he has made it clear to me that owning my own business is something I might want to do.”
Nicholas Handy can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 235 or nhandy@ledgertranscript.com. He is also on Twitter @nhandyMLT.