Arhontas Puts Skills on Ice at Princeton

When Matt Arhontas went looking for the right combination of academics and athletics, there was only one place in the country that he believed could offer the prefect fit. 

Four years later, both Arhontas and the Princeton University campus couldn’t be happier.

Arhontas is completing his senior season at the Ivy League school and has emerged as one of the top players for the men’s hockey team.

The Naperville native arrived on the New Jersey campus at a time when the hockey program was turning into an NCAA title contender. The ability to play his favorite sport while getting one of the finest educations in the country has turned Arhontas’ time at Princeton into a true success story.

“It was perfect,” Arhontas said. “You couldn’t really ask for much more.  Just the direction of the hockey program at the time and combining that with one of the best educations out there made perfect sense for the decision.”

The Tigers were ranked 20thin the country in early February thanks largely to the play of Arhontas. The senior is sixth on the team in scoring with seven goals and eight assists. Arhontas has 27 goals and 34 assists for his career.

His production is even more impressive considering his size. However, the 5-foot-7-inch, 160-pound Arhontas has never let his stature stop him from making an impact on the ice.

“It’s something you almost have to do in hockey,” Arhontas said. “When you’re a smaller guy, you’re going to have to be able to stand up. There are no special redemptions for smaller guys to do everything the bigger guys can do. You can’t really back down from anybody.”

Arhontas developed his love for the game at an early age. During his childhood days in Naperville, his mother enrolled him into a program that would change the course of his life.

“I participated in a 'Learn to Skate' program growing up,” Arhontas said.  “It was something my mom signed my older sister and me up for. After the 'Learn to Skate,' I got into hockey and my sister got into competitive figure skating.”

Arhontas played club hockey during his high school days at .  As his production increased, Arhontas soon realized he had the drive and the talent to play hockey on the college level.

“I kind of got that feeling as I got into midgets,” Arhontas said.  “I talked to a few college teams.  I knew I would have to go play juniors in between, but I knew there was interest from a few college teams.”

When Arhontas arrived at Princeton, the Tigers had morphed from cellar dwellers to contenders in the competitive ECAC league. Arhontas believed he would see little time during his freshman year. His coaches, however, knew the Tigers had a better chance to win with the Naperville product on the ice.

“That was awesome for me,” Arhontas said.  “Early on I was just trying to get in the lineup and stay in the lineup.  As the season went on, I was able to contribute more to the team.  It felt great that I was able to help them out.”

Arhontas and the Tigers won the ECAC championship during his freshman year and advanced to the NCAA tournament before losing in the first round. The Tigers reached the NCAA tourney against the following season and fell in the first round for the second year in a row. 

After missing the tournament last year, Arhontas and his teammates are eager to get back to collegiate hockey's big dance. They are hoping to give the program its first NCAA tournament victory.

“We’re focusing on winning each game,” Arhontas said.  “But it would definitely be awesome if we were the first ones to get that tournament win and get to the Frozen Four.”

Arhontas is an economics major and can easily put his degree to use in the business world.  However, hockey still burns in his heart and he is hoping his days on the ice won’t end in Princeton.

“I definitely want to keep playing hockey after Princeton,” Arhontas said.  “It’s definitely something I’ve thought about.  I’ll just kind of wait and see after this season.”