CARP – Carp’s Eric Faith is adding post-secondary education to the next step in his hockey future.

Last fall the Richardson Woods resident signed his National Letter of Intent with the University of Massachusetts where he will play Division 1 NCAA hockey next fall.

Faith, 21, moved to Carp with his family seven years ago, and started at West Carleton Secondary School in Grade 9. The young hockey star moved to Brockville in Grade 12 to play Junior A hockey with the Brockville Braves of the Central Canadian Hockey League (CCHL). Before that, he played his midget hockey with the Ottawa Valley Titans where he often played out of the Kinburn Sesnplex.

Following his four-year stint with the Braves, Faith had some options to continue playing hockey.

“I didn’t get drafted (in to the CHL), but I went to a few (junior) camps,” Faith told West Carleton Online Thursday, June 20. “But going to school was always important to me and my parents. So, it made some sense to go this route.”

Faith was an Honour Roll regular in high school graduating in 2016. Now he’ll be headed to UMass with a scholarship that will pay 75 per cent of his costs. Faith says he will study business at school but playing hockey for the Minutemen is his goal.

Faith is listed at 5’11” and 170 pounds but looks taller in person. During his time in the Central Canada Hockey League he put up 146 career points including 53 goals in 222 regular season games. He had 22 points in 33 playoff games.

“Eric is a classic late bloomer who had a breakout season this past year,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said. “He is a crafty and shifty center who has a very high hockey IQ and can play in all situations. He will provide depth for us at the centre position and add to our ability to produce offense.”

Last year coach Carvel led the Minutemen to their first ever entry in to the Frozen Four NCAA championship tournament.

Faith describes himself as a “two-way player, who is pretty good on the offensive side, but I try to be reliable in my own zone and play in all situations.”

This spring Faith has been working with Trim and Proper, a hedge-trimming company based in Dunrobin. But he is starting school early heading to Amherst, MA the first weekend of July to begin his summer semester of classes and continue his off-season conditioning program.

Hockey followers have seen a trend of more and more players going the U.S. college hockey route on their trail to professional hockey. The competition has grown considerably over the years and many young players are being drafted out of the NCAA.

“It’s definitely on the rise,” Faith said. “The number of guys who are getting a shot at the NHL is going up. And the chance to get an education is always nice too.”