WESTFIELD - His presence on and off the ice will be missed. Westfield State College senior ice hockey captain Jeff Chillson (Enfield, Conn.) just finished up a stellar season with the Owls in their first season
as a varsity program in 20 years.
Moving up from club status, the Owls went 11-9-4 (7-7-3 MASCAC) in 2008-09, earning an ECAC Tournament playoff berth before falling short to nationally-ranked and conference champion Nichols in the quarterfinals.
Chillson, the only senior on the team this year, was a key contributor to the first-year varsity program as he finished third in points on the team with 36.
The 5-10 center transferred to Westfield State from Salem State this past year after being recruited to play for the Owls by first-year head coach Jerry Keefe. He said that it was a special thing to be recruited by Westfield. After being named team captain in the preseason, he was looked to as a leader on the team because he was the only senior.
“There were a lot of unanswered questions up in Salem,” said Chillson, who is majoring in business finance in the hopes of one day owning his own business. “It made sense to come here. It’s a brand new team, I knew there was a lot of history here and I knew it was going to be a good year. I thought when I came in during the preseason I was a leader for the guys. We did a lot on and off the ice and I thought I was a good fit here.”
Chillson began his career in hockey at the age of seven when his aunt brought him to Twin Rinks in Enfield where he grew up. He picked skating up pretty quickly and has continued to skate and play
hockey throughout his life.
At Fermi High School in Enfield, he continually progressed and became an even better player. He even helped his team make the quarter and semifinals in the state tournament. During his junior and senior years he played for the Junior Falcons in Springfield.
“The Junior Falcons brought me on in November because they lost a player,” said Chillson. “I would practice with them and it was more like a tryout for me. Between high school hockey and juniors, there is a huge difference. It really helped me prepare for playing in college because the speed of the game was so much faster than what I was used to. It took me about two to three weeks before I could even catch up with the rest of the team.”
As Chillson has been primarily a forward, playing defense for one year before college helped him. He said that it has helped his game even more by being able to play multiple positions. Although when it’s all said and done he would rather play forward because it gives him the ability to score goals, one of his favorite things to do in hockey.
Chillson was tied for third in goals on the Owls with 13. He also added 23 assists to end up with 36 points on the year. In his hockey career, he played 77 games and scored 21 goals with 33 assists to
finish with 54 points.
Switching schools was not difficult for Chillson as both Westfield and Salem are state schools, so he said he made the transition fairly easily. He said the classes are about the same and that being at Westfield means that he is closer to home and his family in Enfield. When he has free time he likes to cross the border and visit his family and friends.
Westfield’s success on the ice this season came at the hands of sophomore Dennis Zak, freshman Pat Nelson and Chillson, as the trio led the Owls in points this year. Chillson said that playing with the two of them was a lot of fun and that they really clicked together. He had the confidence in both Zak and Nelson that they could make a play if he wasn’t able to.
The first game at Amelia Park for the Westfield State hockey team was especially nerve-racking for Chillson and the Owls. He said that it was really fun playing in front of packed stands for the home opener and that he would never forget it.
Another game that stands out for the senior was against UMass Boston in the Codfish Bowl. Chillson described it as one of the most competitive games of the season and said that every player put in a
little extra effort to help the team win.
The Owls were down 4-1 in the third period with only 13 minutes left to play and Chillson scored the second goal to get the comeback going and the team went on to win in overtime. Chillson also noted that a lot of the players from Westfield played at UMass Boston before coming to Westfield and that they really wanted to win that game.
“When we won the Codfish Bowl I knew we had a special team,” he said. “We had a really good chance for great things this year. The chemistry is great right now and I think next year the team is going to do some good things.”
When he’s not at the rink Chillson likes to spend his time playing street hockey or shooting on goal in his driveway. Growing up he idolized Mario Lemieux’s talent to do anything on the ice and his ability to score at will. Chillson’s current favorite player is Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins. He admires the way Savard is able to handle and pass the puck so easily.
When Chillson is not out playing hockey somewhere, he can be found at the gym working out or just hanging out with his friends like every other college student. He will graduate after the fall 2009 semester and plans to stay in contact with both the team and his friends from Westfield.
Recently, Chillson was honored by being selected to the 2008-09 ECAC Northeast Hockey Division III All-Conference second team. He was the only Owl honored in the 13-team Division III conference.