Matthew Nowicki, the son of Nancy and Chris Nowicki, originally grew up in Brooklyn, NY before eventually moving to New Jersey when he was 11 years old.

Nowicki was fortunate enough to extend his career by playing Junior A hockey in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) and Ontario Hockey League (OJHL) with: the Motor City Machine, the St. Michaels Buzzers, the Georgetown Raiders, and the Cobourg Cougars. After his junior career Matthew began his collegiate career with Penn State and transferred to Davenport University, before eventually ended up at the University of Arizona.

“Nothing will ever replace game days at here U of A,” says Nowicki. “I miss preparing and competing with the guys. Of course I miss playing in front of our fans and hearing the, “HEY GOALIE” chant every time we scored. I miss it so much, I still come out for many of the games to cheer on the team”

When asked about his favorite moment while being a member of the Wildcat hockey team he didn’t hesitate, “Beating ASU in their own building for the first time in years is a night I’ll never forget, Said Nowicki.” In fact, I still have the picture (shown below) of us celebrating on the bus ride home, despite being physically exhausted and our bus broken down in Casa Grande for at least an hour.”

He may have also been single-handedly been responsible for keeping the donut vendor at the TCC in business; since he made it a game-day tradition to purchase and supply them for his teammates before home games.

“Wix was the kind of kid who is always looking out for other people before himself,” said Coach Berman. “He was the perfect assistant captain for us-at the right time. He was someone who embraced the opportunity to nurture the younger guys in the locker room. It was my first year with the team and he was a big part of establishing and cultivating the culture that we thrive on today. This was a crucial transition for our program, one that will serve us for many years to come. He still fly’s into Tucson to come watch games and I love it! That’s the kind of Alumni we want to establish here, Once a Wildcat, ALWAYS a Wildcat.’’

During his time at the University of Arizona, Nowicki was a steady defenseman who brought a lot of experience and maturity; on and off the ice. Whenever a player needed some extra academic advice they would frequently come to Matthew as a mentor. This is because he was a master at time management. During his academic career at the UA, he was a triple major, including: Management Information Systems, Operations Management, and Entrepreneurship. Matthew handled this work load admirably, by graduating with a 3.5 GPA, while also serving as a team captain in his senior year.

Today Matthew works in New York City with a major Pharmaceutical company, called Pfizer. Essentially he supports the technological activity that it takes to achieve their acquisitions and divestitures strategies.

“Once a Wildcat, ALWAYS a Wildcat!”