Mike Souza's path to the men's hockey head coaching post at the University of New Hampshire began, it might be argued, about a quarter of a century ago at Dynamik Sports, a hockey-leaning sporting goods store in Reading, Mass., next door to his hometown of Wakefield, Mass.
That's where he worked in his early teen years, sharpening skates and hawking hockey sticks, where he first heard about Wildcat hockey and where he first got an inkling that Durham might be a nice place to play the sport.
The coaching piece? That came a bit later.
Souza's boss at Dynamik was store owner and Reading High hockey coach Peter Doherty and Doherty's son, Mark, played hockey for coach Charlie Holt at UNH.
"I probably didn't know a great deal about UNH at the time," Souza said.
Peter Doherty was more than happy to fill him in.
"He loved UNH and had a passion for UNH," Souza said.
Loving UNH. A passion for UNH.
Those are a couple of themes that carry through the bulk of Mike Souza's life.
A hockey guy in Wakefield, Souza and his family knew of the Umile hockey family out of nearby Melrose. One thing led to another and the Melrose hockey guy, Dick Umile, paid a visit to the Wakefield hockey player.
"Coach Umile came for a home visit and I remember the passion with which he spoke about UNH, him telling you that he's going to treat you like his own kid," Souza said. "The Whittemore Center was being built. There was so much positive energy around the program. I decided to come to UNH and it was a great decision." Souza scored two goals versus Michigan State on April 1, 1999, in the national semifinals.
Souza arrived just in time to contribute to some of the finest years in UNH hockey history, featuring the team's return to the NCAA Frozen Four and its first appearance in the national
championship game.
Giving today's Wildcats a taste of those glory years is one of Souza's goals.
"You want that so bad for your players," he said. "You want them to experience this building when it's filled. This campus when you're winning. This area when you're winning. It's a unique place. It truly is a special place to play hockey. That's not hyperbole. I really mean that. It's awesome. I think, I hope, when you're speaking to kids, especially recruits, that they hear it in your voice."
There's passion in that voice: a similar passion for hockey and UNH and working with young people that ran through the late Peter Doherty and through Dick Umile and now runs through Mike Souza.
The coaching part?
Souza talked to people in finance, in commercial real estate, in the field of medical devices in the off-seasons as his decade-long playing career neared an end, exploring what he might like to do in the next stage of his career, thinking that some sort of sales position might be in order.
"I kept gravitating back towards really doing something I was passionate about," Souza said. "I've been passionate about hockey my whole life and I figured why not give it a try in coaching. I really enjoy being around people. I don't know if I would have done well being pinned down to an office. I like interacting with people. I really enjoy seeing people reach their goals or be successful in what they're doing."
Head coach Brendan Whittet brought Souza on as an assistant at Brown and he was on his way. Mike Cavanaugh gave him a chance at Connecticut before he came to UNH to spend three seasons as an associate head coach under Umile.
"Hockey checks a lot of boxes, particularly at this level, the college level," Souza said. "You're constantly interacting with people. You're having a positive impact on young people's lives. You're doing so in a competitive environment. To do so at UNH is doubly rewarding. I have a passion for UNH that runs deep in my bones."
That passion for a sport and a school – both decades in the making - are on full display these days. Souza with his wife Kelly, and their daughters Ella and Ava.
The Wildcats start the 2018-19 season on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 12-13 when they travel to Hamilton, N.Y. to take on Colgate on ESPN+. Friday's game is at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday's contest is at 4:00 p.m.
The home opener at the Whittemore Center is Saturday, Oct. 27 versus Vermont at 7:00 p.m. An official game day t-shirt will be given to the first 1,000 fans.
Season, group and individual tickets for all UNH home games are available by calling 603-862-4000 or by CLICKING HERE.
Check out UNHShop.com for the latest in official UNH Wildcats' merchandise.
