Photo Courtesy: Quinnipiac Bobcats Sports Network
Quinnipiac men’s hockey senior forward and co-captain Matthew Peca has signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. The deal is for two years and is a two way contract. Peca was drafted by the Lightning in the seventh round of the 2011 NHL Draft. He will join Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, for the remainder of the 2014-15 season.
“I’m excited, this is what I wanted and I’m eager to join Syracuse,” Peca told Quinnipiac Athletics. “I’m excited to get started.”
Peca enjoyed an illustrious four year career at Quinnipiac University, tallying 143 points, including 42 goals and 101 assists. Peca is the fourth player in school history to reach 100 assists mark and is sixth on the program’s all-time scoring list.
Peca is part of a senior class that has won 97 games, two ECAC regular season championships, and has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years, including a Final Four and National Championship appearance in 2013.
“It’s tough to put into words, my time at Quinnipiac,” Peca said to Quinnipiac Athletics. “It’s been the best four years of my life, I’ve made some great friends and I’ve learned a lot here. I’ve been very lucky, to be able to play at Quinnipiac.”
Peca’s career ended this past weekend in the team’s 4-1 loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to North Dakota.
