Photo by Emily Jancauskas / Salem State University
Two NCDC Alumni Teammates Also Named To MASCAC All-Conference Teams
Reprinted and edited for NCDC alumni information with permission of Salem State University
Salem State University and former Thunder Hockey Club Forward James Tatro (Salisbury, Mass.) received MASCAC Rookie of the Year honors, after an impactful freshman campaign. Tatro was the top rookie scorer, averaging 1.27 points per game, finishing with 33 points – 4th in the MASCAC- with 15 goals and 18 assists. His five game-winning goals led the league and tied for the most in a season at Salem State. The forward tallied five power play goals, placing him in the top five in the conference.
Tatro played for the Thunder Hockey Club from 2022-24, playing in 78 games and scoring 40 points. He also had two assists in six playoff games.
Former Islanders Hockey Club and current Salem State goalie Will Nepveu (Montreal, Quebec) secured first team honors after compiling a 17-6 record in net this season. His 17 wins led all goalies in the MASCAC and placed him in the top three in the NCAA. He finished first in the conference in save percentage (.934) and winning percentage (.739) and was second in goals against average (2.47) and saves (832 – 2nd most in NCAA DIII)).
Nepveu first joined the Islanders Hockey Club in 2020-21, playing for both their USPHL Premier and NCDC teams that year. He played with the NCDC full time in 2021-22. For his career, he played in 19 regular season NCDC and 19 regular season Premier games. He also went 4-0 with the Islanders Premier team in the 2021 playoffs, a run that saw them reach the USPHL Nationals.
Keagan O’Donoghue (Frisco, Texas) earned ALL-MASCAC second team honors after recording 30 points this year. The forward ended the 2024-25 season fourth in the MASCAC in assists (18) and scored 12 goals. O’Donoghue finished his Salem State career with 105 points.
O’Donoghue played in the USPHL Premier and NCDC between 2018 and 2020, splitting time in both leagues with the former Boston Bandits organization. He played in 54 Premier regular season games, scoring 63 points. He also had 12 points in 11 playoff games over two seasons, including a Bandits run to the 2019 Nationals. For the NCDC Bandits, he scored two points in 22 games.
