By Alexis Demopoulos
Forward Jordan Bezio’s dream to play college hockey was years in the making and after lots of hard work and determination he has earned himself an NCAA Division III commitment to the University of Southern Maine for the 2025-26 season.
Bezio played last season for the Islanders Hockey Club and had a great experience playing for head coach Tim Kyrkostas putting up 17 points in 43 games played. He made the switch to the Seacoast Spartans this year as it was the team’s first year in the NCDC and an organization that Bezio is very familiar with.
“I am a little biased as I have been playing for the Spartans since I was 5, first in youth hockey and then in Seacoast Performance Academy,” said Bezio. “Our teams were always very strong so that gives you a good feeling. I was familiar with the facilities which I think are the best in NCDC.”
“This season I felt with Seacoast being a new NCDC team, it would give me the opportunity to play a more important role and gain experience in different situations,” added the North Hampton, N.H., native. “Head Coach Brett Tryder was familiar with me from SPA and trusted me in key roles such as running the first power play.”
Bezio had opportunities to take his talents a step higher to the NAHL, but he thought the NCDC was the best way he could grow as a player in his final year of playing juniors.
“Being in the NCDC gives you instant credibility to college coaches,” said Bezio. “Being a very small player, it was important for coaches to see that you can compete at high levels. I have had top notch coaches with both Coach Kyrkostas and now with Coach Brett Tryder. I had several opportunities [in other leagues], but I felt like I needed to be playing top minutes in my age-out year.”
Bezio has known University of Southern Maine head coach Matt Pinchevsky for several years as he was the coach of his U14 Seacoast Academy team. Bezio kept in contact with him over the years and the talks took off from there.
“I have stayed in touch ever since Coach Pinchevsky went from Seacoast to the Maine Nordiques (NAHL) and then to USM,” said Bezio. “He offered me a commitment after I made a visit and after watching me play several games.”
Bezio knew that USM was the right place for him as he was able to make connections with many of the players when he visited the campus. Also, USM is far enough away from home for him to be able to live the authentic college experience, but still close for his family and friends to come watch him play.
“From a hockey standpoint, I was familiar and liked the coaching style of Coach Pinchevsky,” said Bezio. “The team plays one of the most competitive schedules in NCAA Division 3 and plays on an Olympic sheet which fits my strengths as a player. Lastly the openings at my position seemed to line up with my exit from Juniors. On the academic side, they had the majors I was exploring and Maine and New Hampshire offer in-state tuition to each other’s students. I also got a very nice grant package from admissions.”
This year has been a huge confidence boost for Bezio and he is continuing to work hard and become the best player he can be.
“This year I’m playing in a more impact role, I have been able to add more scoring,” said Bezio. “I am told I need to think about scoring a bit more rather than always having a pass-first mentality. I played with amazing players in midgets and I became very comfortable getting them the puck so they could score. In college I really want to develop into a top goal scorer myself.”
Though the Spartans are a bit out of the playoff picture, Bezio hopes knowing that he is back in good health can help his team go on a big run.
“Unfortunately I got mono in November and missed a huge chunk of the season just when I was starting to get very consistent scoring,” said Bezio. “I want to regain the performance I had when I first arrived at Seacoast and do as much as I can to help the team. We are a bit out of the playoff position right now, but it is not impossible if we go on a good run. I want to be a leader in doing everything I can to help us get there. I think the best part of our season could be coming.”
The NCDC congratulates Jordan Bezio, his family, the Seacoast Spartans and University of Southern Maine for his commitment.
