SPORTSMANSHIP
A
t four years old, Ryan Massa put on his first pair of skates — against his parents’ wishes. “When my uncle came to visit, they gave him explicit instructions not to take me to an ice rink,” Massa said. Originally from Vermont, his parents knew the time, expense and injury factor that came along with the fast-paced sport. His uncle took him anyway, and Massa was hooked right away. “I wouldn’t shut up about it,” he said. For the next year, Massa learned to skate. At 6, he put on the pads for his first game. His position? Goalie. “I got a shutout my first game,” he said. “Ever since then, it was nothing but playing goalie.” Massa, 25, finished his senior season as the Mavericks’ starting goaltender, leading the team to its first NCAA Frozen Four appearance in school history. The standout from Littleton, Colorado, was the oldest guy on the team. He played junior hockey in Fargo, North Dakota, before enrolling at UNO at 21. “My age and experience have helped in the classroom and on the ice,” he said, explaining that maturity is key to playing such an intense position and managing a rigorous course load. A finance and banking major, Massa maintained a competitive GPA amid his hectic practice and travel schedules, crediting his classroom successes to his finance tutor, academic advisor and CBA professors. “The professors here are first-rate,” he said. “They go out of their way to support your efforts and make you successful.”
FROZEN FOUR
Mav goalie enjoys historic senior season 14
UNO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION