Westfield State University freshman ice hockey forward Jake Ratcliffe just earned his third Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Rookie of the Week Award, and the New Zealand native has had a big impact in his first season of collegiate hockey.

Ratcliffe is the first male hockey player from New Zealand ever to play on an NCAA team, at any division, according to the star.kiwi, the local newspaper for Canterbury, New Zealand.  

Last week, Ratcliffe tallied a goal and three assists in three games for Westfield State to earn the MASCAC weekly award. He scored the first goal in a 2-1 win over UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday, and capped off the week picking up assists on both goals in a 2-2 at Worcester State on Saturday.

So far in his freshman season, Ratcliffe has tallied a team-leading nine goals, while also adding six assists for a total of 15 points—good for second on the team. He also has scored three game-winning goals, two of them in big conference games.

"I love it. I was excited to get back into school after taking three years off (to play junior hockey)," said Ratcliffe. "It's been everything I expected and more…it's been a lot of fun."

"A lot of it is to do with my teammates," he said of his success. "I'm lucky to be playing on a line with Aaron Clancy who is a captain and one of the top forwards on the team, and another freshman, Justin Alves, who has a lot of speed and creates a lot of chances for us. The coaches have also given me a great opportunity to succeed, being on the power play and getting plenty of ice time."

"We brought Jake in to be a point-producer and he exceeded our expectations," said Westfield State hockey coach Bob Miele. "He has a bright future ahead of him."

Ratcliffe gained much of his early hockey experience in his hometown in Auckland, New Zealand, but in his formative days it was not all about 'ice' hockey.

"We just played on roller blades on the street where I lived and we borrowed some hockey sticks from some of the other kids and I just loved it from that moment on," he told the star.kiwi this summer.

Ratcliffe's love for the game spurred him to search out the closest ice rink.

While it might be assumed that ice hockey is not popular in New Zealand, Ratcliffe countered, "It's a lot bigger than you'd think…there's been guys that have gone to Europe and people that have gone all over the place, but for whatever reason no one has ended up going the college route".

But given his piece of history, he said, "a lot of guys I played with are really happy for me…it's exciting."

After years of hockey in New Zealand, he left his hometown to play at a prep school in Canada, and then to junior hockey with the South Shore Kings in Foxboro, Mass, where he received a call from Westfield State hockey coach Bob Miele asking him to come play for the Owls.

Ratcliffe follows the path of goaltender Grace Harrison, who earned a scholarship to play Division I women's ice hockey at St. Lawrence University in 2015.

"Coach Miele saw me play and he called me and started to recruit me," said Ratcliffe. "I went on visits to a lot of other places…when I came to visit I liked the campus and watched a game and thought it would be the best fit for me school-wise and hockey-wise as well".

"To play at the college level and do [school] and hockey at the same time, the only good option was to come over here to the states," said Ratcliffe. 

He is majoring in business at Westfield, looking to determine a concentration along the way and get his degree in four years.

Now it's getting down to crunch time for the Owls this hockey season. They have posted an 8-6-3 record overall and a 5-4-1 mark in the MASCAC—good enough for fifth place with only eight conference games remaining. With all that said, they are only three points out of first place, so everything is up for grabs as the regular season winds to a close.

With Fitchburg and Plymouth next on the docket, Ratcliffe knows the Owls will have to be at their best to stay on track.

"They're probably the best two teams in the league…we've been practicing hard, so hopefully we can keep winning and get a home playoff game," he exclaimed.

Whatever the task at hand, be sure to know that the street hockey player from Auckland, New Zealand will always be in the thick of it, helping give the Owls the best chance to be successful.

Westfield State takes to the ice tomorrow night against the top team in the league, Fitchburg State, hosting the Falcons in a 7:35 p.m. start at Amelia Park Ice Arena.