Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey welcomed back a well-known former Bobcat in its Saturday night matchup against Boston University, Noah Altman ’25.
The 6-foot-7 former assistant captain goaltender, known for always having a smile on his face, registered a perfect save percentage in his seven appearances during his collegiate career.
“It’s amazing,” Altman said. “It’s definitely weird. It’s the first time that I’ve been up here in over a couple years. I was up here (University Club) for a few games when I was hurt. But weird, being an alum coming back, it’s strange.”
Yet, despite being in M&T Bank Arena without his equipment and Quinnipiac threads, Altman feels like he’s still out there with the team.
“During the national anthem tonight, I felt like I was on the ice, like I was almost moving around, a little bit like I was still out there,” Altman said.
The Los Angeles native played four seasons in Hamden before entering the transfer portal at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, with one year left of eligibility. Ultimately, Altman was not picked up in the transfer portal, moving on to his next chapter in life.
“As soon as I graduated, I got a job at ESPN, so I’m a production assistant on SportsCenter at night, and my hours are at night, so I work from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.,” Altman said. “It’s a bit of an adjustment not playing hockey. Obviously, it’s what I’ve done for the past, basically, I don’t know, 10 or 15 years of my life, so it’s been very fun, but I miss playing.”
Lacing up the skates for the first time at 13 years old, Altman made it his goal to play Division I hockey. Head coach Rand Pecknold and his staff would take the chance on a kid with only a few years of experience under his belt.
Prior to coming to Quinnipiac, Altman played in the North American Hockey League for the Bismarck Bobcats, appearing in eight games with a .877 save percentage.
Yet, when he first stepped into Hamden, Altman knew Quinnipiac was the place for him. And throughout his four seasons with the Bobcats, Altman grew close with his teammates, creating strong bonds that have carried outside of collegiate play.
“Definitely still in touch with all of them. I definitely have a little bit of a bias towards the guys that I have played with,” Altman said. “Mace (junior forward Mason Marcellus) and Vic (senior forward Victor Czerneckianair), both score in the first period. So I love seeing them do well.”
And since stepping away from Hamden, Altman credits the connections he made while with the Bobcats on the team’s culture and atmosphere, which he believes continue to make Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey such a dominant squad.
Altman says he loves being able to come back as an alum and see the progress his alma mater has made, even just a short time into its 2025-26 campaign.
“I think that’s one of the coolest parts of our program, is the culture that we’ve created. And I remember as a freshman and sophomore and really all the way through the alums being so cool to me and creating that relationship,” Altman said. “So now being able to come back and meet all the younger guys and still be able to see the guys I played with for some one year, but some like three years, is really, really cool.”
