Aston, PA – The Philadelphia Little Flyers, members of the Eastern Hockey League are proud to announce the college commitment of Jack Ford to the University of Massachusetts – Boston.  Ford, a 6’1” 185 lb forward from Middletown, Delaware played part of the 2022-23 season for the Little Flyers EHL team before earning a call-up to the Tier II level in early January.  Even though his junior time with the organization was a short three-month period, Jack’s ties to the Little Flyers date back to 2015-16 when he played Bantam minor in the orange and black, tallying 51 points in 25 league games.  “We are all very proud of Jack for his commitment to the UMass-Boston Beacons.  Seeing Jack from when he came in late September to where he is now, it shows you everything you need to know about the young man, his work ethic and determination” said Little Flyers EHL Head Coach and General Manager Mark Catron.  “We would have loved to have had Jack for the entire season but as an organization we feel like his time here served its purpose and we were happy he got the opportunity to go back to the Tier II level mid-way through the season.  Our players have had a lot of success at UMass-Boston over the past several years and I have no doubt that Jack will do the same at the NCAA level.  I think his high hockey IQ and skill set is a good fit with what Coach Belisle and his staff do up there” Catron concluded.  The University of Massachusetts-Boston Beacons are members of the New England Hockey Conference under 18-year Head Coach Peter Belisle.  Little Flyers alumni from UMass-Boston over the past six years include former captains Gabe Chuckran, Garret Gallagher, Drew Gannon, Evan Heldt and Nick Daluisio. 

“First off, I’d like to thank my family who supported me throughout my time playing hockey since I was a young kid.  I’d also like to thank the Philadelphia Little Flyers for giving me a reason to believe in hockey again.  After not playing competitive hockey for 8 months, Mark Catron and Anthony Lorusso gave me an opportunity to come back to the game I fell out of love with.  They gave an overweight and out of shape 20-year-old a chance to find his way again when no other team or coach would.  I worked hard and enjoyed the three months I spent in Philadelphia, the team and culture was encouraging and beneficial for every player in the organization.  For the first time since I was in high school, I truly enjoyed coming to the rink, I loved every second I spent with the Little Flyers Organization.  Mark Catron and Anthony Lorusso are two of the nicest and most supportive people in the hockey world.  I am extremely proud to say that I was a Little Flyer.  Thank you to my teammates for all their support throughout my time playing this game.  Finally, I’d like to thank Coach Belisle and Coach Fahey for giving me this opportunity to be a Beacon and reach my goal of becoming an NCAA Student-Athlete” said Ford earlier this week. 

Ford suited up for his first game on October 7th and made his presence felt immediately, scoring a power play goal in his first EHL game.  In 17 games, Ford scored 4 goals and added 8 assists for 12 points.  He had two three-point games in his time with the club, a three-assist game against the Connecticut Roughriders on October 14th and a goal and two assists on December 9th against the New York Applecore.  During Christmas break, Jack earned a call-up to the Tier II level with New Jersey where he registered 4 goals and 3 assists in 21 games.  From 2020-2022 Jack played 65 games in the NAHL with New Jersey and Janesville respectively where he scored 11 goals and added 21 assists. 

On behalf of the entire Philadelphia Little Flyers organization, we’d like to congratulate Jack and his family on his NCAA commitment to the University of Massachusetts-Boston and thank him for his contributions both on and off the ice to the Philadelphia Little Flyers organization.