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As Matt Myers skated off the ice surface following hockey practice at Macon Coliseum Friday morning, he saw his phone had a missed call from Worcester Railers head coach Nick Tuzzolino.
Dressed in just his leggings and a T-shirt, Myers, a Worcester resident, marched up to a concourse at the hockey arena located in Macon, Georgia and returned Tuzzolino’s call.
“I kind of knew at that point what it was going to be,” Myers, 23, said. “I kind of blacked out on the call for a bit.”
On the other end of the phone, Tuzzolino told Myers that the professional hockey team from Worcester wanted to sign him to an ECHL contract.
Congrats, kid, you’re coming home.
“It’s surreal, to be honest. I’m smiling ear to ear even (thinking about it),” Myers told the T&G over the phone. “It’s definitely a moment I’ve dreamed about. I obviously grew up in and around the DCU Center. I’ve skated with those guys plenty of times, Sharks and Railers, just imagining what it would be like to be there.
“You never really think it will happen.”
'One of the best things I've ever done': Looney fills in for Auburn hockey with help from current Railers goalie
When Matt Myers was 4, his father, Mike, took a job as the Worcester Sharks senior director of business and community development.
Since then, Myers spent most of his childhood traveling from hockey rink to hockey rink in New England — but most of his time was spent at the DCU Center, which is home to the Worcester Railers (formerly the Worcester Sharks).
“It’s all I’ve ever known,” Myers said.
After graduating from St. John’s High School (2020) and playing one year of junior hockey, Myers committed to play hockey at Middlebury College.
In a college essay for a class on the rhetoric of sports, the 2025 Middlebury grad wrote about his time spent in “the hockey underworld” at the DCU Center — including this one memory from a Worcester Sharks win:
In October, Myers returned home for an amateur tryout offer with the Worcester Railers.
The center/forward played in two preseason games with Worcester before joining the Quad City Storm in the SPHL, a tier lower than the ECHL. Although he didn’t make the Railers’ roster out of training camp, the opportunity provided a different slice of life for Myers with Worcester professional hockey.
“It was a lot of fun,” said his father, who is now the Railers’ chief operating officer. “One of the purposes of our training camp is to identify guys we may need down the road. ... Those windows of opportunity happen so rarely.”
And that window just so happened to open this week.
With Myers being traded from the Quad City Storm (Illinois) to the Birmingham Bulls (Alabama) on Jan. 8, the 6-foot, 190-pounder wasn’t sure if he was going to continue pursuing his professional hockey dream much longer.
But eight days later, Myers received a call from Tuzzolino to tell him to pack his bags and join the Railers in Maine for their game on Saturday.
“I’m really grateful to Tuzz and to the organization for believing me enough to even give me a shot and opportunity,” said Myers, who scored 4 goals and added 2 assists in 15 games in the SPHL this winter. “Really full circle for me and my life that really justifies the decision to play pro hockey and work as hard as I’ve had to in order to get to this point.”
With Matt Myers flying from Atlanta to Boston on Saturday and then driving up to Maine for the Railers’ game against the Mariners, the newest Railers player most likely will make his Worcester debut on Sunday in a home game at the DCU Center.
His father will be there to watch him.
'A special moment': Nashoba soaks up chance to play in DCU doubleheader with Railers
“I’m obviously thrilled for him. I think it’s a great opportunity, I know he’s very excited,” Mike Myers said. “As a family, we’re just going to enjoy the moment. To have the opportunity to actually watch him play live and get this experience is pretty special.”
From playing knee hockey in the bowels of the DCU Center with friend Tyler Mudd, to learning how to perfect the crossover from former Railers coach David Cunniff, to pouring juice boxes over his to emulate a former Sharks goalie or enjoying pizza with his dad postgame, all those memories have built up to this moment for Matt Myers.
The DCU Center-raised hockey player is returning home — as a member of the Worcester Railers.
How’s that for a Hollywood hockey script?
“It’s pretty overwhelming to see something so full circle,” Mike Myers said. “I won’t appreciate the whole picture for a little while to gain that perspective. But it is definitely a special moment for our family.”
“It’s crazy that it’s full circle,” Matt Myers said. “I’m probably not going to believe it’s real until it happens. This will be a moment that lives on in my family forever.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester resident Matt Myers signs contact with the Worcester Railers
Continue reading...
Dressed in just his leggings and a T-shirt, Myers, a Worcester resident, marched up to a concourse at the hockey arena located in Macon, Georgia and returned Tuzzolino’s call.
“I kind of knew at that point what it was going to be,” Myers, 23, said. “I kind of blacked out on the call for a bit.”
On the other end of the phone, Tuzzolino told Myers that the professional hockey team from Worcester wanted to sign him to an ECHL contract.
Congrats, kid, you’re coming home.
You must be registered for see images
“It’s surreal, to be honest. I’m smiling ear to ear even (thinking about it),” Myers told the T&G over the phone. “It’s definitely a moment I’ve dreamed about. I obviously grew up in and around the DCU Center. I’ve skated with those guys plenty of times, Sharks and Railers, just imagining what it would be like to be there.
“You never really think it will happen.”
'One of the best things I've ever done': Looney fills in for Auburn hockey with help from current Railers goalie
The hockey underworld
When Matt Myers was 4, his father, Mike, took a job as the Worcester Sharks senior director of business and community development.
Since then, Myers spent most of his childhood traveling from hockey rink to hockey rink in New England — but most of his time was spent at the DCU Center, which is home to the Worcester Railers (formerly the Worcester Sharks).
“It’s all I’ve ever known,” Myers said.
You must be registered for see images attach
After graduating from St. John’s High School (2020) and playing one year of junior hockey, Myers committed to play hockey at Middlebury College.
In a college essay for a class on the rhetoric of sports, the 2025 Middlebury grad wrote about his time spent in “the hockey underworld” at the DCU Center — including this one memory from a Worcester Sharks win:
In October, Myers returned home for an amateur tryout offer with the Worcester Railers.
The center/forward played in two preseason games with Worcester before joining the Quad City Storm in the SPHL, a tier lower than the ECHL. Although he didn’t make the Railers’ roster out of training camp, the opportunity provided a different slice of life for Myers with Worcester professional hockey.
“It was a lot of fun,” said his father, who is now the Railers’ chief operating officer. “One of the purposes of our training camp is to identify guys we may need down the road. ... Those windows of opportunity happen so rarely.”
You must be registered for see images
And that window just so happened to open this week.
With Myers being traded from the Quad City Storm (Illinois) to the Birmingham Bulls (Alabama) on Jan. 8, the 6-foot, 190-pounder wasn’t sure if he was going to continue pursuing his professional hockey dream much longer.
But eight days later, Myers received a call from Tuzzolino to tell him to pack his bags and join the Railers in Maine for their game on Saturday.
“I’m really grateful to Tuzz and to the organization for believing me enough to even give me a shot and opportunity,” said Myers, who scored 4 goals and added 2 assists in 15 games in the SPHL this winter. “Really full circle for me and my life that really justifies the decision to play pro hockey and work as hard as I’ve had to in order to get to this point.”
A hockey Hollywood script
With Matt Myers flying from Atlanta to Boston on Saturday and then driving up to Maine for the Railers’ game against the Mariners, the newest Railers player most likely will make his Worcester debut on Sunday in a home game at the DCU Center.
His father will be there to watch him.
'A special moment': Nashoba soaks up chance to play in DCU doubleheader with Railers
“I’m obviously thrilled for him. I think it’s a great opportunity, I know he’s very excited,” Mike Myers said. “As a family, we’re just going to enjoy the moment. To have the opportunity to actually watch him play live and get this experience is pretty special.”
From playing knee hockey in the bowels of the DCU Center with friend Tyler Mudd, to learning how to perfect the crossover from former Railers coach David Cunniff, to pouring juice boxes over his to emulate a former Sharks goalie or enjoying pizza with his dad postgame, all those memories have built up to this moment for Matt Myers.
You must be registered for see images
The DCU Center-raised hockey player is returning home — as a member of the Worcester Railers.
How’s that for a Hollywood hockey script?
“It’s pretty overwhelming to see something so full circle,” Mike Myers said. “I won’t appreciate the whole picture for a little while to gain that perspective. But it is definitely a special moment for our family.”
“It’s crazy that it’s full circle,” Matt Myers said. “I’m probably not going to believe it’s real until it happens. This will be a moment that lives on in my family forever.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester resident Matt Myers signs contact with the Worcester Railers
Continue reading...
