Tim Whitehead was the Head Hockey Coach at the University of Maine from 2001-2013. A six-time finalist for the Spencer Penrose Trophy as Division I National Coach of the Year, Whitehead won the award in 2002. In 2012, he led the Black Bears to their 7th NCAA Tournament appearance in 11 years, a run that included four Frozen Fours, two National Championship games, and the 2004 Hockey East Championship. While at Maine, Whitehead was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest academic honor society, "for outstanding commitment to academic excellence at the University of Maine." In 2013, his men's hockey team earned its 13th consecutive team GPA at 3.0 or above.
Prior to his position at Maine, Whitehead was the Head Coach at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and also served as an Assistant Coach at UMass Lowell, Maine, and Middlebury College. Prior to that, he taught history and social studies at St Gregory The Great School in Hamilton, NJ and at John Baptist High School in Bangor, ME. Whitehead played professional hockey in Europe before starting his teaching & coaching career. He earned his undergraduate degree at Hamilton College and his Master's degree in Education at the University of Maine, graduating summa cum laude.
After growing up in Marblehead Massachusetts, Bryant attended Kimball Union Academy and graduated in 2004. While on the hilltop, Bryant was a four-year, three sport varsity athlete. He was a lacrosse co-captain, a hockey assistant captain, and a two-year soccer captain. Bryant was a residential proctor, Orange Key awarded head tour guide and senior class president. Bryant was also named the KUA athlete of the year in his senior year. Following graduation, he took a year off and played Junior Hockey in Massachusetts where he was named to the all EJHL team. He then attended Hobart and William Smith Colleges where he majored in Philosophy and PreMed for a focus in BioMed Ethics, with a minor in Environmental Studies. He played Varsity Soccer as well as Varsity Ice Hockey and was, in his freshman year, named as the Ice Hockey Rookie of the year. In his senior year Bryant captained the Varsity Ice Hockey team.
Coming from a long line of teachers, for Bryant, education has always been at the forefront for him. He offers a diverse perspective and background, as his own experiences in school were quite similar to those of the students with which he works. In his time at Kimball Union Academy, professionally, he has strived to develop his understanding and has been working toward an advanced degree in the field. Bryant is a Varsity Lacrosse and Varsity Hockey Assistant Coach, he is a dorm parent in Dexter Richards and does extensive work regarding diversity and race on campus.
Matt Underhill joined the KUA community in 2016 as an English teacher. A product of boarding school, he graduated from Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Saskatchewan, Canada. Matt then played four years of Division I hockey at Cornell University where he was an NCAA All-American and ECAC Goaltender of the Year in 2002. He was chosen by the Calgary Flames in the 1999 NHL draft and played professional hockey from 2002-2006, spending time with the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL and several teams in the AHL and the East Coast Hockey League. There he was named Goaltender of the Year and a First-Team All-Star in 2006 while helping the Alaska Aces win the Kelly Cup.
In addition to serving as an Assistant Coach for Boys Varsity Hockey and as Head Coach for Varsity Softball at Kimball Union, Matt is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and works closely with teams and student-athletes on campus. Prior to joining KUA, he spent ten years as an English teacher and Head Baseball Coach at Boston Collegiate Charter School in Dorchester, MA. He was also an Assistant Varsity Hockey Coach at Milton Academy from 2011-2016.
Coach Underhill and his wife Elizabeth live in Meriden and have three children: Audrey, James, and Ellis.
The Wildcats’ quest for a fourth straight NEPSAC title came to an end with a 7-4 quarterfinal loss to Salisbury on Wednesday in Connecticut. The game started well for KUA, with Sullivan Mack scoring just 32 seconds into the first period, and again midway through the frame, to give KUA a 2-0 lead after one. A powerplay goal by Tomas Mazura put the Wildcats up 3-0 in the second, but a relentless Salisbury roared back with three straight goals to tie the game. Teddy Griffin put the Wildcats back up with a powerplay goal with three minutes left in the second, but Salisbury scored twice more to take a 5-4 lead after two. A Salisbury powerplay goal and a late empty-netter put the game on ice. Veeti Kohvakka and Zak Brice combined for 28 saves in net for the Wildcats. KUA finishes the season with a 26-8-2 record and a six-season streak of making the NEPSAC Elite 8.
Sullivan Mack’s shorthanded goal with five minutes to play turned out to be the game-winner as the Wildcats upended New Hampton 5-3 on Saturday in Meriden. Jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first, on goals from Nic Bernardo and Grant Eastwood, the Wildcats took a 3-0 lead in the second when Tomas Mazura scored on the powerplay shortly after a critical diving save from goalie Veeti Kohvakka (38 saves). New Hampton scored one goal late in the second and got within one in the third before Mack used his speed to fly past a New Hampton defender and deke the goalie for the shorthanded goal. New Hampton kept battling, scoring with a minute left to cut the lead to 4-3 before Mack set up Paul Dore for the empty-net goal that sealed the win for the Wildcats.
A powerplay goal with two minutes to play propelled Proctor Academy to a 3-2 win over the Wildcats in Meriden on Friday night. KUA senior Sullivan Mack scored his 40th goal of the season in the first period, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead after one. Proctor tied the game in the second and took the lead early in the third before Mack scored his 41st, burying a wrist shot off a faceoff win from Tomas Mazura. However, a late penalty cost the Wildcats, who could not find the net again despite firing 40 shots on net. Zak Brice made 30 saves in the KUA net.